Posted on Feb 18, 2020
How long does it take to acquire a sponsor for your next duty station?
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Son in holdover at Fort Sill awaiting sponsor for duty station in Hawaii. He has already finished AIT had his graduation ceremony 2/13/20 How long does it take to acquire a sponsor? he has spoke with his drill Sargent about this and says he is working on it. I feel like this is something that should have been taken care of a while back. Please advise. Thanks.
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Command Sponsorship
Command Sponsorship
Posted 4 y ago
Responses: 4
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The sponsor program can be a shot gun blast in the dark. He may not have his sponsor until he is in Hawaii, and even if he is assigned a sponsor beforehand, he may not even talk to that person.
My advice: your son has talked to his drill sergeant and they are working it. Mom needs to step back and let adult son handle his business. I didn't have sponsors when I went to Korea or Germany. When I got to those locations my first line supervisor integrated me into the unit. There is no department phone number I can give so you can talk to the manager, that's not how the army works.
My advice: your son has talked to his drill sergeant and they are working it. Mom needs to step back and let adult son handle his business. I didn't have sponsors when I went to Korea or Germany. When I got to those locations my first line supervisor integrated me into the unit. There is no department phone number I can give so you can talk to the manager, that's not how the army works.
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Lisa Swiontek
Thanks for your quick response. He would die if I called and try doing something. He is stuck there until he gets a sponsor. That's coming from him.
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LTC Jason Mackay
Lisa Swiontek the response SFC Marc W. has provided is a good one, I'd like to add to it. When junior soldiers are assigned, they are assigned to an installation. Based on strength management of that MOS and grade which is centrally managed, and priority of units on the installation for fills, the arriving soldiers are assigned. The dynamics at unit level move too fast and too randomly to reliably pin point your son to a Company. That sponsorship application may be sitting at the gaining installation because they don't know which unit he is going to.
The sponsor is not just a box check. The sponsor helps that newcomer get oriented to the unit and generally makes sure they get where they need to be and doing what they are supposed to until they are "integrated". There is usually a week of inprocessing at the installation where the newcomers are run through medical, dental, central issue, personnel and finance so they are "ready" to go to work
Because of strength management churn, they may not have a unit until the end of inprocessing. Their sponsor and or first line supervisor or simply a unit personnel rep may come and pick them up. First order of business is to ensure they have a meal card for the DFAC and a barracks assignment. Next order of business is to get them linked up with. A buddyor the sponsor for the weekend.
Your feeling that this should have been taken care of a while back....it was. The Army forecasted the need for a new soldier, that MOS in aggregate. Your son enlisted based on that forecast. The demand at the bottom doesn't manifest that way. It's random arrival and random departure. You don't know a 2-3 years out who is being separated, who will reenlist on the last day before they ETS, etc.
As for the delay, this occasionally happens. His unit may be deployed and there is a Rear Detachment planning for his arrival. There may be a reallocation of inbound personnel between units on the ground. So no sponsor is immediately identifiable. He may be assigned an initial sponsor and then that changes on the ground upon arrival.
Everything will be fine. Let him work it out.
The sponsor is not just a box check. The sponsor helps that newcomer get oriented to the unit and generally makes sure they get where they need to be and doing what they are supposed to until they are "integrated". There is usually a week of inprocessing at the installation where the newcomers are run through medical, dental, central issue, personnel and finance so they are "ready" to go to work
Because of strength management churn, they may not have a unit until the end of inprocessing. Their sponsor and or first line supervisor or simply a unit personnel rep may come and pick them up. First order of business is to ensure they have a meal card for the DFAC and a barracks assignment. Next order of business is to get them linked up with. A buddyor the sponsor for the weekend.
Your feeling that this should have been taken care of a while back....it was. The Army forecasted the need for a new soldier, that MOS in aggregate. Your son enlisted based on that forecast. The demand at the bottom doesn't manifest that way. It's random arrival and random departure. You don't know a 2-3 years out who is being separated, who will reenlist on the last day before they ETS, etc.
As for the delay, this occasionally happens. His unit may be deployed and there is a Rear Detachment planning for his arrival. There may be a reallocation of inbound personnel between units on the ground. So no sponsor is immediately identifiable. He may be assigned an initial sponsor and then that changes on the ground upon arrival.
Everything will be fine. Let him work it out.
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Lisa Swiontek
LTC Jason Mackay - Thanks so much. this is not my world, I am learning so much. I am one that does not like this hurry up and wait concept. All I can say is I know my son is happy about joining and I have seen changes already.
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LTC Jason Mackay
Lisa Swiontek please don’t call. It won’t help and he needs to handle his stuff himself. Land the chopper. He’ll ship soon enough.
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I agree with the above comment. Let your adult son handle it. By you trying to take care of it, you're setting him up for failure.
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Lisa Swiontek
I agree with you. But part of me so wants to, but I would have no idea how to. I am a business woman. This is not my bailiwick. Thanks for your response.
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I really doubt the sponsor is what's holding up his orders. He needs command sponsorship which is completely different. You need to be evaluated for an EFMP screening. That has to go forward with his command sponsorship request. The gaining hospital and base agrees they have the ability to support you. Then you are added to his orders, by name. It can take a few weeks, up to a month. If you have any issues that qualify you for EFMP it could take two months
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