What should an IET Soldier's first duty station be?

MSG Bobby Ewing — Wed, 01 Jan 2014 13:20:54 -0500

I'm curious to hear other opinions across the services, but especially within the different Army CMFs. I feel that IET Soldiers should not be assigned to a strategic or fixed unit, as their first duty station. If at all possible, I would push that all IET Soldiers be assigned to a BCT or tactical type unit. Majority of Soldiers in my opinion miss out on that quality leader development time needed to effectively lead others later on in their careers. Most Soldiers that hit a fix unit will most likely leave there as a SPC, SPC(P), or SGT and be expected to know their jobs and effectively lead upon being assigned to a "Line Unit". For example: Let's take a 25Q Multichannel-Transmission Systems Operator-Maintainer. When I enlisted, it was 31R. I have several battle buddies who struggled after their first duty assignment in the technical and team leader aspects, because of the type unit they were assigned to. Most worked administrative, staff, or completely outside their MOS from PVT - SGT. Once assigned to a line unit - they had forgotten a lot of their basic technical skills needed as 25Qs and those that were 25Q2Os never lead Soldiers prior to going to their promotion boards. The units were severely "top heavy" at the time. It was a complete shock for them as team chiefs of Small Extension Nodes (SENs), V(3)s, or other signal assemblages they should be technically sound with. Feel free to share your experiences with previous units and thoughts of how to assist those Soldiers assigned to a fixed station/strategic assignment to maintain their skills prior to going to a "line unit".

Response by CSM Private RallyPoint Member made Jan 1 at 2014 1:23 PM

CSM Private RallyPoint Member — Wed, 01 Jan 2014 13:23:33 -0500

I absolutely agree that a BCT is the right place for a first term soldier unfortunately TRADOC and other generating force assignments need soldiers too. I think assigning a new soldier to any unit outside of their MOS and MTOE paints a bad picture to our soldiers because they grow to believe the Army is like TRADOC and it's not.

Response by SSG(P) Private RallyPoint Member made Jan 1 at 2014 1:43 PM

SSG(P) Private RallyPoint Member — Wed, 01 Jan 2014 13:43:00 -0500

Totally agree!  As someone who has been to BCTs with 10th Mountain and 101st Airborne, and is now stationed at Fort Leavenworth, I see new Soldiers come in and adopt the relaxed atmosphere of a unit with a very slow OPTEMPO.  If and when these Soldiers get to a BCT, they will be in for a huge culture shock.  Both the constant deployment, redeployment, train-up for the next deployment, and the discipline that comes with that OPTEMPO are totally different from a small post environment. It's not all leadership either.  Leaders can only affect Soldiers so much.  We cannot look over their shoulders 24x7.  Attempting to instill the BCT-type discipline in a low OPTEMPO unit is almost counterproductive.  Send all new Soldiers to BCTs first.  Low OPTEMPO units should be used as "breaks" from BCT assignments.

Response by 1LT Private RallyPoint Member made Jan 1 at 2014 2:51 PM

1LT Private RallyPoint Member — Wed, 01 Jan 2014 14:51:53 -0500

tl;dr - the where of the first assignment isn't as important as the "with whom."

I can't get assigned to a BCT until I make SFC. My entire MOS is in maintenance companies subordinate to sustainment brigades until SSG. SSGs get to go TRADOC, recruiting, and to special assignments.

That said: The initial assignment out of IET should be to an MTOE unit that is part of the deployable force pool. Korea, Europe, Hawaii, FORSCOM, etc. This builds an experience with the actual Army and hopefully leads to greater MOS and leader competence.

Reality check. Anyone who's been assigned to three or more of the following: Fort Hood, Fort Bragg, Fort Riley, Hawaii, Alaska, and/or Germany knows that there is more than one Army experience. Some posts exist in contravention to Army doctrine, regulatory guidance, and good horse sense. Example: A five personnel orderly room for a 120 personnel company, which has stopped performing its organizational maintenance, and is training jungle warfare for their upcoming deployment to the mountains of Afghanistan.

First line leaders must counsel, coach, and mentor their first term Soldiers on what to expect across the Army and how to integrate into our unique culture. Soldiers who are used outside of their MOS for their first contract and never serve in a traditional unit can still turn out fine if those units featured some experienced and engaged leaders.

Response by SFC Stephen P. made Jan 1 at 2014 4:39 PM

SFC Stephen P. — Wed, 01 Jan 2014 16:39:11 -0500

How do you propose we staff those skill level 1 positions if not with recent IET graduates? Is it logistically feasible to increase the rate of reassignment to meet your training goal?

Response by SGM Private RallyPoint Member made Jan 1 at 2014 6:21 PM

SGM Private RallyPoint Member — Wed, 01 Jan 2014 18:21:15 -0500

During my first enlistment I was sent to a strategic assignment. I received poor leadership and was totally unprepared, technically, tactically, and physically, for my follow on assignment to Ft. Drum. Thankfully, I was a newly promoted sergeant with a strong desire to learn and to succeed. Fast forward to 2013 and a career in either FORSCOM or SOCOM assignments and I am amazed at the amount of senior NCOs that I run into that have not served in anything other than strategic assignments. They're usually good technically but are light years behind their peers and many of their subordinates in the tactical and physical realm, not to mention their leadership skills. Place on top of that, they usually haven't deployed. I receive these NCOs into my company and due to their rank I have to place them in charge of Soldiers that just returned from their second or third 12 month or better deployment. It's very frustrating to say the least.

So what I'm saying is this, no I don't think first term Soldiers should go to strategic assignments. That being said, they can recover if they seek out those harder assignments and arrive to those units willing to learn. The bigger problem is NCOs who continue to remain in the those strategic units. DA is going to figure out that they have been hiding out and will eventually place them in a FORSCOM unit. Unfortunately, they are so far behind the power curve that they become a hinderance and a liability to their gaining units.

Response by SFC Private RallyPoint Member made Jan 1 at 2014 6:49 PM

SFC Private RallyPoint Member — Wed, 01 Jan 2014 18:49:21 -0500

CONUS based assignments and MOS-Organic units for initial training and orientation into their own MOS fields (ex: Quartermaster soldiers should go to a Quartermaster unit). From my experiences soldiers coming straight out of IET should not be put into specialty units (ex: SOCOM) where they are assigned as primary support and are not yet proficient in their field. I think then they should be exposed to environments like 18th ABN Corps (101st, 82nd 3rd and 10th) BCT's and such. Even though there are such units in OCONUS (i.e. 1AD) newly graduated IET soldiers may lack the maturity these assignments require. I say this very loosely because the shoe doesn't fit all and I know a lot of seniors/seasoned soldiers get into trouble over there too.

Response by SGT Kristopher Lather made Jan 1 at 2014 7:02 PM

SGT Kristopher Lather — Wed, 01 Jan 2014 19:02:34 -0500

Totally Agree, My First Assignment out of IET was to a Stryker Brigade (3-2ID) 3 Months later I was Deployed, 3 Tours and 7 years, NCO's were Feared like the hand of God to Privates when it came to Authority... 2010 - PCS to a Medical Battalion in Germany.. Privates were "Buddy Buddy" with NCO's and the First Term Soldiers acted like the military was just a Dorm Party.. SSG's being Investigated for relationships with PFC's in their platoon.. One Soldier scored a 9 pts on a APFT run, and when It was shown to the Company Commander that it was erroneously marked as a Passing APFT, it was pushed aside and nothing became of it.. I was one of I would say...seven soldiers in the battalion that deployed more than twice, Senior Leadership with a deployment Patch were too few and far between..

Case in Point: I would say that it didn't help that we had a Batt CSM that had spent 17 years Straight in Germany and then PCS'd to a Hospital Unit (Granted I understand that the higher the rank the fewer the options, but when we were given a NCO Power Point Presentation by said CSM about how to choose your assignments when you attain the rank. And out've all the options that we saw which included BCT's.. The Only NON-BCT Option was a Hospital Unit that was Top Choice)

Maybe I'm just a Disgruntled Veteran still Used to the 2 year in-between Tours Mentality "Train as you would Fight" but I miss the Combat Training Realism of doing my job..that and going to the range more than just every 6 months..

Response by SFC Private RallyPoint Member made Jan 3 at 2014 12:38 AM

SFC Private RallyPoint Member — Fri, 03 Jan 2014 00:38:15 -0500

I join Active duty Army in '05. I came in as a SPC cause I had a degree. My first active duty station was 44th ESB in Mannheim, Germany. My Platoon SGT point two battles and my self out because of our initiative. By doing so, I was a team leader for the 15 months in IRAQ, the go to person on how order teams were doing in the AO and my team received an award from the Marines we supported. I will say I developed more of my leadership skills (quick, fast and in a hurry).

I would say for a new soldier coming AIT needs to go to a BCT. However, some one like me and one of my buddies that were prior service. I think some one needs to reconsider the individuals circumstances.

Response by SSG Alleria Stanley made Jan 5 at 2014 6:13 PM

SSG Alleria Stanley — Sun, 05 Jan 2014 18:13:27 -0500

For the low-density Medical (CMF 68) MOS, it can be a challenge, as well. You are assigned to either hospital units where you learn and master your craft, but at the expense of your Soldiering skills, OR you are assigned to a field unit where you master your Soldier skills but hardly practice your MOS.

Which is right?

I honestly don't know. There needs to be a good balance. I've seen it both ways now. In the field units, the Soldiers fresh out of their AIT (oftentimes having spent well over a year in IET) then proceed to lose their nascent knowledge, but are solid Soldiers.

On the flip side, in the hospitals, our Skill Level 1's become highly proficient in their MOS but rarely IF EVER see TA 50, land nav, motor pools, range qualifications, FTX, etc.

It falls upon the NCOs to buttress that Soldier knowledge because otherwise you'll often find that the Soldier studying for a Soldier of the Month board is encountering some of that knowledge for the very first time (M16 knowledge, colors of the map, PMCS, etc.)

Response by SSG Private RallyPoint Member made Jan 5 at 2014 6:17 PM

SSG Private RallyPoint Member — Sun, 05 Jan 2014 18:17:26 -0500

i think their first duty station should be stateside. JR enlisted especially always cause the most trouble overseas. Alcohol, drugs, inexperience, immature etc. etc. etc... keep them stateside and let the people who have EARNED the right to go OCONUS enjoy that privilege.

Response by SSG Private RallyPoint Member made Jan 22 at 2014 5:35 AM

SSG Private RallyPoint Member — Wed, 22 Jan 2014 05:35:28 -0500

SFC Ewing, I agree. I work at a Corps Level and we have soldiers that this is their first duty station. I do think that they should go to the battalion and brigade levels first so they are more seasoned before coming to a Division or Corps Level. At the Corps level, there is really no room for that first term soldier to grow and develop as if they go to a lower level. Not to say that they cannot learn at the Corps level but it should not be their first assignment. Corps level should be for seasoned Specialists and above.

Response by LTC Private RallyPoint Member made Feb 5 at 2014 7:50 PM

LTC Private RallyPoint Member — Wed, 05 Feb 2014 19:50:12 -0500

4 words - Needs of the Army.

While it would be ideal to send all IET Soldiers to a BCT, the reality is that it is not possible. As a few have pointed out - there are needs in both the Generating Force and the Operational Force - and HRC has to find a fine balance between the two. Right after 9-11, the Generating Force was stripped bare bones to support the war effort. We are just now getting back to the point where they are trying to balance it out again.

Additionally - there a quite a few MOSs with very few authorizations in a BCT level organization. If a BCT is only authorized 2-3 slots for a certain MOS for lower enlisted Soldiers…you can only fill up to the authorization.

Response by 1SG Michael Blount made May 20 at 2014 9:52 AM

1SG Michael Blount — Tue, 20 May 2014 09:52:36 -0400

SFC - I see your point, but even HHCs at the strategic levels need go-fer's and that's what Privates do.

Response by SSG Steven Borders made Jul 16 at 2014 10:06 AM

SSG Steven Borders — Wed, 16 Jul 2014 10:06:56 -0400

SFC Ewing, I would have to agree with you on this issue. My first station was Fort Stewart 1BCT, 3rd BN, 3BSB. Unfortunately, I was only in the motorpool for 3 months and got snagged by the 1SG to work in the orderly room. I learned a lot being there but never got to experience doing my job.