Posted on Feb 15, 2018
What is keeping commands from taking advantage of the Bar to Reenlistment?
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The Bar to Reenlistment is an excellent rehabilitative tool when used correctly. I see it as a useful way to separate those who are willing to put in the work from those who just hope to skate by until the next PCS. I am sure every one of us has encountered a Soldier that has gotten by doing less than the minimum for so long they don't even know what right looks like anymore. In my experience, I haven't had a single Commander willing to go through with a bar even in cases where it was required by regulation. Is it a familiarity issue, or just too much work?
Posted in these groups: 
Leadership
Re-enlistment
Leadership Re-enlistment
Posted 6 y ago
Responses: 6
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If you "haven't had a single Commander willing to go through with a bar", then it leads me to believe that you might be seeking a bar for Soldiers quite often. Maybe it's just a trick of language, but it just makes me think you are looking for ways to use a certain tool more than you are concentrating on mentoring your Soldiers so the tool is not needed.
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SSG (Join to see)
I have tried to initiate 4 bars at 2 commands with 3 different commanders that were mandatory by regulation: 2 for no family care plan (plenty of time and assistance provided) in both cases the soldier's had approved plans then fired their child care providers and didn't use the CDC to get stay home free days), 1 DUI, and 1 ABCP non-compliance. All those were as a BN Career Counselor. You pick those up when someone is trying to reenlist and you do an eligibility scrub. The other 3 I have suggested were for a Soldier that had habitual counseling and corrective training by thier NCOs before me and were at best argumentative or worst outright hostile when I implemented a "pre-bar" recovery plan. Another who told me outright that they didn't want to go to the board and refused to prepare. The last one refused to comply with the plan that was put in place after they demonstrated a habit of financial irresponsibility so bad that they asked for an AER loan while they already had an AER loan (got it before me and I found out the soldier needed cash to get home from vacation.) That one refused to comply with the pre-bar recovery plan and I PCSd soon after handing them off because they got promoted. I just see a lot of people throwing chapters and article 15s at soldiers and skipping the rehab. It's not a Career ender if used early and correctly.
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SSG Stockemer- it may be just where you are. I know in III Corps at Forts Hood and Carson that we used them routinely.
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SSG (Join to see)
That could be it. I am MI, and I know some of our guys can't stand prolonged eye contact, so that could be the problem.
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The Army has changed. I used the Bar to Reenlistment when I was a Company Commander. It either got someone's attention or it didn't. Their Choice - not mine.
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