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From our forums

MANAGE YOUR OWN CAREER

I do not agree with, or see the sense in, “forcing” soldiers to attend the promotion board when they do not have the time left in to pin on the next grade. Counsel them on their eligibility, give them the “don’t sell yourself short” speech, and then let them make the decision.

What’s to be gained by forcing them to go to the board? Threats of corrective training and Uniform Code of Military Justice action do not retain soldiers. If the soldier re-enlists and then wants to go, no harm, no foul. One of the steps of building junior leaders is empowering them. Let them participate in their own success and manage their own careers, not have it dictated to them.

— brak

DUMPING DIGITAL

The “stink” about digital [camouflage] is that it is more effective under night vision. Personally, I don’t really see the need for “digital,” either. Very few things in nature (if anything), have a naturally occurring “digital-type” pattern. I’ve worn MultiCam and had my friend watch me through night-vision goggles, and it performs just as well as any digital pattern. I’ve also helped out Survival, Evasion, Resistance and Escape instructors looking for trainees, and let me tell you, even woodland Battle Dress Uniforms and green flight suits work just fine for camouflage, NVGs or not.

— ender9492

MORE OR LESS TRAINING?

I do think that IVs receive too much emphasis in the Army curriculum [“Stopping bleeding takes priority in lifesaver course,” Sept. 14]; however, I strongly believe that the Combat Lifesaver Course needs to [provide] the skills to gain access and push fluids with the understanding of how much is too much. Rather than cutting the skill out completely, spend more time on hemorrhage control, emphasize how important it is, and then remind soldiers that IVs are only after you address major life threats.

— Qwert908

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Maybe, just maybe the Army should stop training every soldier to do every job (i.e., mechanics = infantry = medics = tankers, etc.) and supply more medics to the platoons? Maybe a medic per every other squad?

No, let’s continue to give infantrymen a weeklong course and expect them to be cardiothoracic surgeons in the field, and teach medics how to be “Ranger snipers.” Used to be the Army taught a soldier one skill set and taught them well. Now we teach a soldier 10 or more skill sets and they’re bad at performing all of them.

— RONALD45