Has anyone deployed as a 42A? What was it like?

I deployed as a 42B in charge of the S1 section. SSG James Behnke is correct - we worked shift work. Awards were processed mostly during the night shift. The biggest problem I had was to keep my people engaged in S1 stuff - the company routinely pulled them away for details. The end of the tour was the busiest because of all the awards we had to process. My section was the C1 section for MNF-NW in Mosul, Iraq in 2005. We deployed as a Regiment (Brigade) S1 section, but turned into a Division-level C1 with two subordinate Brigades to support. As we began to process to redeploy, those two brigades plus our headquarters all submitted their end of tour awards - easily in the thousands.

Casualty reporting was one of the other major duties. We would have to track each casualty report from initial report to final notification to family.

Tracking leaves and passes is a little different. Our COL had a policy that everyone would take a pass and mid-tour leave. We had to plan out when everyone was going to take their leave so a section wasn't left empty. We had to get that done within the first couple months.

Standard S1 stuff continues during deployment - personnel accounting from the units and reporting it higher, evaluations continue to be processed.

I actually ended up with CFC chairman duties during my tour. I had to do the collections and get the forms from my location to the mail at the airfield and report to a higher level chairperson in Germany.

My section was based with the headquarters at Spearhead palace - across the city from the airfield. The airfield had all the stuff. The Brigade downstairs took on the responsibility of running a small PX, so we did have access to stuff. We also had a couple of cleared shop owners that ran two small stores on our base. I remember the $5 DVDs. That's how I got to see Star Wars 3 and the Lord of the Rings trilogy.

We worked 12 hour shifts. Initially I gave my troops one day off; later it became 1/2 day when we assume Division level roles. We had a giant mess tent with some pretty awesome food. They served four meals daily (the fourth being a midnight meal for the night shift).

We lived in containerized housing units (CHUs) - basically tin cans with two bunks, two footlockers, and two night stand tables. I used my footlocker as a table top during my off time for my laptop. My CHU had several places where it was patched with packing tape and cardboard. One of the details was to sandbag everything in the living area.

I'm probably leaving out a bunch - but it has been 12 years since I deployed. Hopefully this answers your question at least somewhat.

I deployed as a 42A F4. Postal Supervisor. it was interesting. Did a lot of travel by Helo in Afghanistan. but nothing spectacular.

SPC Jamie M,

Being a 42A has a great variety when it comes to job description. Many 42A's work as part of a G1 or S1 section, some as postal personnel, and some work for a company. I deployed to Afghanistan a state part of a S-1 Section and they worked on shifts. I was then move to a different camp as a company HR Specialist with different roles such as PERSTAT, R&R packets, updating ERBs and ORBs, Awards, tracking tasks, etc. I also helped the supply sergeant a great deal and learned a lot about the 92Y MOS. During any down time while still in the office I completed over 600 hours worth of correspondence courses (note it doesn't actually take 600 hours to complete them). At the end of the day, there are a great variety of jobs you can do, it's all about what type of assignment you receive. So continue learning your role as a 42A and continue to learn how to research items. It's not about knowing the answers, but how to find them. If you keep doing that, you will always be successful.