My journey to becoming an officer is a little different from most. I was an enlisted Soldier, reaching the rank of Sergeant First Class before I made the decision to commission. I had numerous leaders over the course of this time that tried to encourage me to go Green to Gold, but I was dead set on becoming a Drill Sergeant (DS). At 10 years of service, my dream of becoming a DS finally became a reality in Advanced Individual Training (AIT). Shortly after arriving to DS assignment at Fort Sam Houston Texas, the Army made the decision to discontinue the DS program in AIT. So there I was, DS Washington, finally doing the one thing I had dreamed of since joining the military, and it was getting stripped away from me!
So, I struggled with where I’d go from here. Three months after the hat removal ceremony, I was informed that the AMEDD Center and School Commanding General was accepting Officer Candidate School (OCS) packets for a local board. I thought, “Was this a sign?” I wasn’t completely sure, but it
reminded me of my squad leader as a young private, my Command Sergeant Major as a Staff Sergeant, and all my supervisors in between who tried to encourage me to become an Officer. So I decided I would try it their way and put in an OCS packet.
As I filled out my assignment preference worksheet, I had no idea what branch I would like to pursue; the only apparent choice was the Medical Services branch since I was a Medic, followed by 15 random branches selections. I knew my path had chosen me when I was accepted into OCS and was going to be Adjutants General (AG) as well. At the time, I wasn’t sure my
passion would follow lead, but what I was sure about was I was about to follow a new path. The Adjutants General Corps chose me and I couldn’t be happier.
Who are we?
When most people hear that you’re an AG Officer, they automatically associate you with the S1. Oh you’re in charge of the shop that processes leave forms, reads awards citations and promotion orders during ceremonies. You may even hear as few negative comments about the crazy hours of operation or lost paperwork, but you’ll rarely hear about the intricate details that make up the AG Corps, so let me fill you in.
The AG Corps dates back to the formation the US Army. We are the second oldest branches in the Army, preceded only by Infantry. General George Washington took on an Adjutant to serve as his key advisor and principal assistant. Today, the Adjutant General corps serves this same function – specifically on all personnel matters. It is my opinion the AG Corps has the most interaction with Soldiers overall and known as the expert managers of the Army’s most important resource, its People aka its Soldiers.
What we do?
As an AG officer you are responsible for advising the commander of all HR matters, supervising the strength and distribution of Soldiers within the unit, and projecting and communicating shortages to the Human Resources Command. The Adjutant is responsible for overseeing accountability, retention operation, all personnel actions which include leaves, flags, promotions, reductions, evaluations, training and reassignments, meal cards, postal operations, casualty operations, etc. – trust me when I say, “This list is just scratching the surface.” As you can see as a brand new AG lieutenant, you will have a great deal of responsibility and will be accountable for overseeing the accomplishment of a lot of task. You must have a passion for service because each task affects the livelihood of the unit, its Soldiers and their Families.
Who is the best leader for whom you have worked?
Over the past 20 years, I’ve worked for a lot of great leaders and a lot of not so good leaders. I learned lessons from each one of them. Two years ago, I couldn’t have narrowed it down to just one person, but that changed when I was the Battalion S1 for 1st Battalion, 23rd Infantry Regiment – Tomahawks! Lt. Col. Teddy Kleisner, in his first Command & Staff Brief and reviewing our personnel readiness, asked, “Is that an accurate picture of the unit?” That simple question demonstrated that he was more concerned about being good than looking good. He was focused on the actual readiness of the unit and correcting shortcomings.
He took the time to genuinely know his Soldiers and their Families, and the Soldiers and unit loved him for it. He looked out for the best interest of the unit, balancing the OPTEMPO whenever he could affect it. Lt. Col. K praised accomplishments in public and counseled in private. He was an educator. Every interaction, formal and informal, was leader development. He sharpened our technical and tactical skills, remaining focused on our goal – winning wars. As a commander, he was a disciplinary, but understood that mistakes happened. He was about learning, not shaming. Lt. Col. K made commanding the battalion looks easy and fun. More impressively, he did it all while being a great husband and father – teaching us that you can do both.
Lt. Col. K taught us all if you take care of your Soldiers, they will take care of you.
What would I tell myself as an Officer Candidate?
You may rarely receive the recognition you deserve for all the hard work you will put in so it’s not enough for you to choose AG because it’s a job, you have to be passionate about the purpose this job serves; otherwise it is the Soldiers and their Families who suffer when they deserve the very best. You have a lot of responsibility so don’t think you have all the answers. Listen; sometimes the lowest ranking person in the room has the answer. Always be willing to learn from everyone. Remain disciplined always doing what’s right.
What do you look for or expect of a junior leader?
Lead. You will not know everything and no one expects you to, but they will expect you to lead. Take some initiative, make decisions, and mistakes. Don’t let your fear of doing the wrong things paralyze your ability to be great. Allow your drive to be the best, because you’ll definitely be competing, push you to develop innovating ideas to improve your operations for the betterment of the entire team. Make sure your moral compass remains north and learn from the challenges you are faced with at times. It’s ok to make mistakes, but try your best to not the same mistakes repeatedly.
Every branch is different, what do I expect from an AG officer?
Doctrine
You must be doctrinally sound. This not only pertains to your craft as a human resources officer, but you must know how it fits into your unit’s mission. As a BN S1, it is very important for you understand the MOSs in your organization and how they support the METL. Dig into the regulations and ask questions, because when the time comes and you’re seated at the table with the staff you want to be able to add value to the conversation. Regulations and processes are constantly changing, so regularly read Milper and ALARACT messages, and share any information that affects your footprint with your unit leadership.
You are in the customer service business so it is imperative to have good interpersonal skills and be an effectively communicate. Know your audience and ensure the deliverance of your messages reach the lowest level.
Establish Relationships
Everything you do requires the coordination or assistance of someone else whether it’s a Soldier, commander, or civilian agency so establish good relationships and do not burn bridges because you never know when you may need to cross back over it.
Keen Analytical Skills
You must be able to analyze personnel data, recognize trends, and provide solutions before problems arise. There will be times you’ll find the book answer isn’t the best answer for your current situation. Recognize those situations and go the extra mile to ensure the Soldier’s situation is resolved.
Detail Focused
You will process hundreds of personnel actions each month; attention to detail is critical. You’re the last person to review an action before endorsements, so you want to establish the reputation that your work is accurate. If you constantly send inaccurate work forward, you end up wasting your commanders’ time, your Soldiers’ time, and the time of your customers.
Priority Driven
You will plan your days but I guarantee you they will never go as planned so be flexible. You have to be able to multi-task. You’ll have multiple tasks to complete, and then receive additional task from your higher headquarters, that are always “urgent”. Be able to differentiate what’s urgent and what can wait until tomorrow.
Last but not least, always take care of your Soldiers. There is a time for customer service and a time for administrative tasks. Protect your administrative time, failure to do so will result in many late nights catching up on backlogged actions.
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