Again starting to get out of control. Just the other day an email was sent out about basically taking away our saturday if do not make the requirements. I thought the time off policy was not tied to production. But some fail to read this. So the way I see it this will be our third Saturday that we will have to work. That is just absolutely awesome.

Being lied to

I love how some of these leaders out here will tell you one thing and then do another. Tell you what, if you don't have your word then you have nothing to me.

Ok I am sitting here stewing about certain events that has been going on for the last few weeks. One thing I cannot stand to hear is the contract placement counselings. This in my opinion is kinda stupid. USAREC gives us a whole damn RCM to put someone in. So now I have to sit here waste time and counsel someone on contract placement? What is going to be done if they don't place their contract in the second week of the month? Give them another counseling for not doing so. If I was a recruiter I would take and wipe my ass with those counselings. Those things mean nothing. If they have done what they are supposed to do, as far as prospecting, then there is really nothing that can be done. So I honestly do find it a little humorous when recruiters look at me like I am crazy when I do these "contract placement" counselings on them. The fact that they are nothing more than putting conversion data on a couseling and then telling them, "Hey your contract has to fall on this date" Well not really because don't we have all month? What do you say to that? I don't have a comeback for that. This will probably piss some off with this way of thinking. I mean I see the why to do it to a point, but, then again I really don't. Because in the end if your recruiter don't put that contract in by that imaginary time frame that has been put in a counseling. But they put someone end by the end of the month. What do you really do about it? Nothing that's what. The thing that kills me is why not counsel them on what they are on for for that particular month.

Is it custom or something to threaten article 15's? I was just wondering. That must be something they tell our senior leadership out here when something is not happening. I have heard this time and time again. What happened to training, leading, and mentoring? I guess that all goes out the window out here. I understand if someone really screws up. But over the mission? Or being threatened an article 15 if someone has not met the apt standard for the day? In my opinion if that is what you are going to threaten me with, then all your credibility with me is gone. If you feel like that is what you have to do. Then you have lost all ability to properly motivate someone to accomplish the mission. It seems things are going back to where they came. The threats, the yelling and screaming...I understand being firm, but the threats and the other shit, well that is getting old.

I love the fact that I have heard the speach before, the contracts don't matter. Only the systems do. Well it is of my opinion that if the systems work then USAREC would be boxed every month since the begining of time. I am so tired of hearing about the MAP, it really irritates me when the one's above me are telling me that the MAP is what the recruiters earn. And then they go back behind me and raise the damn requirements. And to top it off we are making mission as a whole. Now why would you raise someones requirements when they have worked hard to get them to a believeable level? Why would someone do that. So what if it only takes 8 apts per week to get a contract. Hey that's the conversion that they worked for correct? I hate it when someone tells me "Well they have it made they don't have to make much to make mission, they need to make more." Excuse me? Are you serious? When that map is high or at a level that is astronomical there is no question asked, and I am told well that is their conversion data that is what they worked for. Well when the conversion data is low didn't they work for that too. But yet it is being raised to a higher level which in turn fucks up the conversion data. And then we are all held hostage to the MAP. This really is a no win situation. If you give them one they want two, give them two they want 3 and so on down the road. I love being told this place used to write x numbers. Really? To be honest with you I don't care what they did back then. This is now and the mission is low. I think there are those out here that would like to see the mission go back up. I don't think they like it. I think they are still bitter that they had to put in 3's and 4's just to keep up. Hey don't hate on the player hate the game. I love it everyone wants all these tools in perfect working order. I think it's impossible or damn near it. You can get yourself so bogged down in all this stuff that you can actually lose site of what the goal is. The goal is people in the Army, that's it, bottom line. I have seen people get so caught up in the numbers game out here that they don't put one single person in the Army. You look at a good recruiter's tools, almost everyone that is putting in a good number of people, I will be willing to bet that their tools are screwed up. I know the system is in place to help them out to put more in. Tell that to someone else that is not putting people in. I don't want to hear that shit.

The time off...

This time off thing is killing me. We got a new sop the other day that came down from our company. This is irritating me very, very much. The policy that was put out by a General is almost being blatantly ignored. Now we back to the two working Saturday's again. I was under the impression that we were not supposed to be working these Saturday's. The letter read if I am not mistaken that we are only supposed to be working only if there is a planned event. When these leaders at lower levels are blowing off a General's policy letter. Well then if I blow off my leadership then why can't I? Someone explain that to me. This is garbage. We have still been working long hours. Still being threatened to work on Saturday's if production is not met, the policy letter said that work hours will not be tied to production. Anyway you try and put this the policy letter is still being blown off. You can slice this anyway you want but that is what is happening. Everyone I talk to in other BN's they are all getting off work at or a little after 1700 and no Saturday's like it's cool to do so. If this letter was put in place and then it's said that it was going to be reevaluated to see if it is feesible for this organization to continue doing so. How can you truly say if it truly works or not, if no one is actually following it. Then my soldiers are looking to me and are asking why are we not getting off like the policy letter states. I have no answers for them.

Wow!! What to post up. Things have been going pretty well actually. The only thing to gripe about is still the 9-5 policy which still is not being followed. But with all things considering I guess that makes that sticking point a little more bearable. People are joining in record numbers. The only bad thing is some of those people good people I might add that I cannot put in because the category is closed down. But if you think about it the decision that the "Army" made does make sense. I happen to like the fact we not taking "felons" as some in the news media put it. The GED's that score above a 50 I would actually like to see those open back up. But hey that's not going to happen anytime soon. We are getting overwhelmed with a rash of medical reads here lately though. But it is like I tell my recruiters things come in waves. One month everyone will not have their damn birth certificate, then it's the social security card, or anything else you can think of that hinders the damn already hindered process. Funny whenever you think about it.

Well I am tired of these meetings that are not accomplishing anything. I am tired of seeing soldiers recieving counslings that just require a digital signature. (no face to face counseling anymore) I am tired of meps not getting things back to us in a timely manner. I am tired of being leaned on all the time. I am tired of this job. I am frustrated with the way this place in particular works. I am tired of leaders accusing me of "dropping dimes" on them. When I never did. I love how people out here just jump to conclusions and assume the worst everytime something goes wrong. I am tired of people going behind my back, but then again for doing what I am doing here, I may deserve it.

Kim here is what you wrote.

Maybe I'm an optimist, but I really had hope that things would get better for our Soldiers (and their Families) in USAREC. I mean, we're ahead in terms of the total Army mission, we've got the Army Family Covenant (woohoo), we're trying to move past the recruiter suicides, we've got the new time off policy, etc. But I just had a frustrating and discouraging FRG experience with the Company Command here. I don't understand the shortsightedness; a little care and compassion (heck, I'd be happy with basic humanity) would go a long way and could actually end up paying big dividends for the command. How long can this lack of care for the Soldier's well-being and morale continue before USAREC finally implodes on itself? Sorry to vent in your comments, but your post struck a nerve with me. Good luck to all of us.


Well to answer your questions or shed some light on this. My wife doesn't see things as getting better because our command is trying to find every damn loophole they can in the policies that have been put into place. Crap like you can add to but not take away. I didn't know they wrote policy. I can believe you had a frustrating FRG experience if my family and others that I know are still frustrated then I can only imagine what it's like in other places. I have rarely had a command or leaders in this business that show a little humanity. They have for the most part been short sighted. It is amazing to me that USAREC has not imploded years ago. I have seen some crazy stuff out here that some of these soldiers do. For the most part it is in the form of DUI's. The stress of making mission sometimes leads to damn good NCO's compromising integrity, just to get a contract in. They don't want to go to the BN HQ three hours from their location the next day after mission day. Especially after they have been working all damn day. Then to have to be somewhere three hours away and be there early in the morning. All to brief a slideshow deck that is absolutely ridiculous and then being told if you don't have no one in the Army within the week. More of this is going to happen.

Also God forbid a soldier needs to take some pers time to take care of something. The higher ups always seems to act like its not a good time. "How can you let them take that time today etc." Well hell when is it ever a good time to take some time. Well I put it like this the BN command will be like let the soldiers take the time they need to take care of family business. The company command and sometime the Station Commander will be like uh no or give the soldier a hard time. And the powers that be wonder why soldiers out here sometimes have a crappy attitude about the whole situation.

I for one am tired of leave being treated as a privledge. Last time I checked it was part of my pay and entitlements. Passes are privledges. Somehow it always seems to get skewed. I have seen leaders tell soldiers that they shouldn't take lunch because it takes an hour away from their prospecting. The latter statement I have seen in the last six months. And forget about eating some supper with your family, for this one I have been berated for that one more often than not. I don't know about you guys but I cannot afford to eat out all the damn time.

Anyway it is usually the company leadership and station commanders that show the shortsightedness. But then again this is just my opinion.

I am very frustrated at the threats that keep coming down the pipe. I wish I could let out the latest and greatest but that just might give us away. And we wouldn't want that. Today was not a good day. Today was one of those days I just felt like running out the door and screaming. I am so sick and tired of hearing the threats...Hey I am to the point now of shit or get off the pot. Stop with the I want your transfer paperwork routine.

I want to post up something new but...why do that. Still the system has me frustrated. It seems now we cannot get simple medical reads back in a timely manner and tell you what that is just damn awesome. I got people calling me up day and damn night asking me if I have heard anything. To be honest it is getting old. Do not get me wrong I understand that these people need an exception to get in, but they also deserve a timely anwer do they not? I am still not understanding the actions of those above me sometimes. It is in reference to the supposed time off policy that was put into place. It is still not being followed. Soldiers are looking to me for answers I cannot give. My wife and other wives are looking to me for answers that I just simply cannot give. I know, everyone finds a loophole in everything, but why was the policy put out. I guess it was put out to be just another feel good thing. Hey look at what we are doing but really we are not following it. I look across the hallway every damn night and guess what? All the other services are not working past 1700-1800. Only if they are actually getting someone in. That is the only time they are working late. I am telling you the people in the public are seeing it. I mean really if ship dates are getting pushed out into damn near 2nd quarter fy10, then why are we still working some screwed up hours. I don't get it. Everyone else I have talked to is working the CG letter to the letter. Enough of me raising hell for the moment. Yeah I almost forgot here is the latest and greatest from above. The threatening of a bar to reenlistment if someone does not make mission or the ROS requirements. Really? I didn't know that could be done. I have always questioned that one and always will. It's still beyond me how you can counsel someone, berate someone about not getting something such as an apt. Especially when everthing these guys do lies in the decision of some kid saying yes or no. Awesome.

This new system

I don't understand this new system. Well let me explain just a little. What I am talking about is the new way Recruiters input data into the system. All web based and secure (That I like, I like the fact anyone can input data on anyone's applicants. This is very good.) What I don't like. The fact that Recruiters still have to replicate and then print documents off of the ARISS. Now why don't the powers that be come up with a system to where we can print the required documents with this new system? I mean come on we can land a man on the moon, have gps in cars, and get a cell phone signal damn near everywhere but this system will not allow us to print our documents off the system. I mean when we fill out this ENSQ it should automatically populate to the forms we need and walla! Print. But this is the ramblings of just one person. Recruiters should also be able to project these people via the internet too. Station Commanders can do this why not the Recruiter? Rambling again I guess.

So what's up with the new categories that we can no longer put in. It's funny have all these folks saying well it's the hayday of Recruiting. Well no it's not when all the categories are being cut back. We quit taking in people with a simple possesion waivers as of tomorrow. That is the craziest thing I have seen in a while. Whatever, people way way above my paygrade makes those desicions. Till then just keep plugging along and finding people. Well here lately I have not had too much to say. Things are still a little crazy. Guess I have learned to live with it. Till then stay tuned I promise there will be more to come.

These jokers here with the blatant direguard for the time off policy is killing me. And no one is saying anything.

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.

MEPS

Where does MEPCOM hire their Doctors? I want to see the Career Builder ad for that. Since being here I have seen some ridiculous stuff come out of the medical section. Granted some of the stuff could have been prevented had the Recruiter, Station Commander, someone had asked the right questions. But then again, you cannot help what someone is going to say. Sometimes I wonder if these applicants are applying for disability, or are they trying to join the military. Sometimes MEPS reminds me of a three ring circus act. I mean, you could put that shit on the road and sell tickets to it, and make some good money. Stupid stuff like the Doctor saying someone has a hernia, applicant goes out to civilian doctor they say, no hernia, MEPS Dr. comes back and says nope something still there. I remember one time the flavor of the month was warts on peoples asses. Come on not everyone at one time has warts on their ass. One time there was this dude who had one ball hanging a little lower than the other, that one drew a consult. I remember a little acne on someones face was the flavor one time. One time a female told the doc that one boob hurt a little more than the other one during her cycle bam dq'd. She has never been to a civilian doctor about it, so now what. Some of the stuff they dq is like wtf. I had one kid had his head down on a table one time and doc was walking by and said bam dq'd for headaches. Sometimes when I take these kids to a civilian doctor or when the consult is done, these other doctors are shaking their head and asking why are you here. You tell them and you see the look in their eyes. That look of "ok then if you say so" It's all funny to me at times.


What I like too is when you get that call of hey your applicant is sitting here telling us about a law violation they claim they had. Oh those calls right there are the real fun ones. What gets me is the fact that all the questions they are answering, all the people they talk to. They decide on the day of processing, they want to tell someone about that speeding ticket, or they suddenly fucking remember the assault charge or a weapons charge on school grounds. I want to yell at the applicant when they do shit like that. Here is what I cannot understand. I have broken my ankle when I was younger, I can tell you the doctors name, what the hospital was, the town, etc. As for law violations I can tell everywhere they have happened and what they are. Those are signigicant emotional events in some cases, you remember that shit. Example: I had a to visit the emergency room when I was around 9 years old. To this day, I repeat to this very fucking day, I can tell you where I went to the hospital, who the doctor was and everything. And these applicants some of them cutting above a 50 on the asvab cannot remember what happened in their lives just a few years ago. Again I am pulling the bullshit card on that one too. I do everytime. But that is the way the world works...

Here we are at a point as to where what do you do, almost like the fork in the road metaphor. One way will be easy the other one hard. So what should you do. At the moment I am sitting here strapped up and ready to go either way. I remember playing chess as a young kid. "If I do this, he is going to do that, then this one etc. Sometimes you are thinking two, three, maybe even 5 moves ahead. This is what has me torn at the moment. What to do. There are at least 4 of the Army Values that cover this subject with me, and believe me I am weighing them all. I can easily bring in the other Values, but 4 are the ones that weigh the most. I have received information that set me back in my chair the other day, it really did. Now what to do. The moral compass is spinning out of control at the moment. Do something, let it lay, in that cycle it goes and goes. Don't worry this is not stressing me out to a point of pulling my hair out. What worries me is the fact that if the one thing is done do I get ran though like the Ho Chi Min Trail. Would definitely be blackballed that one is for sure. But in the end no matter what...Will the right choice be made. This is a true moral dilemma.

I cannot believe it.

I am finding it hard to believe that today went by. I mean it just went by, nothing good or bad happened. Didn't get any of those the world is coming to an end phone calls. Or I know it's the end of the day but I really need you to jump through your ass and everyone else's ass to get this done. No you need to come to my location (which is two hours from where you are) and talk to me about this. Looking back on it I mean I just cannot believe it. I didn't even get phone calls after I left work. (Today was the mandated family time) I see everyone is really serious about it now. In the past it was sort of like put it in your plan, but you might or might not get it. That was a fact, an all to true fact. Matter of fact I ran across a guy on my way home today. Get this GA already tested, was thinking about coming back to us. Just lost his job, no law. Guess what? No one would have found him if they were stuck in the office making phone calls, or doing something equally stupid. But I found that joker in a quick mart buying slim jims. Granted he would have probably walked in within the week. But after talking to me he has a sense of urgency now. Now I get to turn that guy over to one of my recruiters that will make his day tomorrow.

Doing good things

So today on the road again. But it was for a good reason. Had this kid that needed an interview. It was approved so he should be in really soon. This is the part of the job that I really do like. This kid was on cloud nine, after he found out he will be approved to join. He was yapping it up all the way back. That is what makes me feel good. That to me is what is being missed at the top. These kids may be numbers to some. But to me they are actual people with actual feelings, with actual needs, wants, hopes, and dreams. The Army is going to fit into their plan. I made or my recruiter actually is going to make a difference in this applicants life. Hopefully he will remember this day for a long time. I usually do, believe it or not if someone was to go through my list of folks I put in I remember everyone, I mean everyone, I even remember some that were not mine. So when these kids come through my station, I actually take an interest in what they are trying to do. I talk to everyone that comes through. After all they are going to be soldiers very soon. They deserve it.

What they don't deserve is someone saying oh hey their day is this day or nothing, fuck them they require this or that. They wait on us. That to me is the biggest downfall. That tells me that person is no longer looked at as a person but they are just another number that no one cares about. Is that the message we want to send to these applicants? After all they are going to be in Army where someone is going to lead them, pay attention to their problems and so forth. They will not be just another nameless number to that Drill are they, what about the Platoon Sergeant, Section Sergeant, or Team Leader? No they will be someones living breathing Soldier. These kids are not just numbers. I guess it is something that I will never understand. Maybe I am not cut out for this.


P.S. Mystery follower note: I left my personal email address up for you to email me. If you don't email me by 2200 EST. Then we will try this again.

Thanks for your concern, but I really don't know what to think of this.

Oh well I cannot figure out how to edit my damn posts. I am not that computer literate. At least when it comes to the internet. But anyhow I see that someone in a very important place is following this blog. I wonder if that is going to bring down the house? But I am glad that is being done. I wish people actually knew the amount of work that goes into someone getting in the Army. I also wish these applicant were not looked at as just "numbers" Also we could make this mission if all these recruiters and the rest of the command just shut down at 1800. I don't know where this belief comes from that recruiters has to work on Saturdays and late into the night.

I remember being out here the first go round and working until 1030-1100 at night, and then having to be in the next damn day at 0800. And it was the same type of workday on Saturday. I also remember having to be at the Company HQ at 0600 on some mornings (if you were a quality zero roller by the second week of the month) And station commanders and the 1SG would go through your tools. I don't care what anyone says if the Navy, Airforce, Marines are making mission and they are getting off early everyday then why don't the Army? Someone needs to answer that one for me. Wait...Don't sit there in your highchair and tell me it all falls on the station commander, I will call bullshit on that one. Let me start letting my guys off at 1800-1900 everyday, and see what the fuck happens. If these soldiers knew for a cold hard fact that they were supposed to be out of the station at 1800-1900 every day. You know what would start happening? Some of those soldiers would start staying late, for that one apt. Or to catch up on something. But when they know they are going to be there from 0830 till 2100. Then the quality of work you are going to get out of them is going to be shit.

"but Station Commander it is your fault they are working until 2100...No it's not it is called a 1sG running a company like a damn station, and not letting his subornates do what is working in their market. This is going on through out the command I am sure of it. I do know this when I am out enjoying myself with my family, out at the park with my kid, I tend to find people to join. But then again I am really outgoing and will naturally talk to anyone.

I am tired of hearing that everything going wrong in the command is the Station Commander's fault. When is the leadership above us going to take some damn ownership? They know what they are putting out in emails, they know how they are acting on conference calls, they know what they are putting out. But yet it all comes down the the station commander. How so. Funny how things shift, when I was out here the first time it was always the Recruiters fault, when I make 1sg I guess it will still be my fault. Maybe I am not cut out to do this business. I can do it and do it well I just hate everyday of it.

Something else too. Since all this "time off Bullcrap" my wife keeps a log of when I leave the house and when I return home. Now it takes me on average of 30 minutes to get to and from work. Most days I leave around 0800 and return around 2130-2145. Is this my fault. Or is it the fault of my leadership saying that no one can depart the station until he verbally closes out with us. So sometimes he will not even call. But on the nights I say fuck it and leave the jackhole calls, and rides my sack about why did I leave the station without his permission, damn dude it's late I would like to have some well rested recruiters for the next day.

When you have people out here that say this is just a grind day in and day out something is wrong. It should not be this way. These guys are told in the school house that this is a fun duty. Apparantly you can take your wife shopping and family out to all these neat places as long as you are prospecting. They need to quit selling that pipe dream right now. What they need to do is tell them about all the late nights they are going to be working, all the early morning runs they are going to be making. Well for example there is not a week that goes by that I don't have to get up at 0300 in the morning and be at meps, that and some damn dumb ass meeting. Sometimes there are several days like that in a row. Now let me get in a wreck on the way to meps, I would be willing to bet that my command would turn a blind eye to the fact that they know there are recruiters and station commanders up that early in the morning running people to meps. I mean how do you think those applicants got there? They were beamed to the meps. No someone had to get up early in the morning, usually after being worked until 2100 the night prior. I wonder if I sent my BN Cdr a risk assesment would they approve it? Most likely I would get the third degree for doing the right thing.

I know I have let this little journal of mine go over the past few days but I promise to start putting more on here.

Ok remember my rant not to long back about how we waste gasoline just to have a damn meeting? Well the last week we had a message about how if your station was not at 50% by the end of the week, then you will be at the BN Hq Monday at 0830. So guess what Monday morning 28 Station Commanders were at the Hq, sitting there. Again I am thinking to myself, so 28 govt cars were on the road this morning burning up 55 cents per mile in tax dollars. Mind you some of these people had to travel over 2 hours to be there. And get this we sat there for most of the day. I don't understand, pull me up there at 0830 fine, tell me we are way behind, ok. But to take me out of my station all damn day just to sit there most of that time, well is fucking stupid. Then they wonder why you don't make it. Well dickhead I was sitting at your Hq on the heaviest prospecting day of them month. Yeah and I also loved the loyalty speech today too. "I know what was said during all this Dept of the Army IG, remember I know who you are and what was said, and loyalty goes along way with me" Well piss off, no you don't because if you did something would have already been said, and they would have broken their regulation about disclosing who said what. So you can sit there and threaten that bullshit all fucking day. I don't give a shit.

In other news I heard today that USAREC is over on their 79R's...I hope so. I will put in a transfer back to the mainstream Army quicker than you can say Iraq. These people here don't know shit about leadership, and slowly I find myself being sucked into their warped ass world.

So the other day...My 1SG send me an email telling me that I need to watch my back. And that it is no blows goes time. All I did was ask a simple question to someone at the MEPS. Then I get the third degree. Being told that I could not be trusted and such. The only thing I was doing was looking out for the applicant and myself and my recruiters. What I don't understand is this. This guy is nothing like what the leadership manual says we should be as leaders. All he knows how to do is jump to conclusions, raise hell, lead by fear, in other words he is not a leader. I would never follow someone like that jackhole into combat. He gives his subornates no leeway to think for themselves, he wants to have total control. It makes no fucking sense to me. It makes no sense to me. I thought as leaders we are supposed to grow one another in a positive environment. He don't even know how to do that. I have to vent about this somewhere. I don't trust my fellow station commanders within this company. I don't trust my 1SG anymore, not after that email. I am going to look into this and see what can be done about it.

So we have been through our safety stand down day. And alas, not much has changed. With the exception that the command is really paying attention to the family day now, which is really great. But this Saturday I was shutting down at 1500 and my 1SG is like hey what is going on. I told him that it was time to shut down. Then he acted like he didn't even know about the final cut off time to get out of the station. So that shows me right there that he had not even read about the time off policies at all. It also shows me that he don't even give a shit about them. So tonight he called me up around 10 minutes till 9:00 PM and he was like hey I called the station and no one was there. I was like yeah, we made our requirements for the day and I cut everyone loose. He gets fucking mad. I am like WTF? He starts threatening 4187's, bar to reenlistment and all other sorts of shit. I cannot believe this, after all the attention on the stress recruiters are under, people like this are still doing stupid shit. You cannot give someone a bar just because they cannot put people in the Army or because you think they shouldn't go home right up until 2100. What kills me is the policy says no later than 2100 not up until 2100. Fucking jackass. Until people like this leave USAREC nothing is going to change.

So we have had our famous safety standown day. Guess what? I didn't learn shit. I don't think anyone did. That was about the dumbest, and most disorganized training event I have ever attended. Now we found out they are serious now about family time. What I want to know is how did it ever get this far. They should have been serious about this all along. My command was so fucking funny, doing all the typical false motivation shit. If they really knew how close everyone really is to quitting they would back the fuck off. They are doing shit like, wanting all the other shit on the MAP, even when the contract line is being met. What kills me is if the contract line is being met then who the hell cares? People are coming through the door at an alarming rate and these fucksticks are still bitching about the little things. I am like WTF? Fuck it all I am tired of being a SFC in this Army in charge of other sergeants and me and mine are being treated like shit.

So my 1SG shows up today. Ahhh the smell of cigarettes and stale beer. Because that is what he smells like. Anyway he just comes in and sits there in the office camped out on his computer like Tonto. Dude hardly even says three words to me today. I think he is mad that I have come in here and brought this station to the top of his company and there are station commanders he has had in place for awhile at that, they are not doing as good as we are. Then today he gave me a counseling statement and he didn't even fucking read it off, what a crock. Other than that we added about 4 more to the 5 day projection roster and yippie we are going to write over the mission again. Oh well I guess that doesn't matter.

My idiotic leaders again acting like jackasses

So today I had to go to another station to get some things done. So when I get there my 1SG is there. He never tells us where he is. (why I don't fucking know) Anyway there he is. And today he is acting like more than a jackass than usual. I guess he had to make up for yesterday. Anyhow there are like two suspenses that were not due until 1300 and here it is only 1130. Then he starts cussing at me like I am all fucked up. Hell I was about to send him the taskers anyhow. So, later on in the day this jerk-off sends me a counseling statement via email. What kind of bullshit is that? It was not even one that could be digitally signed either. I took it as a negative counseling statement. Maybe it was not. I don't know. I do know this that counseling statement was all fucked up, damn spelling errors and everything. What does he expect me to do sign that shit. I don't think so. What is pissing me the fuck off is the fact that my station is going to finish out this mission by next week. He has other stations that are way worse than what I am doing, I hope and pray that he is crawling through there assholes like he is mine. I do know this me and this cocksucker are going to talk tomorrow.

So why is it when people are doing really good they higher ups in this business like fucking with you. My station is on lead line and has box plus identified. But my retarded ass first sergeant keeps pushing my station for more. Why is that, why don't he push the stations that are not doing anything that is the people he needs to be fucking with and not me. Not to much happened today in the way of stupidity except for that. No dumbass phone calls, no dumbass suspenses, nothing. I really cannot believe it. No formations, no wasing government money today. Nothing. I am in disbelief about the whole day. I think it is the calm before the fucking storm.

Sorry leadership

So I was the floor manager today for the company. You have read my previous post as to how late I worked yesterday. Then I had to get up and 0245 this morning just to get to MEPS this morning. And I had to drive in the snow to get there. Hey 1sg that was very safe. Also what was safe was having one of my other reruiters be at the meps the same time I had to be there. He had no reason to be there other than my 1SG wanted him there, very very stupid. So I was on the floor all day. Up all day since 0245. Bottom line is this, our station had two guys who wanted certain jobs and there was no training available. And the Recruiting Operations Command was not working with us. (See you just cannot come into the office and get whatever job you want.) So anyway after everyone under the fucking sunshine talking to these two, they still didn't join. So I talk to them in the car, then I had to take them to another station commander he talked to them. Then they had to go and talk to the 1SG. And the whole time the roads are icing over. Anyway we I had to go back to the office and pull a job for them, they agreed to go back down on Friday. So I get back to the office, I notice all the recruiters are gone. Now I find out from my 1SG he sent them all home. Ok that is fine, but why do I have to stay and pull jobs on these guys when all my recruiters have been released for safety considerations. I have been up since 0245, been up the whole damn time, then I have to stay at the office till about 2100 again, to pull a jobs on two people who didn't pick jobs earlier today. So now why don't we give everyone at least a little time to decompress? And why am I still at work when the roads are iced over, where is the consideration for my fucking safety? That is what I want to know. What a jackhole for a leader.

The type of toxic leadership I deal with.

So the station commanders are told today that each recruiter will make at least three appointments today. Nevermind what MAP says (Mission Accomplishment Plan). So I have 4 Regular Army Recruiters in my station. According to the conversion data it says that they should only have to make 13 appointments for the whole week for 4 recruiters. Now let me do some simple fucking math here. 4 into 13 is what 3.25 apts for the entire fucking week! So we could round that up and just say 4. And this cocksucker wants 3 apts per recruiter today! Fuck that, what a bunch of bullshit. Then after I sent out the end of day report ( the report that says how many apts each recruiter has for the day). This dude is tripping out on how all these apts better show the hell up etc etc. Now I am thinking to myself we are working our asses off, and we are making the actual mission (contracts). I was also told by this asshole he didn't care about success all he cared about was the standard being met. Well fuck me in the asshole what a crock of fucking shit. Let me explain this too. Even though we are making mission this cocksmoker doesn't fucking care? Are you serious? I tell you what let me tell my recruiters to lay down and not make any contracts then we will see how bad he cares about being successfull. I just don't get it. Then he is telling me that I am basically a piece of shit. Well excuse me for making mission you cocksucking fuckshit. I really don't understand it. Since when did all this come about? I am working me and my guys until 2130 at night and it is still not enough. We are making mission, ie, the bottom line month after fucking month and he don't care? What a fucking jackass. Then I am working until the late hours of the night and then I have to be up at the MEPS tomorrow morning at 0530? MEPS is about an hour away. So that means I have to get up around 0300 in the morning just to get to MEPS on time. I even asked this guy my 1SG who is supposed to care about soldiers mind you if I could cut out a little early and he said no. You are going to stay there until at least 2100, I didn't get off the phone with in my station until 2145. Do the math will I have the rest I need to be on the road in a Govt vehicle? I don't think so. And reader, this is going on all over the country at every recruiting company in every recruiting BN. It will be denied, but it is being done. A little research will yield big results.

Well our commander called a meeting late friday night for 1300 on Saturday. Now this is not that bad. Except for the fact that the station commanders had to drive approximately 1 and a half hours one way for this meeting. When we get there I find out that what the meeting was about could have been handled over the telephone. So 8 station commanders on the road. Everyone traveled for an average of 90 miles so at the IRS rate of 50.5 cents per mile. Well let me just put it this way 45 bucks times 8 is what? Ok people that is 360 bucks one way for 8 people, and now you have to multiply that 360 times two (round trip remember) So the taxpayer's just shelled out 720 dollars for 8 people to have a meeting that could have been handled for practically free on the telephone. Shit like this goes on all the time. All over the United States. I am pretty sure this is going to happen within our company sometime this week. Probably have some stupid meeting at the BN HQ for no fucking reason other than to get yelled at. But then again I don't care anymore.

Listen to this shit.

So usually where we are at we usually have a family time, which is mandated by the command, but today we didn't fucking get it. Now here is what I don't understand. We are told that family time will not be stepped on. But today everyone was told there family time would be on Saturday. Now mind you Saturday is a full fucking work day too. Another thing I don't get is the fact that my station is year to date on our numbers, meaning we have made mission so far year to date. I don't get the fact that we are year to date and we are working till 2100 everyday, this is the stupid shit people do in USAREC. I also don't get the fact that we have mission for the month identified, and we are still working till 2100 at night. Sometimes these recruiters have to get up at 0300 or earlier for the next day to take people down to MEPS, and we are being forced to keep them till these stupid hours at night.

Oh and let me get on the fact that these people, USAREC leaders, waste all sorts of money. For example just think about how much it takes to fill up a typical sedan this day and age. How much money does it take to fill up one of them cars, oh let's say a Dodge Stratus or a Chevy Impala. Well I can tell you how much it costs around 25-35 bucks depending on how empty your tank is. Now here is a prime example of how the leaders will waste money. A typical company in USAREC has about 30-60 govt vehicles, depending on the amount of recruiters they are authorized. Sometimes they will get a hair up their ass, and call a formation the next day and make it mandatory everyone will attend. Hey it's your tax dollars at work and usually these recruiters will have to travel more than 200 miles round trip for this little excursion. Or you can go even bigger and the BN HQ will do something equally stupid and further away from your location and usually this takes away from our daily production. Sometimes it actually intereferes with what we have going on for the day. And the leaders don't give a shit. They don't give a shit that when they call for a formation in the morning that most of their recruiters had to get up really early in the morning, and then drive in heavy traffic, sometimes in hazardous conditions. All of this just to get to a formation because some 1SG or a CSM had a wild hair up their ass and they want to see everyone at 0800 in the morning because some people are not making their appts. This is the kind of bullshit that I have to put up with everyday. I would rather be riding up and down the streets of Iraq than put up with this shit. These so called leaders out here don't know how to lead. I thought USAREC was getting rid of the so called toxic leadership. But there are still some of those stupid asses out here. All they care about is the bottom line, it's all about the numbers. Those numbers are going to always be there, no matter how much bitching and yelling they do them numbers are not going to change, the only thing that is changing those numbers is the current state of the economy. I am tired of being successful and not getting rewarded for it. This is complete bullshit.

This cute little game we play

Here is how this game is played sometimes. We are all about the numbers. As recruiters and station commanders we all pressured to make the numbers. We have to make so many apts a day, we have to have so many conducts per week, and we have to have so many testers per week, so many test passed per week and of course there is the animal of contract placement. Now anyone who is smart will sit there and say well if you make so many apts you will get so many conducts testers etc. Now what is supposed to happen is this make so many of this get that and so on. We are told in the school house that for example in a perfect world as a recruiter you are supposed to have 6 apts 4 conducts 2 testers 1 test passed and one contract each week. Now this is in a damn perfect world. Let me clue everyone in on something, you are not going to make that each and every week. But the people who are in charge way above the station level believes that this has to be done each and every week. What kind weed are they smoking? Hell I would like some of that shit. Those numbers are a damn guide, not the fucking gospel according to Matthew. There are numerous things that goes on during a recruiters day that takes us away from making apts. But no one seems to fucking care or give a shit. Give me my numbers, what about these conducts etc. Sometimes I want to tell the powers that be they can shove that MAP up their ass and sit on it. Most everyone that joins the Army are walk ins anyhow. No one wants to believe it. They want to say that if you make 400 phone calls a day you are supposed to have so many apts and so on down the road we can go. Never, never, never I have I ever had a good apt off of a phone call. It is a big damn waste of time. And now days with the caller ID people look at that shit. But the people in charge seem to think that no one looks at caller ID, they seem to think that eveyone is sitting at the house waiting for you to call them. Bullshit. We need to be out in the street finding people that way, the people that wind up joining are the people who are tired of their everyday mundane bullshit job they are holding. Now I have a station that is always making mission, and get this we are fucking working weekends, working from damn 0830 and working past 2100 at night, and no one in the command gives a fucking fat rats ass. I have never been treated like this in all my life. I have never been anywhere that is making mission and we have to work like this. How many quality conducts have you ever had on a damn Saturday, yeah that is what I thought fucking none. This to me is a crock of shit. How the hell are you supposed to preach to soldiers that they will have a good quality of life if they are making mission? You cannot when your hand as a station commander is being forced to keep them there. I was brought up make mission, go fishing. But not here, we are working our soldiers to the damn bone. It is fucking crimminal.

more jacked up shit.

So, this morning starts off with my asshat first sergeant giving me a call. I don't think there is a day that goes by that he doesn't call me. Every fucking morning I get a phone call from this jackass. This morning was about how some projection was not showing on the system. So I am thinking great here we go again. This computerized version of recruiting is going to be our damn downfall. I remember back in the day all you had to do was fax a couple of pieces of paper to the MEPS and your person was good as long as you had the packet tight before the applicant sat down in the chair with the counsler. Now these days with the advent of computers, (which are supposed to make life easier), it is all fucked up. Now everything starts with that computer. OK lets say we have someone that is ready to join up. First off they have to be able to pass the ASVAB test, then they have to be squeeky clean on the medical. And if they are not clean on medical then that opens up a whole new can of worms. Then they have to damn near be clean on law violations. (contrary to popular belief that the Army takes any and every swinging dick and twat that come through the door.) Now in the old days we filled out a handwritten packet. In this paper saving system we have now, we have to print off an application, which is just a printed out blank sf-86. Then after the applicant brings all that to us along with their documents. Then the fucking really fun stuff starts. All this information gets typed in the system. Then we have to go out and physically run police and court checks everywhere the applicant has ever lived worked or went to school. Now you are probably saying wait, the reg says this. Well how we are told to do it here is run them everywhere they list on the SF-86 or in ARISS. After we get all those police checks back then we have to do an applicant prescreen checklist. And this thing is fucking ridiculous. It asks them like over 144 questions, of all this crazy ass shit. What this thing is designed to do is to shake loose anything that the applicant may suddenly remember down at the MEPS while going through the medical portion. While the intent of this thing is good. What it has turned into is a damn parade of stupidity. First the recruiter has to go through this with the applicant, then the station commander has to do it, then the first sergeant has to do it. And all this time you and the applicant are at the mercy of when the first sergeant (who has to have it done before the applicant can join mind you) can do this prescreen checklist. What winds up happening, this thing gets printed out faxed to someone faxed back, scanned into the system. It gets crazy as hell. And to top all this off you have to have their documents scanned in the system, along with the medical prescreen, which is seperate from the other precreen we do. Now this shit has to be done 72 hours prior to the applicant hitting the MEPS. Now back in the day, I could get a packet done in like less than a day and half at most have them projected and someone could be in the Army in less than 3 days. Now we have to go through this damn ordeal everytime someone has to join now. What kills me is the fact with less tech we put more people in. Now with all this technology we are being bogged down in the bullshit. It frustrates me to no damn end. If someone walked into my office let's say on Monday and wanted to join tomorrow, well they just cannot do it. Back in the day if someone walked into the office on Monday and wanted to enlist on Tuesday or Wednesday we could make it happen. Oh well, but hey sarge the computer is going to make it easier for you.
The only thing that is any easier on the computer now is the waiver process. Tech in that part of the recruiting process has helped ten fold. I can now get a waiver pushed through in record time. Back in the day we had to fed ex copies of packets to the waiver clerk then they had to fed ex shit out etc. Well now it's all in there electronically. Oh and the 72 hour rule still applies when they finally get to join too. Well like the saying goes that is all I have to say about that.

OK so here is where we stand with this. This job I hold is the most thankless job in the world. The public really don't like us. And the command treats us like shit. I have never been in an organization that treats it's people like the trash of the earth. It is a business of what have you done for me lately mentality. It's like this, I have a station that is making mission, and the command is still having us working stupid hours. I am getting so worn down by this. I guess I will have to sit here and explain a few more things about this job to help you the reader to understand.

As recruiters we have certain "requirements" we have to meet. So let me break it down for you like four flat tires. Let's say if you make 100 phone calls and out of that you get maybe 2 apts. Well it takes 8 apts for you to get lets say 4 quality conducts. And out of those 4 conducts that you get 1 contract out all that. Sounds easy huh? Well it's not. Because out of all those conducts you conduct. You have to find the perfect fucking person. While not all that impossible. It sure as hell seems that way. Well you say hey man that all seems to damn easy. All I have to do is make x amount of phone calls and get x amount of apts then I get x amount of conducts then x amount of contracts. Simple sales. Not really. We have to sell someone something they cannot see, touch, taste, or smell. Yeah I said it...If I was selling cars (something tangeable) I would probably be a fucking millionare.

So what I am going to mainly talking about here is the toxic type of leadership that I have to put up with on a daily basis. The constant damn struggle here that it takes. I am going to air it all out in here. I don't really care who this makes mad, this is going to be the truth. The truth about what really goes on. The truth about how recruiters are treated. The truth about the crappy leadership and how they are so damn disconnected from leading soldiers and the only thing they look at are the numbers. About how the person no longer matters especially to these vultures. More to come stay tuned. Oh yeah and BTW I am not going to use my government computer to post this shit in here. This will all be done from my own damn laptop...So there put that in your pipe and smoke it.

So here is where I stand, I am an Army Recruiter. I am a full time 79R. I am going to put things here that might piss some people off. I don't care I am tired of putting up with the shit that we as senior NCO's in the Army have to put up with. Being my luck they will hunt me down and fry my ass. So be it.