With the drawdown going strong, the military is looking for discriminators to ensure only Soldiers with good records can reenlist. We now have Brigade Commanders reviewing Soldier performance history to see if they should be allowed to REUP! Team, this is serious when your future is in the hands of a Colonel and not your company commander. Read more»
Bullying is counter to military values and teamwork. Yet, it is frequently a fact of life in the military. In part, this is because rank gives bullies power over people they outrank. In addition, yelling at people and getting in their face is nothing new in the military. This is why there is often a fine line between motivating subordinates and being a bully. Read more»
The Army, like any organization, must react and adapt itself according to changing outside conditions. We are now entering a part of the cyclical lifespan of the U.S. military called a drawdown. What does this mean to Soldiers? Simply put, if you have committed an unforgivable sin such as: DUI, drug use, lying, cheating, or stealing you will have to work very hard to be retained. Read more»
There is a lot of work to be done before you separate out of military service. It not only marks the ending of a career, but likely a complete uprooting of your life and drastic modification to your lifestyle. Read more»
Now that we are through the holiday season and charging forward towards Spring we face 2012, a presidential election year. That potentially spells problems for military personnel (active, Guard, Reserve, or retired) who want to be involved in the political process. This article is a quick reference to help you navigate the various political restrictions that apply to you as a Service Member.
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What happens after the decision has been made to pursue Article 15 action? The following general advice is written primarily for Soldiers facing Article 15 punishment and leaders who have subordinates undergoing an Article 15. The focus is on Soldiers, but the same principles apply to Sailors, Marines, Airmen, and Coast Guardsmen. Read more»
The Bear Went Over the Mountain has been around since the 1980’s. When Les Grau originally wrote Bear it was printed only in limited quantities and largely overlooked because the military establishment saw no real value in the book. After all, America had learned its lesson about fighting an insurgent war in Vietnam. The Soviets got their butts kicked in Afghanistan and there was no way we would allow America to become involved in another insurgency. Hmm… Funny how history has a way of repeating itself! Fast forward to 2001 and we were (and still are) in Afghanistan fighting the same enemy the Soviets fought, on the same ground, using the same tactics. Read more»
Staff Sergeant [now SFC] MacArthur Ocampo was born in Southern California, but at the age of ten he moved to the Philippines to live with his relatives. Graduating from high school at age fifteen (yes, fifteen), he entered university and earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science with a minor in Computer Science. His goal… go on to law school and become a lawyer practicing in his adopted country of the Philippines. Read more»

New phase for the Afghanistan Campaign Medal, Transition I
HRC Awards Branch has provided the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense (Personnel & Readiness) memo which announces the establishment of a new campaign phase for the ACM. The new campaign phase is “Transition I”, and the beginning date is 1 Jul 11. “Consolidation III” has been closed out effective 30 Jun 11. HRC Awards Branch will be publishing a MILPER message at a date to be determined.
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According to MILPER MSG 11–306, Soldiers will see an adjustment in promotion point distribution for military education on their Promotion Point Worksheet (PPW) on 5 December 2011. The change will become effective for Soldiers being promoted on 1 January 2012 and later. Read more»
Moving. That one word can set fear into anyone who has done it once, twice, or 20 times like most military families have. Knowing you only have six months before the truck arrives to pack up everything you own is bad enough, but a one-week notice is sometimes all you get. How many partially-used ketchup and mustard bottles have you given to (or inherited from) neighbors? Read more»
When you first come into the service, getting promoted seems easy. You do your job, and when you have enough time in service, you make E-2, then E-3. But sooner or later, it seems that you get stalled out. Your boss keeps recommending other people for promotion, but not you. What’s the deal? You’re just as good as they are, maybe even better. So how do you get out of this rut? Read more»