Do you think town halls are a good idea for input and suggestions from soldiers within a unit?

I believe good can come out town hall meetings as long as it stays orderly, and whatever problems is brought to the table have a solution to go along with it.

AS long as it doesn't turn into a "gripe-session," then yes, these are good, because if one person asks a question, it'll probably answer others' questions too. Plus, I think town meetings should not go over an hour.

Attended several Town Hall meetings as an Army Civilian. They varied in quality quite a bit based on the personality of the Command Team. They worked best when the purpose was to inform the Civilian (90% of unit) and military members of upcoming changes, new policies, presentation of awards. The Q&A sometimes yielded silence. At other times, some "brave" civilian or junior enlisted would ask a question. Some of the Commanders (O-8), CSMs, and staff directors (O-6s and GS15s) were better at answering than others. To their credit, the senior officials always tried to answer the question and actually admitted when they would have to get back to the questioner. These "get back" responses were normally sent in an e-mail to all command employees. Overall Town Halls are a good idea IMO.