European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - August 27, 1990, Darmstadt, Hesse Page 10 a the stars and stripes monday August 27,1990 a sergeant talks about being Anco a recent writer initiated a dialogue among the cos with his letter a Anco complains about uniform 1 would like to pinpoint other areas that need attention. A physical training a a As cos we not Only have to meet the standards we have to exceed the standards in everything we do. Not too Long ago 1 witnessed a Young sergeant during a it test who stopped after Only 35 push . His excuse a i Only need 35 to every no should strive for the 100 Points anybody can meet the minimum but to be a Leader we have to push for More. Why because your soldiers will soon be doing the same. The privates want us Challenge them to set the Pace. Doft be the last one in the run because your subordinates will have material for their jokes. A its not a nine to five Job a How Many cos in the Barracks prepare to initiate a new Day before the soldiers have the first call7 we have to be there. Our smiling face should be the first one they see in the morning highly motivated and full of enthusiasm to Start a new Day. Our responsibility does not end with the duty Day. Do you know what the members of your squad to when they arc off do you know where to find them if they arc not in the Barracks do you Ever Reserve time to sit Down with every Soldier and just listen to him what bothers him or her what he or she thinks about the unit yourself a him or herself when was the last time you counselled and rewarded your soldiers for a Good Job done every Soldier has his or her own personality ambitions and problems. To be a Leader we need to familiarize ourselves with their backgrounds in order to understand Why they behave in certain ways. The Soldier needs to see us not Only As the a one in charge or the one who inspects trains rewards or disciplines him but also As the person who cares about him and who encourages him when he feels Down who makes him aware of his abilities and potential who tells him done to give up where he can go to for help and somebody who provides him with a role Model to be a Good Soldier and a Good citizen. A fraternization a the army regulation 600-20 states a soldiers must remain aware that relationships Between soldiers of different rank May Lead to perceptions of favouritism or influence. The appearance of impropriety can be As damaging to morale and discipline As actual the Bottom line is that the cos done to hang with the privates borrow Money from them go to their rooms asking for Beers play favouritism toward the a or fail to discipline them in order to be liked or popular. The no must avoid being perceived by the troops As merely Quot one of them a because the next thing that is going to happen is that the privates will Start asking you for special favors. The no integrity is not negotiable. In my years in the service i have seen sergeants who altered the duly roster to please a particular subordinate. By doing this the no lost his credibility respect and integrity in the eyes of the other soldiers. As the previous writer stated a the regulation tells us and if it does no to think military not civilian and use common a training a there Are a bundle of excuses Lack of training aids time details Etc used to justify not training the troops. Some cos develop a mentality of postponing training assuming that we can spare time because the United states was not engaged in a serious conflict. Someone wrote a if you stand up and say a follow me a will your soldiers follow or will they panic and run a they certainly will not follow if you Haven to trained them cared for them disciplined them and gained their obedience and loyalty. While waiting for transportation to the Range for inspections or formations there is nothing that can Stop a sergeant from teaching something new to his squad or to Check if his soldiers still remember what you taught them a month ago. The Only prerequisites needed Are the will commitment and knowledge to train to standards. We have a to technical manual for every piece of equipment issued to us. When was the last time you used the tvs to conduct classes on the weapons assigned to your squad do you require your soldiers to carry the respective to for their weapons the Soldier is willing to learn. Are you willing to teach a be proud of your unit a we need to think every Day about How we can make our platoon company and battalion the Best in the army. Bring your ideas and suggestions to your Chain of command. Seek advice from the senior leaders. Ask your soldiers How we can conduct business in a better Way. Talk to cos of other battalions and keep an open mind. Remember do your Homework be patient present your suggestions with tact and never feel discouraged if somebody does no to listen to you the first time. A staff sgt. Carlos j. Sanchez a Schattenburg West Germany unhappy service members seek discharges 1 want out of the army now. In be been in for almost 2 i years and have had Chough. I have never seen so Many illogical people in one place at one time. How can one be expected to respect and listen to someone who has the intelligence of a Brick Wall i believe in my country and what it stands for but i can to stand what the army is doing to my life. I am sick of the a they you roster the a hurry up and wait and the stupidity of the Way things Are done. In a tired of the Back stabbing the rumours and the abuse of rank. In a sure everyone is familiar with the saying a you Are judged by the company you i feel the longer i stay in the army the More my morals my personality and my intelligence will fade away. I guess you can Tell my morale in t very High. With All these cuts the government is making in the army 1 will gladly give up my spot for somebody who really wants to be Here. There Are Many others in my unit who feel the same Way. The army Isnit for everybody Why done to they just ask who wants out i m sure they would get volunteers by the thousands. I done to want to smoke pot to he allowed to get out a like several others in my unit have done a but i am so frustrated and miserable 1 done to know what else to do. 1 still have two years to go. If i could just take my i Bill and get an honorable discharge i d be forever grateful.1 know i a made my bed and now i have to a lie in it a but please you make an exception just once i am not by far a Model Soldier and i know the army w Ould he better off without me. A name withheld Stuttgart West Germany edi1tor s note a John Slone personnel policy integrator enlisted division office of the Deputy chief of staff for personnel department of the army replies a the army has no plans for a voluntary Early separation program that would apply to the writer who states that he has two years remaining on his enlistment. Soldiers sign enlistment contracts for specific terms and the army does not release them from their contractual obligations a even during periods of Force reduction a simply because they no longer wish to serve. One cannot quit the army with the ease that one terminates civilian employment. Unless the writer qualifies for Early release under established programs outlined in army regulation 635200 e.g., hardship or under a special Force reduction initiative already or subsequently announced e.g., ongoing 1990 90-Day Early transition programme must continue to serve. In this connection future Force reduction programs Are still in the developmental stage. The frustrations described in the writers communication Are appreciated. However the proper forum for assistance is not a letter to the editor but rather his Chain of command local inspector general Etc. I read your paper and your letters Section almost every Day. Through All this time in be noticed that a big topic is i cutbacks and those who Are going to be supposed a a victims of these cutbacks. Every Day i think about these people complaining and i laugh. Why docs the government make it sound so Tough to do a Little less than two years ago i made a decision which 1 regret to this Day. I joined the army. Over and Over again in be tried to approach the service with an open mind and a determination to make my time in service a fulfilling interesting and educational time. Again and again in be banged my head against the Wall. In be finally accepted the fact that the service was the wrong Choice for me. The question is what can 1 do about it i have a 4-year contract and in be served a Little less than two years of it. I want to get out but i done to kno v How i can. Its a known fact there Are hundreds most Likely thousands of other soldiers like me. Yet no one recognizes our cause. Why in this time of a great cutbacks a does no to the government simply let those who want to get out out Why kick people out when you have thousands of soldiers who really want an Early honorable discharge Why destroy a soldiers career when you can just As easily assist in giving a dissatisfied Man or woman what he or she wants i know Many people choose to be stereotype soldiers like myself As Lazy. This image is totally false. In be worked hard All my life sometimes 50-to 60-hour work weeks. Never in my life have i had a problem with discipline or hard work. The reality is that my problem is Job dissatisfaction both with my mos military occupational specially and the army in general. Many people Arentt meant for the military life. Why is that so hard to accept a name and location withheld editors note a it. Col. Edwin c. Spear chief professional development Branch office of the Deputy chief of staff for personnel department of the army replies As the army reduces in size it will be necessary to trim the number of career soldiers As Well As first Wermers. Unfortunately it will be necessary to involuntarily separate some careerists to accomplish this. The number of first Wermers can be reduced by decreasing enlistments. In addition to decreasing enlistments we will probably offer soldiers in certain Over strength mos the Opportunity to separate prior to completion of their contracts. However since the army makes a considerable investment in training new soldiers we cannot afford to separate soldiers who have decided that the army is not really what they want w Hen there is a need for their skill. Please be assured that we will use voluntary separations to trim the Force when it makes sense. However voluntary separation programs will have to be controlled to ensure that readiness is maintained during the period of strength reductions. A Reader says Kuwait reminds us to be ready As we hero in the . European Community Young and old watch Western Europe embark on a new dramatic course in its history one cannot help but feel the excitement the Joy of the moment. When the Borders opened last november our Squadron was serving on the Border. We could not help but feel the emotion of people As they crossed the Border and fell Freedom a Many for the first time in their lives. It was like watching someone who had lived in a Cave for years coming out into the Light of the Day. The euphoria of the moment has been tempered by time but the dramatic change continues. In Light of the happiness and spirited Ness of the moment it is also important to keep our collective a Eye tin the As a professional army we have the responsibility to be ready when called upon. The recent events in the country of Kuwait May very Well threaten not Only our National Security but that of All Oil importing nations of the world. The volatile situation in the Middle East further underscores the need to be ready to fight. So Why am i writing this letter it is simply to say two things. We have the greatest gift that Man can ask for while on Earth a the freedoms guaranteed in our Constitution. Not such a big Deal you say ask the hundreds of thousands of people who have been revolting in dictatorial countries whether or not it important. Second we who will shed the blood sweat and tears in the next War must be ready both mentally and physically for the challenges that May face us. Our very Way of life will depend on whether or not we can produce on the Battlefield. Tough innovative training now Wall Chart that course for each of us you say that our Freedom is Safe Well do not be so Hasty. I had a Friend in my advanced course who is an officer in the armoured corps in Kuwait. He did not think that his life and that of his family would be in jeopardy. Sadly he May very Well be one of the casualties in the recent fighting. No one can reach him allo the phones have been Cut off and no one can communicate with him or his family. Can to happen to me done to be so sure. Train hard and meet lire Challenge to be ready to fight and win. My soldiers Are a cd Apt. Mark i. had Klersfeld West Germany
