So I got off today at 1700, come home, and guess what was going on in my "hood" Other people were getting home too. Seeing their famlies and being hugged by their little ones. I got to see mine today while he was awake, got to sit down and eat with him and the wife. Went out in the neighborhood talked to people. Guess what found me a refferal!!! (How do you like me now?) There is a whole new world out here that I have not seen in a long time. I know this is pretty new but hey it sure is nice. Now only if the ones between us and the puzzle palace will just comply with this. This is going to take some getting used to but, once people adjust their way of thinking this will work. Everyone just has to give it a chance. They say the Army is about adapting, well there are some us that needs to adapt, adjust, and do.

Paradigm shifts.

Man this time off thing has people up in arms. They don't know what to do about it. There are those saying that we should be working shifts have an A.M. and P.M. shift. Well let me go ahead and put this out there. The other services are not even working on Friday anymore. For the most part they are on a 4 day work week. That right there should tell you something. (Somebody made mission) I have heard we have. But hey we have to build up for FY10 right? Back on subject these old heads kill me though. They are trying to figure a way around this policy. That shows me right there they don't know how to accomplish this mission or get things done before or around 1700. This is where we are going to find the resistance. I have heard of things like well if that is the case then we need to come in at 0630. (Are you kidding me? You feel like that we should be working 12 hour days or close to it? Goodness)

People this policy has been put out there for a reason. Deal with it. I have often heard hey you are pacing yourself. (Well uh yeah I am going to be here until 2000-2100 anyhow so why the hell not. Why should I race around for that long during the day, come home all stressed out from working late and doing the speed of light. Anyone ever wonder why mistakes are made? Hell people are tired as hell that's why. GOV's get wrecked? Ding Ding Ding for the most part people are tired. When you are working on the average of 60-80 hours a week and all you have is one day off and then sometimes you are working that day too. Damn man people get burned out and burned out quick. I mean hell after 1800 you are operating on something else. I think it is just pure muscle memory or something. You know you are doing something but what you don't know. People walking around like zombies, or on the phones like robots. This is what happens when you are working those hours for that long week in week out month after month and doing that for 3 years. Or better yet doing it for life if you convert. No wonder people at the Operations look happy has hell. They are happy to tell you where you are screwing up, or even show you in a report. But see their job has an end, do this report....done. Move on to something else. But not down here in the foxhole. There is no end in sight. Rewarding yes. But no end to it.) But back to the episode at hand. This time off thing gives these guys that hope that they are going to be off, for the most part, around 1700 everyday. They will be happier, less stressed, spouses are going to be happier, kids are going to be happier. Know when you recruit the best? When you look all rested and relaxed. That is kind of hard to do when you are sitting there with bags under your eyes, and you look all stressed. One thing they don't teach these guys in the school house is people can read you, they feed off of your emotion, it is hard to be excited when you are tired and pissed off. That goes anywhere in the Army. But especially out here. Hey if these people really want to join they will find a way to get in here before 1700 to do so. Now does corporate America stay past 1700 to hire people? Hell no. You find a way to be at the job interview before 1700, especially if you want that job. That is the paradigm shift that needs to happen.

TIME OFF!

Ok here we go. We have all been hearing about the time off policy, hell it has been out there for more than a minute. Anyhow, not one peep from our leadership on this. There was the talk on hey we need clarification. Clarify what? I thought it was spelled out so a third grader could understand it. I would be willing to bet if that letter was extending the work hours there would have been no "we need to get some more clarification on that." If something like that was put out that would have been adheared to almost immeadiately. What is the difference in the BN HQ or my CG putting something out? Nothing. See what gets me is the leadership between us and the puzzle palace has to get clarification on shit. Now if my BN HQ had put something out and I had to tell my soldiers I need clarification I would have been told to shut and kick in. In other words just do it. So what was the big deal with this? I can tell you. People are in a mindset that we have until 2000 to get things done. So now we have a culture of people that think that the duty day doesn't end until 2000. Now they are going to be forced to get things done by 1700. In my opinion (and we know about those) those people are not going to know how to act. I am going to sit here and bet you that there will those who will try and get around this. As sure as I am sitting here typing, someone will, then what? There will be those who are going to say you can add to but not take away. I will pull that bullshit card too.

What I don't understand is there was no emails concerning this from our higher, no hey follow this, or don't follow this until we get clarification etc. I mean not one damn peep over this letter, to me it was amazing. I for one firmly believe that this can work, everyone is just going to have to buckle down and make it happen. This is something that is long overdue. If for the most part these Soldiers will be willing to stay behind a couple days a week if it means getting someone in. Hell I am all for that. Soldiers are willing to sacrifice their time if they know that they will be getting off at a certain time for the most part. It is about time that we have a set time to get off and not using 1700 as an incentive. It is not predictable to say hey if you make 3 for the day then you get off. Well that is something that is not going to be consistent. 1700 everday is going to be consistent. Now if you have that, at first there will be some growing pain to these guys/gals getting adjusted to this. But like all change everyone gets used to it, and soon as the mindset gets etched in then this will be like clockwork. Well time to put up or shut up as they say.

So I read on the portal today the new time off policy letter. Here is what I wonder.

1. How long will it take our command to address this.

2. Will they try and find a loophole in the letter to still keep us till whenever.

3. It was signed on April Fools day. :-)

Well I can see some advantages to this, the first will be more time with the family. Now if one can go back to my previous posts about time. Will others though the command give the honest work effort to get this off the ground? I would hope so. If this policy is enforced, this will force people to redesign their thinking and how they do business through the day. Now we all understand there will be some late nights but hopefully not the everyday thing like it was. I am really hopeful of this. I want to see it work, I think it will be for the better.