Posted on Oct 22, 2016
Why do you think some soldiers don't reenlist? Could it be toxic leadership, lack of potential, or lack of motivation?
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Re-enlistment
Re-enlistment
Posted 9 y ago
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Joined to be an infantry door kicking mean lean killing machine! Graduated OSUT and sent to my first duty station where the war is not on terrorism but on eye pro and mustaches!! Where First Sergeants now tell us that it's no longer about killing the enemy it's about looking good in front of the BC and Sergeant Major "hooah"? POLITICS where everyone passes basic training and at your duty station you get stomped out because you scuffed someone up instead of writing out a negative counseling that does nothing more than clarify the said soldier is garbage. gets held to the same standard whether you are Ranger Rick or Private Pile!
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There are a lot of reasons I know my first time in I was fully eligible but really after I said I was getting out everyone just left me alone, no mentor ship, no discussions about pros and cons nothing. I was 22 and just left only to come back in at 41 because the wars were going on and I saw the pros of military service from not only pride but it made good business sense also. We do not have enough leaders who will show the business side of being in the military to a first term enlisted. There are also other reasons people get out after one contract maybe the lifestyle is not for them. As leaders we have to remember that the young bucks are our replacements and like it or not we need. To mentor them.
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When we make the decision to re enlist or get out for many of us even it nobody wants a acknowledge it is a business decision. There are other elements that come to play also like can I deal with the military life style any longer? The military is not for everyone and there are sacrifices that not everyone is ready to make. There is toxic leadership that can overwhelm first term enlistees who in a lot of instances this is their first job. There is also the free market where young enlistees might see a better future for themselves. I would never tell any leader to baby a first termer so that they re enlist but as an NCO who has been in the civilian world I do talk to younger soldiers in my case so that they have an idea of what to expect.
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In my 12 years of service i have seen it to be a little of all three but the majority in recent years i would have to say is uptempo down sizing and details. I have seen a major shift in army priority over years and this reactive army we are in now i believe takes the wind out of anyones sails.
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First enlistment? Probably didn't turn out as hoped for. 2nd and consequent enlistments, usually a toxic bitter leader, with poor people skills.
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As someone about to ETS, I'd say that it's a combination of a lot of things. I think toxic leadership is far and above the leading cause that people chose to run for the door; however, that's not the only reason. For me, it was simply that I didn't feel like it was the right path for me. I don't regret in any way my choice to join; I'm glad I did, and I'd do it again in a heartbeat if I had it to do over again. I see it as looking forward. I could spend the next 11 years stagnant in my civilian life, tied down by the Army, and maybe find a day when I could progress in my Army life, or I can put a chapter of my life behind me and pursue what I want to for my family and I, without the constant life, pay, etc. problems delivered monthly by Mother Army.
The big issue is that people enlist when they are young, and their lives change majorly in that first 8 years. I enlisted late, at 20, and still in my first contract went through a marriage, a child being born, the death of a mother-in-law, and a home foreclosure being among the most significant changes. I am not the unattached kid with no future plans that joined anymore. I'd say, short of toxic leadership, this is likely the leading cause of ETS.
The big issue is that people enlist when they are young, and their lives change majorly in that first 8 years. I enlisted late, at 20, and still in my first contract went through a marriage, a child being born, the death of a mother-in-law, and a home foreclosure being among the most significant changes. I am not the unattached kid with no future plans that joined anymore. I'd say, short of toxic leadership, this is likely the leading cause of ETS.
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SSG (Join to see)
Interesting did anyone in a leadership role talk to you about your decision after you told retention you wanted out? I'm just curious, I will caution u though whether you are in or out life happens but I do wish you good luck
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SPC(P) (Join to see)
Oh yes, they've talked that horse to death. I think you misunderstood my point though. I was just saying that people change a lot, because of events that happen during those ages, and that affects their choices to stay in, not that those changes won't happen out of the Army.
In regards to my "beef" with the Army is the constant bureaucratic B.S., the constant we're not paying for that, or we'll pay for that - just kiddings, etc. For example:
I chose to go back to school after I decided I was getting out, only to discover that the $20k SLRP in my contract is only valid while I am actively drilling, which was nice to discover because I paid off my $3000 of student loans myself when I first got in, because I couldn't get SLRP to pay anything on them and decided it wasn't worth the constant headache.
I missed two semesters of Tuition Assistance because GoArmyEd wouldn't coordinate with my school, or work with me to get my classes approved.
I have about $1000 in outstanding DTS claims from my deployment 2 years ago, and shortly after them declaring they were going to start paying for travel reimbursement for my 200 mile drive to drill each month, they decided to drop the rate to $0.19/mile - not to mention that I was not allowed to claim it for the first year that it was available because no one could tell me the process to get reimbursed.
Those are of course the more recent grievances, I also waited almost a year after returning from basic before receiving my enlistment bonus. That type of stuff works against the Army in retention standpoints, but I don't think it's really the cause for many people getting out, unless they really got shafted. What caused it for me was the constant feeling that the Army was interfering with my life, not part of it. As a reservist, every month I would have to uproot everything, take time off from work, load up all my crap and drive 200 miles to drill. I would get to stay in LIK (if it got paid for that month, and if I could find out which hotel it moved to this time), but of course this didn't accommodate family, even when they were expected to be at drill, so buying hotel rooms was a frequent ordeal. Then, I continue to spend at least 1/4 of my time between drills expected to work on Army crap like mandatory training classes, or be prepared to give this class next month, or work on putting together this project or that. If the Army had contained itself to the 1 weekend a month, two-weeks a year thing, I'd maybe have a different feeling towards it, but really, I just lost my interest in it.
In regards to my "beef" with the Army is the constant bureaucratic B.S., the constant we're not paying for that, or we'll pay for that - just kiddings, etc. For example:
I chose to go back to school after I decided I was getting out, only to discover that the $20k SLRP in my contract is only valid while I am actively drilling, which was nice to discover because I paid off my $3000 of student loans myself when I first got in, because I couldn't get SLRP to pay anything on them and decided it wasn't worth the constant headache.
I missed two semesters of Tuition Assistance because GoArmyEd wouldn't coordinate with my school, or work with me to get my classes approved.
I have about $1000 in outstanding DTS claims from my deployment 2 years ago, and shortly after them declaring they were going to start paying for travel reimbursement for my 200 mile drive to drill each month, they decided to drop the rate to $0.19/mile - not to mention that I was not allowed to claim it for the first year that it was available because no one could tell me the process to get reimbursed.
Those are of course the more recent grievances, I also waited almost a year after returning from basic before receiving my enlistment bonus. That type of stuff works against the Army in retention standpoints, but I don't think it's really the cause for many people getting out, unless they really got shafted. What caused it for me was the constant feeling that the Army was interfering with my life, not part of it. As a reservist, every month I would have to uproot everything, take time off from work, load up all my crap and drive 200 miles to drill. I would get to stay in LIK (if it got paid for that month, and if I could find out which hotel it moved to this time), but of course this didn't accommodate family, even when they were expected to be at drill, so buying hotel rooms was a frequent ordeal. Then, I continue to spend at least 1/4 of my time between drills expected to work on Army crap like mandatory training classes, or be prepared to give this class next month, or work on putting together this project or that. If the Army had contained itself to the 1 weekend a month, two-weeks a year thing, I'd maybe have a different feeling towards it, but really, I just lost my interest in it.
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The factor I see the most is that the Soldier feels they are not cared for, not like cared for as a child, but as a valued member of the team. They are either denied a school (we CANNOT afford to have you go), denied basic benefits (education, health, family), or just stuck with no opportunity to advance. Leaders must get at the root cause and fix it.
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The factor I see the most is that the Soldier feels they are not cared for, not like cared for as a child, but as a valued member of the team. They are either denied a school (we CANNOT afford to have you go), denied basic benefits (education, health, family), or just stuck with no opportunity to advance. Leaders must get at the root cause and fix it.
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