Please read and share with your Family. Have a great weekend. Viper 6 Townhall Meeting notes from COL Kline and CSM Snyder: Schools 1. How do we slot Soldiers for WLC? Soldiers are slotted based off of the Order of Merit list. WLC has three priority categories: priority 1 SGTs, priority 2 SPC (P), priority 3 SPC. PFCs are no longer allowed to attend WLC. The OML is consolidated from company, BN, BDE and division. The top 165 or so Soldiers within the division are then reserved for the next WLC class. 1SGs should post the OML so that Soldiers have some predictability on when they will attend class. 2. How do Soldiers get school seats for on-post schools? The FY15 schools catalog has been published and pushed to units. Soldiers interested in getting a class seat should go thru their chain of command with the request. Once requests are received Soldiers are slotted against schools based on first come, first served. 3. Why do we always have to go to FT. Stewart for classes? We have been able to work out some classes coming to HAAF in the next FY. At this time we have 5 different classes being taught here. The others will remain on FSGA based on attendance and ease of use for the majority who will attend. 4. Why do I get reserved for a DA school when I have an ETS date approaching? HRC is responsible for slotting these classes and make the assumption that Soldiers will reenlist. If you are reserved for a class that you will not have enough remaining time to complete the unit is responsible for the completing the request for disenrollment in a timely manner to allow that slot to be used by another Soldier. DFAC 1. Why does it take so long to get thru the DFAC line? We are mandated to use the CAC card reader for headcount. It is a slow system that isn’t very effective. We have transitioned to allow meal card holders to sign in on paper which will speed up the line. We have also requested thru G-4 food services to get a better, faster ID reader in place. 2. Why do I have to pay for my DFAC meals with cash? There isn’t a process in place that would allow you to swipe your card. We have asked G-4 food services to look into this for us. An ATM machine in the DFAC presents a liability that we aren’t willing to accept. 3. I don’t know what meal is being served, where are the menus? Menus will now be posted in the barracks areas, with duty rosters and on the 3rd CAB Facebook page. 4. How do we increase the quality and quantity of the food in the DFAC? A lot of these issues are tied to the headcount. Right now we only have a 35% headcount; we need to be closer to 65%. Once we get closer we will be able to provide a better selection. Many times foods are considered bland because the DFAC must meet the requirements of everyone and must be careful of allergies and over spicing food. 5. Why don’t we have take out trays? We are now ordering them thru the unit. These were previously bought by the installation and we never received enough to meet demand. Ordering them ourselves should fix this. 6. Why isn’t there an easy take out line? We are ordering all the required equipment to open the dedicated take out line. This could take several months. 7. Why do we only serve two meals on the weekend? We have tried to serve three meals on the weekend before and it wasn’t supported by the headcount. We only had 12 Soldiers show up for breakfast. 8. Why don’t all Soldiers receive separate rations and then they can decide where they want to eat? It is a funding issue and the Army can’t afford it. We are required to provide the meal service on post and it is cheaper to utilize meal cards than provide separate rations. We do authorize some single Soldiers who live in the barracks separate rations based on health, religious or duty shift reasons. These are individual and will be approved individually, no blanket authorization. We do rely on first line supervisors to manage their Soldiers to provide them the opportunity to eat in the DFAC. Staff Duty/ Charge of Quarters 1. Why is this a 24 HR duty? It is a division policy that all barracks and BN/BDE HQs have a staff duty/CQ manned 24 hrs a day. This is something that the BDE CDR will readdress with the division leadership with a recommendation to make it during non-duty hours only. 2. Why can’t I sleep on duty? You can. The only requirement is that either the SDO or SDNCO is present and awake at all times. The others must be easily accessible in case of emergency. 3. Why don’t I get compensation time off if I pull duty on the weekend? This is not a policy that the BDE has or needs to dictate. Individual leaders have the ability to provide this to the Soldier. Uniforms 1. Can I be issued A2CUs? If you are on flight status or have an MOS that is specifically addressed by CTA 50-900 you are authorized four sets of flight suits. All others may be authorized by the company commander two sets of flight suits. If you have more than your authorization you will not be allowed to exchange them at CIF until you turn in your excess. Also keep in mind that A2CUs are a shortage in the Army as a whole and quantities will be limited based on how many CIF has in stock. 2. It’s hot in Savannah, why can’t we remove our tops? The Marne Standard is very clear on the uniform, tops will remain on. If a Soldier is trying to climb into a confined area and the top is continually getting snagged on items then leaders need to make the decision to remove the top to allow access. This should be the exception not the norm. 3. Why can’t we wear patches on our flight suits? AR 670-1 specially restricts this and we will adhere to that regulation. 4. We want to have unit PT shirts? Unit PT shirts are authorized. The shirt will have the BN logo on the front and the back is at the discretion of the BN leadership whether it is BN or individual company logos. The shirt is not to be worn for individual PT but rather for company and above runs or PT events. All Soldiers must have one. MWR Facilities 1. We need more MWR facilities on HAAF. MWR facilities have to be self sufficient. We can’t take money from one that is doing well to keep the others going. The utilization rate for MWR facilities on HAAF hasn’t supported them and they were closed. The proximity to Savannah makes it very difficult for these facilities to stay open. 2. Can we get an outdoor recreational MWR organization? Don’t know but we will push the request to Garrison and see if they are willing to support it. On Post Facilities 1. The hours for the clothing sales don’t meet our needs. The store was open earlier in the morning but the utilization didn’t warrant keeping it open. We are requesting thru the Garrison to stock some of the more needed items (shirts, socks, etc.) in the shopette. 2. The hours for the shopette on perimeter road are limited. We will request thru Garrison that the hours are extended until 1900 M-Th. 3. Why isn’t Wilson Gate open on the weekends? MP and DA Police don’t have the required numbers to operate the gate. The Soldiers who work the gate must have a MP or DA Police present at all times, they can’t operate the gate by themselves. We will readdress this with Garrison since we have a MP company getting reassigned to HAAF possibly in September. 4. The Tominac Fitness Center has mold/mildew in the showers. This issue has been pushed up to Garrison to correct. We will update when we have resolution. 5. Can we get Diesel fuel at the on post shopette? We will ask the question to Garrison. 6. The parking lot by the MI hangars isn’t marked properly. The immediate problem area has been repainted and we are waiting the funding to fully repaint that lot. 7. We need more designated motorcycle parking. Currently there is designated parking in multiple parking lots and we are looking to increase that amount. It should only take a month or so to get the signs and approval. 8. Why does the cemetery on post look so bad? The cemetery is owned by a civilian and is not considered Army property. We have no control over it. We are asking if we can adopt it so we can clean it up and make it look more presentable. 9. On-post housing makes appointments to fix work orders but fails to show up and never calls. This issue has been pushed to Garrison for resolution. Keep in mind that they also have priorities of work based on severity, that shouldn’t preclude them from calling though. 10. Can we fix the heat in the hangars? The heaters have been deemed uneconomically repairable and will not be fixed. 11. Is there Asbestos in the hangars? There are limited amounts and it has all been abated. It does not pose a health risk unless the abatement is broken and the Asbestos becomes airborne. 12. Dumpsters around the barracks are overflowing. Dumpsters are emptied every Tuesday and Thursday. We can also request additional days if they start to get full early. We are also requesting to add dumpsters closer to BLDG 1505 and 1506 to alleviate the problem and to make it more convenient for Soldiers in those barracks. UCMJ 1. Why do senior NCOs and Officers get little to no punishment when a Soldier gets demoted for the same thing? SSG and below promotion and demotion authority belongs to the unit, SFC and above does not. In general, a BN and above commander does not have the authority to demote a senior NCO or officer during UCMJ. We are much harder on our leaders who commit these offenses but it is not a visual impact, you don’t see them going from SFC to SSG or CPT to LT because the regulations preclude it. It is very obvious for our SSG and below since they will be wearing a different rank. Our junior Soldiers have the ability to overcome some of these offenses and continue their career, 90% of the time our seniors will be eliminated within a year or so of this offense. Command Climate Survey 1. These things are a waste of my time and never get read anyway. The BDE and BN leadership reads every comment made on these surveys. The comments can not be identified back to the person who wrote them unless they sign their name to it. The more specific a comment is the better chance it has of being resolved by the leadership. A comment of “This unit sucks” doesn’t provide any information or context to allow the unit to act on it. Be specific, give examples and details. Open Door Policy 1. The open door policy is hard to use and I get turned away by my first line supervisor. The only person who has the ability to refuse your open door request is the commander you are requesting to see. No one can stop you from using the open door policy and it is not required that you let anyone know that you want to use the policy. As a courtesy you can let your immediate leadership know that you want to use the open door but you don’t have to let them know why. Motor Stables 1. Motor Stables is painful and we hate it. Motor Stables is critical to ensure that our equipment and Soldiers are able to execute mission at any time, they are just as critical as the aircraft. The policy has been relaxed and the requirement is now that 25% of vehicles are PMCS’d and driven weekly. Sergeants Time Training 1. We never know what we are doing until Friday morning. STT is briefed for three months as part of the unit’s quarterly training brief. The expectation is STT is posted for all to see and know. Those who will serve as trainers will brief the 1SG four weeks in advance of their plan for the training and the 1SG will then approve that plan. One week prior the trainer will rehearse the training with the 1SG and get approval for the training. This timeline allows the trainer and the 1SG to get back up to speed on the requirements for the training and ensures that Soldiers get good, quality training and their time is not wasted. Brigade specific 1. Why can’t Soldiers be fully trained on standard items before they are received by the unit? The idea was brought up to establish a BDE green platoon where Soldiers would stay for a month while they received SHARP/EO/Driver’s training/ETC. This would allow the units to focus on MOS proficiency with the Soldier and not common training tasks. This will be discussed with BN level leadership as a way. This would also require that NCOs are removed from the formation to serve as cadre for the training.
Posted on: Sat, 09 Aug 2014 03:36:27 +0000
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