Waking-up Troubles

Everyone that has done anything with ROTC or has a significant other involved in the program knows the worst part about it, the wake up. There are a great deal of people that claim to have trouble waking up. Below I have a list of the top 10 excuses for missing PT without calling.

10. I didn’t know what time it started.
This is one of the classics. PT starts at the same time and place every day. It has happened a few times that the plan has changed, but this is only done with advanced notice.

9. My alarm didn’t go off.
This is one of a great variety related to alarm clock malfunctions. Alarm manufacturers must be incompetent because they always seem to be failing when it comes time to wake up for PT.

8. I didn’t know I had to come today.
Cadets love to find reasons for not attending. They will often revert to confusion when they are out of classic excuses.

7. My car wouldn’t start.
Automobiles in cadet land function as poorly as alarm clocks. Apparently, the frustration from an under performing vehicle prevents people from calling for a ride or running to Horton.

6. I lost power in my building.
It is true that this really happens; however, the likelihood of this occurring on a Sunday, Tuesday, or a Thursday is slim. This is why the people that make alarm clocks put back-up batteries in them.

5. I was at the library until 3 doing homework.
Homework is never an excuse for missing PT. Cadets should always plan ahead and get their homework done. In the event that work piles up, you have to just suck it up and show up.

4. I had a test at 8 am.
This is a very similar example to the one above. No excuse

3. I thought we were meeting somewhere else.
Really?? Where else would we be?

2. My girlfriend set the alarm.
This works for me. Girlfriends are always trying to get us to sleep in. So much that they manufacture days off.

1. My half-drunk friend was smothering it, and he failed to wake me up when he got up.
Oh, it happened! Best excuse ever!

Overall there are very few reasonable excuses for missing something that you are responsible for attending. Do everything you can to be where you are supposed to be, and everything will be good.

Troops Sentenced

In the news today, there was an article talking about the sentencing of two individuals involved in the shooting of Iraqi prisoners who were bound and blindfolded. There was a total of four Iraqi's killed in the process. The soldier was sentenced for thirty-five years at Fort Leavenworth for engaging in conspiracy to commit premeditated murder. He is among others serving time for the incident in 2007. As a platoon leader, you will encounter many breaches in ethical conduct. Granted, not all of the incidents will be this blatant or serious. It is extremely important to uphold proper ethical conduct and practice it yourself. As a leader it will be your job to set the standard for others to follow. This is crucial because you will be the one that must hold others to the proper standard. Without living by the standard, you will be unable to punish those who fail to do the right thing. It can be challenging as an officer to enforce standards because we all have to walk a thin line between taking care of people, without getting influenced by trying to be liked. The role of an officer may be a lonely one, but you are not alone in your mission. The key is to remember that holding soldiers to a high ethical standard is taking care of them. Upholding standards shows your subordinates that you are caring and gives them a sense of procedural justice. Being liked is not important; being respected will pay dividends when it comes time to ask subordinates to do something for you. Small ethical decisions may not seem important, but you must remember that everyone is watching. Even the smallest lapse will cause a loss in respect.

When it comes time to volunteer...

One of the funniest dynamics in ROTC is related to the optional volunteer opportunities that always seem to come up. These optional activities always border on being required. Activities will range from going to El Paso for tutoring to putting on a small FLRC for the local middle school. Despite the differences in the actual activities, there are a few common trends. The first of which is the fact that no one wants to be there. The most challenging part of these activities is getting people to come out and help. It may not seem that hard to find a few volunteers, especially with almost one hundred cadets around. However, it is extremely difficult to get people to give up their time to help the program. Once people figure out that you are trying to recruit help and potentially take away their free time, they scatter as though you have body odor issues. When it comes time to get volunteers, I have a few suggestions. The first one is only have people that want to be there helping. One of the worst things that could happen is having a bunch of forced volunteers complaining and dragging their feet. These people are a cancer for volunteer operations because positive and upbeat attitudes are critical for the success. These operations are designed to build repore with the community. Having negative attitudes around will damage mission success. It is ok to have less people than you might need, but you must be careful not to burn out the volunteers. This will drastically affect their moods. The final piece of advice I have is take care of your volunteers. People that go out of their way to help others should be recognized. As an example, if you are doing a morning activity that prevents volunteers from eating breakfast, bring everyone a snack. This will make them feel appreciated and not starving. When it comes time to organize a volunteer activity, only use those who want to be there, and take care of them.

Accessions Tips

Everything we do in ROTC is assigned a point value. As cadets we strive to do as well as we can on campus in order to get what we want when it comes time to choose branches and duty stations. The accessions process can be somewhat confusing; as someone who has gone through the entire process, I have a few suggestions for those of you who strive to serve on active duty and get your branch of choice.

1. Maximize your PT score
PT score is a major component of your final accessions score. The major PT tests that count are those in your junior year and the test at LDAC. It can be very easy to relax in the summer leading up to LDAC, but this will greatly hurt your results, especially if you are going later in the summer. I personnally regret my performance at LDAC, losing points because I chose not to run or do pushups for a month. It ended up not hurting me overall, but it easily could have.

2. Adequately prepare for LDAC
I know that this may seem obvious, but I have a few concrete suggestions. Practice your OPORD's. Being able to rattle off a clear and concise operations order will make your life that much easier. The OPORD is over half the battle. Once you can do this, your confidence will follow suit. With confidence and the ability to deliver an OPORD, the final step is getting ready for land navigation. Keep up the written practice and capitalize on the opportunities to get out and walk land nav courses.

3. DO WELL IN SCHOOL
You are a student first; remember this. GPA has the largest impact on your accessions score. Do the best you can in school. It will pay dividends when it comes time to compete for active duty.

Duty (cont.)

Here is the second half of my work on duty.

As a leader it becomes extremely important to embrace a common sense of duty. I have briefly described the potential hazards of losing focus on such a key issue. In the end all responsibility falls on the leaders’ shoulders. It is the responsibility for any leader to ensure that all tasks assigned to subordinates are completed. Supervision of subordinates remains extremely important even in garrison operations. Without having someone keep an eye on soldiers, soldiers are given enough room to succumb to cutting corners. Allowing such habits causes soldiers to not be prepared for war. It is the responsibility of that leader to fully prepare all subordinates.

It is especially important for the leader to fully embrace his or her duty not only to the nation but to those entrusted to him or her. Army officers must always serve as the model for all others to follow. Soldiers are constantly looking higher for guidance and examples. A leader who fails to accomplish what is assigned has no place in a position of authority. There is no room for hypocrisy in the Army. How can soldiers be held to a standard that their leaders fall short? In order for a leader to be successful, he or she must rely on comrades to fulfill their obligations. There is no way that anyone will follow another who does not hold him or herself to the highest standard.

Failing to live by the Army Values is unacceptable by any soldier. People’s lives depend upon doing what is right at all times. Foregoing this moral code will cripple any organization and, in the case of the Army, will literally cripple those who have stepped forward to fight for freedom. All precautions must be taken to ensure that we continue to operate at the highest level. We owe it to those fighting around us and to the rest of the world. The United States Army serves as a benevolent overseer of those who cannot fight for themselves. We owe it to those for whom we fight.

Duty?

Duty is the responsibility held by each soldier to do all that is in his or her power to accomplish the mission at hand. Every soldier has a specific job to do. In so doing, the smaller actions will build collectively to accomplish the Army’s overall goal, to fight and win the nation’s wars. Whatever our reasons were for joining, once we lace up our boots it becomes time to complete the mission at hand. When every soldier is fulfilling his or her obligation to the nation, operations run smoothly; however, it is human nature to make mistakes along the way.

At times we can see soldiers begin to lose focus on seemingly smaller mundane tasks that appear to be pointless. In the Army people get into the habit of looking at situations as a matter life and death because, let’s face it, this is a profession surrounded by loss of life. Unfortunately this concept is brought back to non-combat operations. The feeling that tasks are no longer important because they will not directly cause a loss of life, limb or eyesight can be seen in garrison operations. “Look, if I don’t get this done who’s gonna die?” This attitude becomes extremely dangerous to not only mission completion but to individuals exposed to it. Getting into the habit of not focusing on mission completion can become extremely dangerous. Not having all the supplies prepared for an exercise may not kill someone today, but not training soldiers to the greatest extent allowed by available resources may. When we stop doing all that is in our power to prepare soldiers for combat, we are putting their lives in danger and making our Army weaker.

Ye Olde Redbird Handbook

Everyone knows the famous Redbird Handbook. If you don't, it is that little white book with the tiny font and the blurry pictures. In case you don't know, the Redbird Handbook is going through a major update. Three hardworking individuals are using their independent study time to go through each section and make it more current, easier to read, and full of more applicable information. Here are a few of the major changes.

Adding an Index

The previous edition of the handbook failed to include an index. Trying to find a piece of information in a 100 page book with tiny print, making the book completely useless. The new edition will facilitate a cadet's information search.

Enlarging the Book

The new Redbird Handbook will get rid of that tiny print. If the final funding works out, we hope that the book will be twice its current size and about the same overall length despite adding a few sections.

New Sections

Mentorship

Financial Info- This section will be broken down into two separate sections: ROTC only and ROTC with National Guard/Prior Service

LDAC- A brief explanation of a major ROTC training event

Post-Commissioning Training- A brief explanation of BOLCII and BOLCIII

Army Branches- A outline of the possibilities that wait for us after graduation.

Keep your eyes peeled for the new and improved handbook. It should be hitting an ROTC house near you.

Respect of Cadets

As a cadet you will encounter the issue of being treated with a certain level of disrespect. I am not sure exactly where this stems from, but I have a few guesses. I believe that it stems from the ambiguity of our rank. Cadets have no formal rank. We have no actual position in the chain of command. We may get paid as E-5's, but we do not carry the authority. All of are authority is delegated from our company commanders. Without the backing of the officers around us, we have no ground to stand on. For the most part, cadets are embraced and supported by superiors. The next step is getting the support of the enlisted. Cadets rely on senior NCO's to set the example for their subordinates. If the NCO's treat cadets with respect, junior enlisted will follow. The challenging part is when certain individuals fail to treat cadets with respect. I understand completely that cadets are not officers, but they do the work and make the decisions that officers do. It is important to remember this when you are confronted with individuals that insist on pushing the limit. It is crucial to stand up for yourself without pushing beyond your position. You must do what you can to curb disrespectful behavior. Most of the time it will involve ignoring and making a joke of such behavior; however, direct attacks of disrespect must be addressed. The correct method depends on the exact situation, and there are a few overall principles to remember.

1. You are soon to be an officer; act accordingly

The last thing you want to do is get into a petty philosophical argument with an enlisted soldier about the need for officers. Correct the behavior and move on.

2. Do not respond to disrespect with personal attacks

Some people will respond to any criticism with personal attacks. Attacking a subordinate will only undermine what you are trying to do. This will lose all support you may have gained.

3. If you are being tested, show what is acceptable and respond when behavior is not.

People will try to feel you out for what they can get away with. When it is unacceptable, don't allow it. The specific response is up to you, but keep it within reason.

What is GRAP and have I been taken?

GRAP stands for the Guard Recruiting Assistance Program. The program was launched about two and a half years ago as an attempt to boost recruiting for the National Guard. The program is a referral system that rewards soldiers for recruiting others to join the guard. All Army National Guard members have the ability to become recruiting assistants. This process is quite simple and involves only a few minutes of effort. The registration process is a brief class about the rules and regulations of the program. For a quick overview, here are a few of the key rules: recruiting assistants are not supposed to recruit while on duty, recruit family members, or offer prospective members portions of their money. The main violation of these rules is the last one. It has become commonplace for people to flat out "buy" recruits from other people. This completely undermines the entire system and causes a bidding war. There are a few other things to keep in mind. Guardsmen get between $2000 and $10000 for new soldiers. I am not telling you this so you can extort people but so you can understand motivation of others. Many people make a habit of going around and collecting information about unsuspecting freshman. Personal information is the way you input a new recruit. We take a person's info and log it into the system. It has become quite easy to put people into the system. If a senior starts being friendly with you and asking you personal information, ask them why they are taking a special interest in you. There is no reason that a fellow cadet needs to know your address and birthday. They most likely have less than noble intentions. If you are interested in joining the Guard, talk to someone helpful. If they have helped you through your decision, reward them by letting them get a bonus. Do not feel obligated to give this to undeserving individuals.

Keeping Your Pace Up

I know that my main focus in writing has been on preparing for the APFT, but it is time to touch on the scholarship aspect of ROTC. We often forget that as cadets we are students first. As the semester wears on, it can become difficult to keep up the momentum that we had going in the beginning. It is always tough to get back to work after a relaxing spring break. As a college student of five years, I have found a few ways to keep moving when the end is in sight.

1. Get out and enjoy the weather

For most students, spring break ends up setting you further back in your work. We never quite get to studying. This can make us feel like we have more to do than we have time for. With all of the work to do, some end up staying inside trying to get their work done instead of enjoying the improving weather. It is key to make some time to get out and have some fun. Exercising will reduce stress and provide a much-needed break from the studying. It will also improve your mood. It gets a lot easier to study when you feel better about life.

2. Don't get caught up in the increase in activity

Keeping in mind my advice from before, we must avoid getting caught up in the increase in social activity. As it warms up, people begin to spend more time socializing, whether at parties or less formal get-togethers. Professors tend to back-load course work. This combined with procrastination makes for an increase in workload for students. Continuing to put off work for more entertaining opportunities will bury students. Keep up with your work while enjoying yourself socially.

3. Don't forget what you have already done

After nine weeks it gets easy to forget all of the hours we have invested in our coursework. The worst thing to do at this point is to ease up and waste all of the hard work. All that work can be undone by taking a dive on just one exam, project or paper. Do what you can to keep up your hard work; you will be rewarded.

Stopping Stop-Loss

It is certainly not official yet, but it looks like the Army has been seriously reconsidering its use of stop losses. For the past few years, as we are all quite aware of, the Army has been forcing soldiers to stay in the Army for longer than their original enlistment. There has been many outcries for change from the public. Stop losses have been called a back-door draft because the Army is forcing people to remain in the Army against their will. I am not going to argue the politics behind this policy; however, it seemed that news of change could be quite positive. The current change being discussed is to greatly reduce the number of soldiers being retained. Also, the policy makers are talking about offering a $500 bonus, if you could call it that, for those who have been retained. This may be a result of increasing enlistment. During these hard economic times, people have been forced to find work, and for some, that means joining the Army. The last thing that I want to do with this blog is complain to you about the Army is misunderstood by the public. During these tough times, people are beginning to see the Army for what it really is, a great employer with superb benefits and great opportunities for continuing education. The Post 9-11 GI-Bill is making it extremely affordable to attend college after only three years on Active Duty. I know this blog has been all over the place, but it should serve as a welcomed change. The Army has typically been slow to change, but its moving along. For more information about the changing policy on stop-loss check out this article.

A New Workout

Having made an early trip home from Air Assault, it is time to shift focus to the task at hand, improving PT performance. On AKO I found a workout that was similar to the air assault/ sapper workout that I have been doing for PT. This workout has a great plan for building pushups and situps, but I find the running somewhat ineffective. The pushup plan is based on your staring point and continues to build each week. The workout calls for three sets of regular, wide-arm, and close hand push-ups. The number of pushups again depends on where you are starting. My favorite part of the workout is the ab portion. The exercises include regular situps, crunch circuits, flutter and scissor kicks. The crunch workout is a killer. It has eight different types of crunches. For myself, I have to do 14 crunches per set per workout. This totals over 330 crunches. As for the recommended running, it has good ideas, but they fall a little short. They include sprints, a long run, and timed miles. The problem with the runs are the specific details. Everyone knows what they are capable of and should plan their runs based on what they need to improve upon. Below I have attached the charts. These are not my workouts. They have been taken from "Maximize your APFT Score" by SGM Robert S Rush.

More Suggestions for Air Assault

Everything I will write must be taken with the following in mind, I was only at Air Assault for two days. This is not to say that I don't know what I am talking about; all my advice will be built upon being prepared for zero day. The first area I would like to address is training (physically) for the obstacle course, two mile run, and simply being smoked. The first challenge will be the rope. Any preparation should involve a great deal of rope climbs and upper body workouts. These should be done following other exercises because you won't be simply walking up to the rope. You will be getting smoked before you ever get near it. This is where the preparation for being smoked will come in handy. We all know the cliche exercises: flutter kicks, overhead arm claps, and finally close hand push-ups. This ability to handle goofy exercises between the major ones will make a world of difference. Being physically ready will also help ease the mind. Knowing that you are prepared for anything that can be done will reduce the anxiety and fear of the unknown. Once you are physically ready, it comes time to pack and prepare your gear. Air Assault is based completely on attention to detail. Any small problem with an item will continue to cause problems. Examine every piece of clothing and equipment for any problems. If you find something, replace it. After preparing everything on the packing list, begin packing extra items, insuring that they are as serviceable as the other items. These will come in handy if something goes wrong. The final packing is the non-essential items. Pack as though you won't be able to get to the store for the entire time. Little life items that you enjoy like candy or ibuprofen are key. Also I would recommend a woobie. A few small items may make a big difference.

Without Futher Delay

It has been a great deal of time since I have posted. I have been extremely busy preparing for the possibility of going to Air Assault. As it turned out I was able to get orders and an itinerary to head down to Ft. Benning. The tough part was that we were not able to get a flight until last Monday, which was also the report date. This meant that we arrived at the school after 2200 and weren't able to go to sleep until 0030. This would not have been a big deal if the following day was not important; however, it was the dreaded zero day. Throughout the night I was unable to sleep, due to the excitement. During this time I made sure to drink a bunch of water because I knew it would be a long day. When traveling down to air assault school, I was overcome with a fear of the unknown. Having been through the beginning of the school, I have a few pointers. First, inspect your equipment and pack systematically. Knowing that you have everything that you will need throughout the week will help put your mind at ease. Second, do everything you can to relax. Know that you have done everything you could have to prepare for the school. There will be challenges, but calming your thoughts will help you get through the unknown. Visualization can be very helpful in this type of situation. Thinking about how well you will do in a given situation will increase your chance of success. I will continue to elaborate on recommendations in the next few posts.