What aspects of a soldier do NCO's and Officers look at when it comes to the Soldier Concept and what makes them a good leader??

I used to watch who would naturally take charge. From there I would assign the Soldier increasingly complex leadership tasks. If they could handle themselves by influencing peers well I would recommend them for the board. If they were enthusiastic but ignored I would foster them gaining experience. If they just liked to be loud or bossy I would back burner them.

@ SSG. Trevor S. ; I had motivated myself to get my CDCs(career dev. Crse) done and out of the way and had made notes of items in them to ask my trainer. I often found conflict with what my trainer said and what my CDC volume said. There'd be a couple of us working/training with him and I would be sure to ask him in private to not put him in a sit-rep that
Might make him look bad if he was incorrect. So what happens was between us. Another SSG. That didn't like him
Got me on the side one day and said I was right, why didn't I call him on it in front of
The other Airman.."That's not the way it's done SSG. and you know that!" I informed him.. neither he nor I knew the CMSG. Was observing us from not far off, standing by the shelf unit. Later both of us was asked to stop by his office after shift. I knew I'd done nothing wrong... so what was it about I was wondering.. He called the SSG. In first.. they talked about 15 minutes it seemed, then he called me in ... The Lt. was present, I saluted her and she asked me if she could sit in.. I had no objection I told her. Chief asked me where I had learned the protocol for praise in public, scold in private. I told him in AFJROTC.. I had completed the
Cadet enlisted Program and earned their award for that in April of my 11th grade year. I then enlisted in AF Reserve and went through basic i the summer. An opportunity arose and I was invitd to
Switch to regularAF and I went for it..
I had lost no rank, I wouldn't have anyway.. some in my reserve unit thought I would.. I was locked in... the AFJROTC award took care of that.. What about college I was asked .. That would have to come at a later time I said.. The Lt. Wasn't Messing around, later she got me some study material for the S.A.T.s that there were on-base crses I could take after my CDCs were finished... actually they were, I had gotten out of my way but
Couldn't take EoC for another couple weeks. S'body at Reserve base level messed up on my training (I felt) and
Said I wasn't progrsssing, they confused me with another Airman(so they said)...
I found out they held my completed volume tests back so a bud who was a Cook could catch up .. our Training NCO,
A TSG, had a receipt she got from them
at base training/promotions , she'd called Maxwell AFB, they said they never got them .. I should of had my EoC back done and sent back already to them .. A SSG. Had stuck the finished test cards in a bottom drawer.. they got them sent in but i had to get a waiver from Dept of the AF to switch from Reserve to Active. They were made aware of the sitrep that it wasn't my fault.. it took some time and I finally was straight with the AF, my volumes were credited, and I got to get my EoC done. Which I maxed. I believe I may have anyway.. l was finally ready to
Take the S.A.T.s and we deployed.. more time to study I thought.. not to happen!
I had my G.I. Bag packed and my portfolio with my study material.. too much excess weight, So I gave a trusted Comrade who was an alternate my study gear and he made sure I got it when we returned. A grueling 5 months.. while O'seas I had a
Base requisition form(dream sheet) I filled and I mailed back to base, I didn't trust the personnel team with us.. when I got back my request was ok'd and orders forthcoming. ... meanwhile the time frame
To take the S.A.T.s came and went and I
Went to Vietnam at Tan Son Nhut AB. There I busied myself doing my job; providing sustenance to our Airmen, being a 1st cook, and serving others that came through our facility. I earned Sgt. And some months later I tested for SSG. The line numbers came out, I had tested and earned a line number that'd get me promoted early. The Cmdr. Informed me I still had it but it wasn't in his budget.. what a line of Malarkey!.. he was going y
To send me to my new base as
a Sgt. And let them promote me.. Base personnel fixed him! They went over the
records and found an Award I had coming that would move me one month closer..
by that I should have SSG. on already. A MSG. Gave me a pack of SSG stripes(that'd give me 2 packs now), my orders got amended also, I had to be ready to go in 5 days.. My gear had been packed and I was living out of my bags. I had some shirts already with new rank on them. I had a BDU Jacket with SSG. Ready, I was hoping to fly to Philippines
In BDUs and clean up there, that wasn't happening . I had to be in khakis(shade 1505s). So off to Thailand I went via the
Philippines.. While in Thailand I got them to order my 7 Level books .. those took a month.. other items had a higher priority,.
They said I was lucky to get them so quick.. who did I know? I looked st my
Shipping pkg. turned out my trainer from the Reserve Squadron I was in handled my package, she shipped them priority to my Squadron. 1SG brought them to me, "who do you know at Maxwell SSG. Herrst?" I didn't know either until I looked at the shipping packet. There was her name;
MSG. _________ . There was another AF envelope inside one of the volumes..
she had it on official Maxwell letterhead
and she made it look official as possible.
So she had opened the packet and slipped the letter into a volume and then resealed the packet.. pretty sharp! What if the AF ran my mail past the drug dogs or if they opened the package could of found the letter.. Geez what a chance she took! I looked at the envelope and found a postage cancellation. So she had paid
For it and then opened the package and put it inside and resealed it. So there was no attempt to defraud, she had covered herself !.. the package had been inside a priority envelope with cardboard to protect and keep the package straight..
Over the next 4 months I workedonthe volumes, maybe less. Our CDCs then were all closed book.. not like what the
Troops had when I was at Langley (open volume and EoC test.. they had a lot of pics.. we had some but not like they had..
they Prob'ly do it all on-line these days..
Got to move with the times.. So much
p.c. These days.. "I'm feeling stressed Sarge, I need a time out.. go talk to my
Social worker advocate... Seriously?
When does any work get done?... I hope those days are gone with Obama and his
P.c. Stool pigeons.. time to drain the swamps, ship them all to Antarctica!

I would say one that studies, asks questions about what is needed to be done for a sit-rep and works to gather up needed equipment if possible and has his gear ready and helps comrades to make sure they have their kits together and any
Thing that can assist his leaders to make their part of a mission successful, is a start toward being a leader..