European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - December 29, 1991, Darmstadt, Hesse                                By our a n incas step up and let Ranger Rick test you Richard f. Tscherne guest columnist did you Ever wonder How senior cos Are selected for promotion i mean really what does it Lake to get promoted ahead of others besides the Normal requirement of time in Grade of sure everyone in the army knows you have to he Good and work hard to get ahead. But who really sets the guidance on what to look for in an no s record i be been in the army almost 20 years and heard All sorts of complaints and fairy tales on How promotion boards select senior cos for promotion. But if Ranger Rick that a me acre sergeant major of the army today. I d put through my own top i recommended c Hanges sounds like the David letter to nut show. Does t it to promotion boards. 1. Official photos showing a fully dressed no in Nice and neat dress greens would become obsolete. I would make it mandatory that cos be photographed in their underwear. Then the Board members could see who the fat and unfit boys and girls really Are. Id also strongly recommend that the no be standing on a digital scale next to a measuring tape. 2, the Wordy coers non commissioned Ottimer erroneous reports would copy oers. Oers have a shortcut in determining if an officer is Worth a Damn. On the Hack Side in the lower left Corner an Oer has a special Block with a Pyramid built out of cute Little soldiers. The evaluator just circles the Little Soldier show ing where the officer stands Overall for promotion. Simple officer promotion boards done to have to waste Lime Reading the whole Oer. They just turn to this Little Block of soldiers. Id like to see a similar Block designed for cos. Something promotion boards could quickly look at instead of Reading the entire report. 1 think it should be a special Block showing four comic Book figures. Superman with the words a a can to touch this Quot would be for Superior cos sol. Rock for Good soldiers who meet the standards sgt. Snorkel for improvements needed. And Bill the cat for. Well you can figure that one out. 3. Set set tests would be administered tested and scored the same Way military correspondence courses Are conducted except with a three hour time limit. Soldiers would not get any notices study guides books or manuals until the Day of the lest. On the command of a begin a they would first go to the questions and then be allowed to look up the answers in the manuals. Of i know it s going to be difficult to answer All the 100-plus questions in three hours. But if you re a Good no you la know the answers without the books. I say a score of 85 or better and no less is mandatory to be considered for promotion. If you fail to score this or higher you re barred from promotion for one year. 4. Permanent profile cos must be indicated on their photo or file by a band Aid. Yeah a band Aid. The More severe the profile the bigger the band Aid. This Way no Board member could miss or Overlook a profile by mistake l in could see it or feel it on the photo or file. 5. Overseas assignments would he required for All senior cos who have 10 years or More in service. If you Haven to served overseas and still want to be considered for promotion you could Forward to the Board a a 4187 requesting an overseas assignment. That Way you la at least have a Chance. And if you re not selected Well you la have a much better Chance next year while on your first overseas assignment in Korea or Turkey. 6. Cos who have problems bouncing checks also would be singled out. The same Mark that goes on military id cards to identify Check bouncers should be placed in the file. 7. Awards decorations and schools would be closely scrutinized and in some cases ignored. Why there Are too Many complaints from the lower ranks about who earned medals during the Gulf War. 1 picked up an army times a few months ago and saw a list of the awardees during the War. Between the Silver Star Bronze Star and army commendation medal All for valor mind you 1 counted one colonel eight lieutenant colonels eight majors 21 captains 21 lieutenants one command sergeant major 10 sergeants first class 10 staff sergeants 26 sergeants and Only 51 enlisted members Al to e4. How Many Ems did we Send to the Gulf anyway or were most of them on sick Call during the 100-hour War if you attended a military school no Academy. Ranger special forces Etc the Board needs to see a standing list. You know 5/56 meaning you graduated no. 5 out of 56 students. This Way the Board can see if you really busted your buns in being the Best or it you just dragged your heels and passed. If you Don t graduate in the top 50 percent of the class you re barred from future promotions. Unless you Volunteer to he recycled at your own expense s. Articles 15 and letters of reprimand would be on top of an individuals record not tucked away in the restricted tile. Of no no no what a fair is fair. If you earned them they should he treated As awards and not hidden away. 0. Alcoholics who refuse treatment would he identified with a whiskey bottle stamp on their records. Iii. College courses would no longer he accepted As self improvements if the individual failed to maintain an Overall minimum Grade of b. Too Many cos Are taking College courses to avoid their real duties and responsibilities As leaders. They get exempt from duty rosters details Field deployments and More. Yep that a my top 10 list of changes i would recommend if i were sergeant major of the army. But relax. In a not. Sgt. 1 St class Richard f. Tscherne is stationed in Vicenza.  in your column plus a photo of yourself to be our guest sunday Magazine the stars and stripes Apo 09211 or Postrach 11 14 37, d-6100 Darmstadt 11,  Paramount Leonard Ninoy is keeping his pointy ears just in ease. Page ii. From the cover .4-6 1991 a a moment in time. Andy Rooney a no White House in future for likable guv. Books and language.8-9 the hoax of two Jima. Odds amp ends .10 miss manners on beeping in a Loreli. To plus11 will there in a Quot Star trek 111?&Quot television listings 12-14 local Cable and satellite schedules. On the air.15 7vue Daly minces now it tres. Home entertainment. 16 three big City thales rough it in Quot City slickers. Joe Bob Briggs .17 in defense of Porky pig. This weeks films 18-19 Chuck Vine murder mayhem and mediocrity. C ample the a a fes circuit listings. Classified ads 20-23 last laugh .24 Dave Barry and the Way it . Sunday is a weekly supplement of the stars and stripes a editors Bucko Fox Betty  Art direction Susan Harris production Kelly Quinn editorial assistance Marian Hamilton Louis Pierce Page 2 a sunday december 29. 1991