Ready

Just a few more days now until the entire Brigade is back on the hill, and we're ready. Sitting at the Company every morning, doing PT, and providing guidance for soldiers has been great, but we're all ready for "game on" time...

Slow

The days have been dragging going in for morning PT while most of the Brigade is on Block Leave. I've been having the junior soldiers just out of Basic Training lead PT in the mornings with just minimal guidance. We've had a flood of new Privates show up as the vets ETS and PCS post deployment. Two new tankers have given me hope. One wants to go to Sniper school and the other, Ranger School. This is exactly what we need in the Armor branch, to tear down the old stigma about FAT (Fat Ass Tankers). An Enlisted Tanker that goes to Ranger School writes their ticket for becoming a senior NCO if they choose that path.

It's Cold Outside...

My wife, daughter and I spent the four day weekend in Chattanooga getting our house rented out. It was only officially on the market for 35 hours or so, so not bad... The previous renters gave us some grief about letting the lawn and a few trees die... What's funny, he said he had an arborist come check out the tree and that it was diseased... I've got to write this stuff down.

Back in formation this morning after an unexpected four day weekend, most of the soldiers that haven't gone on block leave were hoping for a ZONK, but we ran an easy 2 miles. It was below freezing, and we were one of only 3 groups out on the streets.

I'm looking forward to the start of our training cycle in January.

Block Leave Begins

The majority of Crusader, the Battalion, and the Brigade signed out on Block Leave yesterday. It's a well deserved break for these soldiers that have just recently returned from Iraq. Some are going as far as East Asia, some are staying in their barracks room for the break. For those of us not signing out, we'll have day on day off, half days, and many 3 and 4 day weekends.

With an entire month off, I'm sure we will see at least a handful of soldiers running into some kind of legal problem or worse... I hope not, but... Soldier + No Responsibility = Trouble

As soon as everyone returns we will begin what will seem like non-stop training for months straight. Weapons qualifications, physical fitness, maneuvers training at all levels, and general soldier development...

The lull in tempo could not be at a better time for me. My wife and I own a house in Tennessee and our renters just moved out. We're traveling up there this weekend to in order to take the keys and hopefully get a new tenant ready to move in. Most likely it will remain empty for at least a few weeks, and with Christmas right around the corner, it's going to be tough having to get around to see family on a tight budget.

Pulled...

Day two with my Infantry Platoon was coming to an early close as everyone is getting ready to go on block leave. I was finally holding a formation to introduce myself, say hello, check information dissemination in the ranks, and put out my telephone number for the eventual emergency. Immediately after my formation I called my acting Platoon Sergeant up to release the Platoon. As soon as it was over, the Company Commander called me over we went to his office and he told me that there had been a mistake... I, as an Armor/Cavalry Officer was not supposed to take this Infantry Platoon... I was pulled from the Platoon as fast as I had gotten it.

Now I'm hanging out at Crusader until a Platoon opens up within the Battalion, possibly even within the Brigade. My guess is that I will either be going to a Tank Platoon when a PL gets fired, or to the Cavalry Squadron within the Brigade... Both would be fine, however it was disconcerting and it is still bothering me. I am sure that I would have succeeded as the PL for the Infantry Platoon and I was looking forward to the challenge... Now, going into what I've been trained to do, I know without a doubt that I will succeed and the challenge won't be as tough.

So the CO assigned me as a "Company Special Projects Officer" which really means, wait here until we (the Battalion) is able to fix the mistake. There is no such position within a Tank Company or Company Team. I'm just waiting again.

My first assignment is to prepare for and conduct Officer Professional Development (OPD) and my topic is Infantry Armor Teams. This boils down to the employment and pros and cons of the Combined Arms Battalion, Company Team level Infantry Armor mix... I'll be leading the development program in February.

Zero Day

I met with a few of my NCO's today for the first time in a Platoon Leadership capacity. The soldiers in my Platoon spent the majority of the day cleaning night optics, while I and my acting Platoon Sergeant went to a Company level sync meeting. We will be taking our Rifle Platoon back to Hardrock to facilitate training a common base of Training. Crusader, where we are currently located, is primarily a Tank/Armor Company, my Platoon is on loan from Hardrock.

Immediately I received a few extra duties. Within the first quarter of 2010, I will be responsible for facilitating and overseeing M203 grenade launcher training and Close Quarters Marksmanship/Close Quarters Battle training. The CQM/CQB will include team level live fire in a shoot house with live ammunition! Beats being an accountant.

Tomorrow morning I will meet with the Platoon before PT, in the afternoon I'll sign for thousands of dollars worth of equipment. On Wednesday we are going to the virtual Call For Fire trainer. By the end of the week 90% of the unit will be gone on block leave, and I will have plenty of time to work on the details of running my ranges, my Platoon Sergeant counseling, concurrent training ideas, and everything else...

Background

I started this nearly two years ago now.... February 2009 I began working on acceptance to the US Army Officer Candidate School (see Road to OCS). September 2009, immediately after my daughter was born, I began the course and commissioned in December the same year. Branching Armor, I was initially hoping to become a Cavalry Officer, I went to Fort Knox and waited nearly four months for Armor Basic Officer Leaders Course to begin. August of 2010 I graduated and planned to head off to Ranger School. I ended up taking a detour due to a needed surgery, I arrived at my first duty station as an Officer in late 2010. The 3rd Infantry Division was finishing up a year long deployment in Iraq, and I waited patiently on Battalion Staff. Now, the Division is back, I'm still recovering from surgery, and I will meet my Platoon for the first time tomorrow morning.

It seems that I will be taking an Infantry Platoon (Mechanized)... Around 40 men, trained to kill, experienced in combat... Wow.

It's definitely not a Cavalry Platoon, and I have NO complaints...