Posted on Dec 31, 2014
CQ on New Years Eve after last minute change and after no holiday leave; suck it up or would you complain?
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This soldier is pulling CQ today, New Years Eve. The reason why he is upset and thinks it isn't fair is because he was deployed for the past 12 months in Afghanistan with a different unit while his unit was in the rear. He's the only soldier in the battalion that was deployed. He got back 3 months ago and as soon as he got back, he went to work everyday till 1700. They didn't give him half days or 4 day weekends for redeployment and he never asked for them either, he didn't feel it was his position to ask for days off.
He didn't take block leave because he went on leave in October for 29 days and was told that if he did put leave now, it would probably get denied because he just took leave, so he didn't. He just found out yesterday that he had duty today because they changed the roster last minute. He asked the NCO in charge of the roster to see if there was anything he could do because he wanted to spend this new year's eve with his family since last year he wasn't here, unlike everybody else. He was told "at least you get to spend Christmas with your family" meaning that that should've been enough. He now feels that his unit doesn't really care about him or his family.
Is this soldier overreacting? Did his leadership fail him or is he just complaining?
He didn't take block leave because he went on leave in October for 29 days and was told that if he did put leave now, it would probably get denied because he just took leave, so he didn't. He just found out yesterday that he had duty today because they changed the roster last minute. He asked the NCO in charge of the roster to see if there was anything he could do because he wanted to spend this new year's eve with his family since last year he wasn't here, unlike everybody else. He was told "at least you get to spend Christmas with your family" meaning that that should've been enough. He now feels that his unit doesn't really care about him or his family.
Is this soldier overreacting? Did his leadership fail him or is he just complaining?
Posted in these groups: 
Leadership
Leadership
Posted 11 y ago
Responses: 61
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He took 29 days leave in Oct. Quit being a little B**ch. The holiday leave periods were probably already fleshed and full by the time he got back. As for the duty thing he was probably the alternate/standby and something happened with the other person. Pull up your panties and soldier on.
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Suck it up, Buttercup! In 23 years, the best deal I ever got over the holidays was the afternoon off every other day from Christmas Eve to New Year's. Worked EVERY SINGLE Christmas. When I was enlisted, every unit I was in had a "10% policy", where no more than 10% of the unit could be away at any given time. I was in a low-density MOS, in small, monolithic units (everyone in the unit was the same MOS) of 17-23 personnel. Needless to say, only one, sometimes, albeit rarely, two were allowed to be away for the holidays. My number never came up and I finally quit asking. After i was commissioned, in the units to which I was assigned, it was considered "poor form" for officers to request holiday leave. Holiday leave was for junior enlisted.
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Sounds like a case of testicular deficiency! Was he Voluntold to deploy? Or, did he volunteer? Is he deploying again after the New Year or will he be in the rear back home? Not enough info given. I’ve missed several Christmas’s and New Years from Government Service (Military and Civil Service)
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Stop complaining! Your a soldier and you have duty! Sorry you can’t have things your way. Perform your duty and drive on!
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The NCO in charge of the “roster” is the 1SG. Did he talk to his 1SG? He’d been back 90 days. Was he put through the redeployment reintegration training, which by the way is mandatory.
Sounds like no.
Still, I wish had a dime for every “important day” I missed over the last three decades.
He had been in leave recently, for nearly a month, and he’s getting Christmas off. Sounds like he’s had plenty of time off. And I’m going to say it...suck it up.
Sounds like no.
Still, I wish had a dime for every “important day” I missed over the last three decades.
He had been in leave recently, for nearly a month, and he’s getting Christmas off. Sounds like he’s had plenty of time off. And I’m going to say it...suck it up.
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Mission accomplishment is paramount..... but when you can put troop welfare up there with that, like in this case, impretty sure that in a battalion of soldiers who haven’t deployed, they can find one to take the NY CQ. Seems like this command fucked him.
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If he did not put in for leave, then his name stays on the DA 6 for duty. Even if he was told by someone that his leave "probably would be denied", he still could have put in for it. He also could have just asked for a pass if the leave was denied.
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Leadership could have had a little more consideration but, You are in the service.
Part of being a soldier...
Part of being a soldier...
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