Change is coming

Here are some recent changes that I learned will be affecting soldiers at some point in time.

• NCOs and soldiers that are simply average performers will find it difficult to progress let alone remain in the Army.  Having things like poor NCOERs (Noncommissioned Officer Efficiency Report), DUI, or Article 15 will become very prohibitve to one's progress in the Army.  

The second point below is the one that gives me considerable pause.  Four freakin' miles?!?!?!?  Shoot, I'm not going to lie, I'm still trying to master 2 mile continuous run under 15 minutes!

• The new APFT (Army Physical Fitness Test) is under review.  The SMA (Sergeant Major of the Army) stated that the run will not be 1.5 miles, but would like to see it changed to 4 four miles.  Additionally, he is reviewing two new events:  the broad jump and the shuttle run. 

•  He is very concerned about the large number of overweight NCOs/soldiers in the Army.  Out of all the armed forces, the Army has the highest tolerances for body fat percentage.  Personal apperance while in uniform will see changes in AR 670-1 (Army Regulation) that will be released in six months.

Civilian to Soldier: Michael Mulder

I recently got the smart idea to feature other soldiers that I have spoken to and befriended on godavidstrong.com and hopefully on video on the Go David Strong YouTube channel as well (video interviews coming soon).  So to kick things off I started simple by doing a written interview with soldiers that recently completed Basic Combat Training (BCT) and Advanced Individual Training (AIT).  I ask all of the soldiers the same set of questions to start because I have a feeling that the answers will be unique and yet informative.  As time goes on I'll most likely begin to add more personalized questions in addition to these below.  

My goal here is to share the experiences of other new soldiers, so that Future Soldiers can get greater insight about the Army's Initial Entry Training process than I can actually manage to deliver based solely on my one-time experience in basic training back in Fall 2010.  The Army is constantly changing, and yet some things do stay the same, but I wouldn't know becase I am too far removed from the process now.  I've moved on to greater things in my personal career, and yet I still feel a desire to help Future Soldiers because literally hundreds have asked me countless questions.  So...

If you are a recent graduate from BCT and AIT and are interested in being interviewed to further this effort, please email me with you interest at godavidstrong@gmail.com. Enjoy!

PFC Mulder, 92Y - Unit Supply Specialist from Aberdeen, South Dakota

Why did you join the US Army (Active Duty; US Army Reserve; Army National Guard)?

I chose to join the National Guard because it gives me the opportunity to serve and go to college at the same time. I am able to go to drills and be in the Army without it affecting my normal college schedule. I also joined because I thought everything about the Army was just awesome. I am able to fight for the country I love and I get paid to do it so it doesn’t get much better than that. I am proud to wear the uniform and love being a part of this huge team. 

What are your goals or what do you hope to get out of your time in the Army?

I have a few primary goals that come to mind right now when I think about my whole career in the service. First off I want to learn to become a great leader/NCO (noncommissioned officer) that young privates such as me can look up to. I want to go to as many Army schools as I can such as Airborne, Air Assault, and maybe eventually someday even R.A.S.P. I want to be the best 92 Yankee that I can be while always maintaining the seven army values. I want to deploy at least once so I can see what it actually means to fight for my country. 

What was Basic Combat Training like for you?

Basic Combat Training for me was a lot harder mentally than it was physically. As long as you are consistently working out before basic training you should be just fine physically but there wasn’t much to prepare me for the mental aspect of how a drill sergeant is towards you. For example the first few days they would give us one minute shower drills and wake us up unexpectedly which would completely throw me off. After a while though you get used to the treatment and it becomes the normal behavior. I thoroughly enjoyed all of the field exercises that we did at BCT. Hand grenades, us weapons, land navigation, the gas chamber, and Treadwell Tower were all amazing experiences and are things you can’t necessarily do in the civilian world. I definitely look back on it as a positive experience and now that I’m finished it seems like it was nothing at all. 

If it were up to you, what would you add or take away from your basic combat training to make it better?

I definitely wouldn’t have taken anything away from basic training. I am unsure of what they actually would add but I think any extra training would be good training. A new soldier can never get to be too good at field exercises and things of that nature. They say repetition is the father of learning, so if I were to add something it would be more repetition of field exercises to instill muscle memory. 

Now that you're a full soldier with BCT and AIT well behind you, is the Army what you thought it would be or totally different from the picture you had in your mind before you became a soldier?

The Army is definitely different than what I thought it would be. You have to remember that you're not always going to get along with everybody in the Army, but you will still have to work with them to achieve a goal. I didn’t realize that there were people in the that joined for selfish reasons and selfish reasons alone. I also had to open my mind to a whole new spectrum of prerogatives, being that there were soldiers from all over the nation. I could never have prepared my mind for exactly how it was going to be, its just something you have to experience for yourself to know. 

Do you have any regrets or positives about your decision? If so, what would you do differently or keep the same?

I have no regrets on my decision to join the Army. If I had to I would do it all over again because in the end you know in your heart that it’s worth it. All the struggle and things you go through are definitely for a worthy cause. You just can’t forget what you are struggling for and stay on the right path.

What is your best advice for others that are waiting and preparing to ship to basic training?

My best advice for those waiting to ship would first off to be making sure your putting in your PT time. Pushups and sit ups till failure with multiple repetitions at least 4 times a week. Also, I noticed from personal experience that running could really make or break a person. Usually you will run about 2 miles for your workouts and the best way to get better at your 2 mile is by running 3 or 4 miles at a time. I can’t stress being physically ready enough, if you are in shape basic will be tremendously easier for you and you will notice it as well. As far as the mental aspect is concerned, know your basic Army knowledge. The soldier’s creed, Army values, phonetic alphabet, military time, and General Orders are all great things to know before even arriving. Also once you get there be studying and know the information that they give you because it will all help out in the long run. One thing you can’t forget is that it is the drill sergeants job to treat you the way they do. Remember that and realize that it isn’t anything personal towards you. Also remember that its only basic training, thousands have done it before you and thousands will continue to do it after you. 

Is there anything else you'd like to say or share?

The last thing I'd like to say is just stay motivated at all times. Basic training and AIT is as long as you make it. If you are unmotivated and unhappy to be there, your time will drag on and on. Keep a positive attitude and you’ll be amazed at how quickly the time actually goes. You're doing a great service to your country and yourself, so be proud of that. Take pride in what you do and always give it one-hundred percent.

Confession Time

Let's talk.

Annual Training Photos

These are photos that I took throughout my time at Annual Training in Wisconsin earlier this year in July for 29 days.  The training was just okay, and nothing exciting whatsoever.  So to pass the time I would take photosgraphs and record a video log when I had a moment without being watched over by my peers and superiors.

I spent a great deal of time working out of a humvee.

Typical morning.  I would have to get up at 0430 to shower, dress, go for morning chow, come back freshing up, put on my battle rattle and head out for the humvee to drive my squad leader and peers to the forward operating base to start day shift operations.

I would spend several hours in he humvee sweating profusely while have to chug water continually.

Had a long drive back to the barracks each evening.

There were a couple beautiful mornings.

Here is where I spent my time.

Wore my boots out.  Need new ones.

Engineers 

Annual Training video logs Part 2 - GDS Vlog 019

These are the remaining video logs that I recorded while at Annual Training.

Annual Training video logs Part 1 - GDS Vlog 019

To change things up I decided to take my smaller camera with me to training for the first time and keep a video log.  I would strongly encourage any soldier, marine, airman, or sailor to keep a written and/or video account of their time in the military.  It provides a way to reflect and release.  It's good stuff! :)

Return from Annual Training and my Epiphany

For those that aren't familiar with what annual training is all about, to put it simply, US Army Reserve soldiers live predominately civilian lives in their home cities.  However, one weekend out of each month they attend drill at their respective reserve units.  Additonally, one particular month out of each year, reserve soldiers attend annual training, which can last two weeks or more, depending upon the closeness of a given unit's time to deploy (usually every five years, more or less).  That should bring you up to speed on what the frenchfry I have been talking about for the last month.

I returned home Saturday evening on August 6th and couldn't have been happier to get back.  I definitely learned a bit about my MOS as I stated in an earlier entry, but also learned a lot about my unit's overall function and it's members.  Working and living in close quarters with soldiers you like and dislike for a long period of time can be stressful, annoying and strangely beneficial all at once.  Annual training is deployment-like where you are not in control of what goes on around you nor what you are tasked to do, but you suck it up and get the work done.  I guess what I'm trying to say is annual training was boring, frustrating and afforded me the time to do a lot of soul searching about what I want to do and where I want to be in my army career.  Dear God!  If I could change my MOS today, I would do it with such a quickness that I'd leave a trail of fire behind me on my way to see a career counselor.

I have been asked on many occasions whether I am afraid, anxious or excited to go to Afghanistan.  Up until June my answer has always been to some effect, "I don't know."  But now I must honestly say that my answer has changed. I dread deploying to Afghanistan as an 88N, transportation management coordinator.  Going to Afghanistan doesn't bother me so much, but the MOS and the unit with which I am deploying leaves me very unhappy and unfulfilled as a soldier.  Be not confused, as I am quite capable of doing my duty with motivation, albeit false.  But deep down I am uninspired and less interested the longer I spend with my unit.  I have found myself praying for a way out almost entirely unaware--so much that my dreams reflect my feelings.  

All I want to do is be a photographer for the Army.  The only way to do this is to get an MOS in Combat Camera or Public Affairs (the Army is doing away with Combat Camera and blending it with Public Affairs).  At any rate, I have come to realize in the last two years that videography and photo journalism is where my heart is.  I wake up every single day, grab my camera and take photos of something or someone.  The sheer joy, fulfillment and sense of purpose couldn't be more fervent within me.  I still want to be an officer, but if it means giving up commissioning to be a camera on the ground, as it were, I'd do it! There is a reason for everything and it took a month of simulated deployment with my unit to Fort McCoy to realize it.  This epiphany that I have experienced in July has altered my focus and how I will go about shaping my future for the remainder of my Army contract.

To be continued...

Annual Training - Day 5

We are finally in the last week of annual training and I very happy to be breaking everything down to return home.  Today we are running our MCT operations basically at 40% and working only until 1200 hours.  After today we are totally focused on recovery, as I said in my previous Annual Training post, such as cleaning weapons, washing our clothing, and returning unit items back to the conex.  Yesterday we washed and refueled the vehicles that we checked out and returned them--it was actually kind of fun at the washrack cleaning them. 

To some or maybe a lot of you, a lot of the things I'm talking about are probably foreign, since I have learned that the majority of my audience on this blog and YouTube are Future Soldiers (some future Airmen, Sailors, Marines and my family members and friends).  But I think you all will catch on if you keep up. :)

Right now I am sitting in the Forward Operating Base's MWR (Morale.Welfare.Recreation) tent where my unit's operations has been housed these 20 some odd days of our stay.  Most of our stuff is packed up and we're literally chillin'! lol  After we leave here at noon, we'll do an AAR (After Action Review) and then go to the half-mile running track to do 30-60s as a unit.  Originally it was just my squad leader and I that were going to run, then my platoon sergeant got wind of what we were planning to do for PT (physical training) today and therefore made it mandatory for the entire unit.  Sergeants are funny that way.

Tonight I want to relax and eat a big juicy cheesebuger!  I'll update this blog post (below) with a photo of it if I manage to get one today. ;) 

Annual Training - Day 9

For the past few weeks I have been battling a cold and cough that wouldn't go away.  Yesterday, the symptoms reached such a severity that I was finally told to go to sick call.  I was examined, given medicine and put on 24 hours quarters yesterday morning and was sent back to the barracks to rest.  I felt very bad that I had to leave my unit short one person while we were already working with a skeleton crew of five, but I was equally, if not more, overjoyed at the fact that I could just lay down and sleep..  After about six to eight hours of sleep I eventually got up and read more of copy of Stephen King's novel "Under the Dome".  The book was intoxicating to read, scary and riveting!  I finally finished it today.

Today I feel a little better now that I have an antibiotic, sudafed and other medicines to help me battle this sickness.  But I can tell you that it isn't going away without a fight.  My head aches throughout the day with any amount of strain on my body and I've been getting short of breath.  In fact, when I told the doctor (the lieutenant colonel) that I had shortness of breath, that is when he added the 24 hours quarters to my medical profile.  I'm still having trouble breathing, but I'm praying that it will a go away soon.

In a few days the FOB will be empty and my unit will be able to return our borrowed vehicles and equipment, and return to the contonement area to do recovery, clean, and pack to fly out by the end of next week.  I checked my LES (Leaves and Earnings Statement) and can't wait to get paid so that I my cover my bills.

Lastly, once I get home I plan to have a marathon movie day at the movie theater watching all the major films that I've been itching to see this month:  Harry Potter, Captain  America, Aliens & Cowboys, The Smurfs, Crazy Stupid Love and more.  Obviously, I won't be able to see all of these films in a day, but I definitely plan to start with Harry Potter! 

"Why do you want to be an Army officer?" (Commissioned Officer)

In this picture above I hid 2nd Lieutenant rank on my ACU as a symbol and a reminder of my goal, how I should carry myself and guide my thinking.  Yes, I know it is entirely out of Army regulation, but just read and I think it will be made clear as to why I secretly wear this passion.

Two days ago while on duty I had a bit of down time, so I decided to recall all of the questions that were asked of me in the first Officer Direct Commission board that I attended.  (If you recall, I wrote a post explaining in great detail how that board played out here.)  After jotting down the questions I looked over them carefully and made mental notes of the ones that required the most crucial answer.  The questions were as follows:

• Tell us what you do or tell us about yourself.
• Who is your mentor or guide at your unit?
• How do you plan to make up for the training you've missed in OCS and ROTC?
• What other leadership roles have you had besides teaching?
• What do you see yourself doing in the Army in the next 3 to 7 years?
• Why didn't you do ROTC in college?
• Why are you trying to become an officer now?

These questions were critical and very probing.  I stumbled to put it very bluntly.  However, I  basically concluded in my blog post about my first ODC board attempt that my trouble stemmed from not having a clear answer to the most important question that wasn't asked in the first interview:  

Why do you want to be an Army Officer?

So, after jotting down these questions and thinking over them, I then resorted to answering this critical question above.

I have natural passion for leading and teaching people.

I desire to be greater than I am by expanding my abilities through knowledge, trial and error, while continuing to press forward.

I believe my purpose lies within the realm of military leadership and decision-making to help serve and protect people of the United States and it's Constitution.

I know that my civilian education, teaching experience and skills will uniquely aid me in developing the additional technical and tactical proficiences and qualities needed to be an Army officer, once coupled with officer training.

Overall I believe that by serving as an Army Reserve commissioned officer, I will be a better leader than I am, allow me to further myself in higher education, and ultimately open doors for a civilian occupation with a major US governmental agency.

I wrote my answer to this question in a creed-like fashion because it makes my thoughts and intentions very clear to anyone that reads it.  I know what I am after and I will not give up!  I stumbled on the first try, but this second time I believe I will do exceedingly better to earn the boards recommendation for direct commission.

My mission is to become a U.S. Army Reserve Commissioned Officer.

Warrior Ethos:  I will always place the mission first. I will never accept defeat.  I will never quit.