National Training Center & Fort Irwin California

JANUARY 2013

Dates to Remember
JANUARY 01 JAN - NEW YEARS DAY 16 JAN - OCS BOARD 21 JAN - MARTIN LUTHER
KINGS BIRTHDAY

ARMY NCO of YEAR CHAMPIONS HIGHER EDUCATION

GRAFENWOEHR, Germany (Dec. 18, 2012) -- Soldier, leader, husband, and student -- these are some of the other important titles balanced daily by SSG Matthew Senna, the U.S. Army's Noncommissioned Officer of the Year for 2012. After competing with 24 of the Army's most talented Soldiers at the Best Warrior Competition, he was named the winner and presented with an award in Washington, D.C., Oct. 22. "It was truly humbling and an incredible honor," said Senna, an infantryman with Bravo Company, 7th Army Noncommissioned Officer Academy, in Grafenwoehr, Germany. When asked how he excelled, he points to a focus on constant self-improvement through education. This year, the Best Warrior Competition challenged Soldiers in a new realm of competition -- mental toughness -- based on cognitive and creative thinking abilities. Scheduled between grueling road marches and PT tests were essays and written exams. Senna credits higher education offered in military communities overseas for keeping him sharp by expanding his knowledge and reinforcing traits like self-discipline. "Part of the reason why I got here is my education with the University of Maryland, University College," he said. "We had to take written examinations and write essays, and that experience and practice is what led me to where I am." The Sacramento, CA, native has recently completed his associate's degree, and plans to continue and earn his bachelor's degree in criminal justice. According to Senna, taking time to get an education is well worth the sacrifice. "In this time where the Army is changing getting an education will help you get promoted and also increase your ability to be a critical and adaptive thinker and an exceptional leader," he said. Senna's wife, Danielle, is the driving force behind his focus. As his number one motivator, she helped him study constantly -- going through manuals and quizzing him during the competition. "It's the same thing we do before our exams [in college]. We work together, quiz each other, and collaborate," said Senna. Danielle, a fellow student, is about to complete her bachelor's degree in criminal justice. They would like to walk at UMUC Europe's commencement ceremony in May, if not for Ranger School and, of course, the possibility of an unpredictable change-of-duty station. However, Senna's recent incredible accomplishment proved to be a great way to celebrate all of their hard work. At the award ceremony, Danielle couldn't hide her excitement at the surprise announcement of Senna's award. "They could hear me scream for joy from the back of the ballroom," she said, "I know how hard he has worked and I'm so proud." Recently selected for a promotion to sergeant first class, Senna contributes his college credit and academic experience. As a leader, he encourages other Soldiers to prioritize education. "By taking a little bit of time and sacrificing, you can get a lot of stuff accomplished," he said. From tuition assistance and financial aid to flexible programs and on-base classes, getting an education overseas has never been so accessible. Senna believes the major barrier holding service members back from pursuing higher education is lack of motivation. "They have to look to the future, not just what's happening on that next four-day weekend," he explained. "Just a minimal amount of sacrifice can really make their lives."

25 JAN - TRANSITION
WORKING GROUP

28 JAN - N.O.W. 31 JAN - G1 CONFERENCE

FEBRUARY

04 FEB - OCS BOARD 14 FEB - VALENTINES DAY 18 FEB - PRESIDENTS DAY

Inside this issue

ARMY NCO OF THE YEAR PERSONNEL ACTIONS STRENGTH MANAGEMENT CAREER COUNSELOR CORNER OTHER ARMY NEWS OTHER ARMY NEWS CONT

1 2 3 4 5 6

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PERSONNEL ACTIONS BRANCH

SOLE SURVIVING SON OR DAUGHTER

Regulatory guidance for assignment of sole surviving son and/or daughter and exemption from duty in a hostile fire area is found in Enlisted Assignments and Utilization Management, Chapter 5, AR 614-30, Overseas Service. To be eligible, a sole surviving son or daughter must be the only remaining son or daughter in a family where the father, or mother (or one or more sons or daughters), served in the Armed Forces of the United States and because of hazards with such military service: was killed died as a result of wounds, accident, or disease is permanently 100 percent physically disabled (including 100 percent mental disability) as determined by the Veterans Administration or one of the military services is in a captured or MIA status Acquiring or retaining sole surviving son and/or daughter status shall not depend on the existence of any other living family member. For example a sole surviving son can still have one or more surviving sisters and a sole surviving daughter can still have one or more surviving brothers. The Soldier may qualify as a sole surviving son and/or daughter through either his or her father or mother. The parent through whom the Service member seeks to qualify does not need to be living, but the Soldier shall be the only remaining son and/or daughter, natural or adopted, of that parent. A Soldier may waive their Sole Surviving Son/Daughter status at any time and reinstate at a time of their choosing. A Soldiers parents may also request Sole Surviving Son/Daughter status, but the Soldier will be given the opportunity to waive the requested protection before process completion. A protected Soldier automatically waives their protected status each time they reenlist in the Army. A sole surviving son and/or daughter may not be assigned to a PCS, a TDY, or duties involving actual combat with the enemy if he or she, or one of his or her parents, or spouse submits a written request for non-combat duty. On approval of such a request, a sole surviving son and/or daughter shall not be assigned to any overseas area designated as a hostile-fire or imminent-danger area nor to duties that regularly may subject him or her to combat with the enemy. Soldier-initiated requests will be forwarded through command channels and NTC G1 to CDR, HRC for approval/disapproval. Members of the immediate Family may submit requests for sole surviving son and/or daughter status on behalf of the Soldier directly to CDR, HRC Special Actions Branch (AHRC-EPO-A), 1600 Spearhead Division Avenue, Dept 334, Fort Knox, KY 40122-5303. ** For further information please contact the NTC G1, Personnel Actions Branch. **

UPCOMING
PAB SECTION Chief PAB MILPER Message 12-220 issued 17 JUL 12, announced new requirements. Officer Candidate School (OCS) applicants will be boarded for recommendation locally then forwarded to the Human Resources Command (HRC) for final selection. Waivers for time in service, medical conditions, or legal/civil/moral issues have been suspended indefinitely. HRC's FY13-2nd quarter OCS selection board will be held 07-11 JAN 13. OCS Packets are due to the G1 the Friday before the week of the Local Board. The next Fort Irwin OCS Board is scheduled for 16 JAN 13. POC Mrs. Chavez PHONE 380-5418 380-4176 380-5060

Retirement Ceremony The next retirement ceremony is scheduled for 12 FEB 13. In order to ensure a proper tribute to the service of our retiring Soldiers, commands should identify personnel that is attending the retirement ceremony and report that information to the G3 POC, SGT Ayala at 760-380-5417. Meritorious Service Medal and above, award recommendations should be forwarded to the Fort Irwin G1 Awards section NLT 30-60 days to ensure completion for the ceremony. All awards that require MACOM approval require 90 day lead time to G1.

Soldier Actions Mrs. Miller-Garin Awards & Decorations Mrs. Sullivan

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STRENGTH MANAGEMENT
TIME REMAINING IN SERVICE OBLIGATION FOR MILITARY SCHOOLING
Regulatory guidance on the time remaining in service (TRS) obligation incurred after attending military schools is found in AR 614-200, Chapter 4 (Enlisted Assignments and Utilization Management). Soldiers who are selected for and attend service schools incur a TRS obligation based on the length of the course. The TRS obligation commences upon completion of the course. Soldiers with insufficient TRS to meet the prescribed TRS obligation must reenlist or extend before attending training. The maximum TRS obligation for school attendance is 36 months. TRS requirements for some special training or career development programs may differ from those normally prescribed for military school attendance. Soldiers selected for special training programs must meet the TRS obligation prescribed for the program selected. Soldiers who met the TRS requirement at the beginning of school attendance do not incur any additional TRS obligations if they are held over or recycled. The TRS obligation is six months for Soldiers attending NCO education System courses, regardless of the length of the course, except for attendance at the U.S. Army Sergeants Major Course, which incurs a 24month TRS obligation. Voluntary retirements will not be approved for Soldiers until after they have completed all TRS obligations, to include those resulting from school attendance. Request for waiver will be forwarded through the Soldier's commander to CDR, HRC, ATTN: HRC-EPS-S, Fort Knox, KY 40122. For more information email the Military Schools Branch.

CONTACT INFORMATION
STRENGTH MANAGEMENT Chief Strength Management Officer Strength Manager Enlisted Strength Manager POC Mrs. Harvey Mr. Berenschot Mr. Looney, Virgil PHONE 380-5237 380-3225 380-5697

Congratulations to all the Fort Irwin selectees for promotion, on behalf of the NTC G1 and the Fort Irwin Community

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CAREER COUNSELOR CORNER

SSG QUALITATIVE SERVICE PROGRAM (QSP) ANNOUNCEMENT
Staff sergeants in 58 MOSs face involuntary separationStaff sergeants in 58 military occupational specialties will be the focus of an involuntary separation review by boards that convene in early February. The Qualitative Service Program (QSP) screenings apply to staff sergeants of the Regular Army and the Active Guard and Reserve (Army Reserve) who meet the following criteria: Were promoted to staff sergeant Feb. 4, 2009, or earlier Entered active service Feb. 5, 1992, or later

The upcoming boards will be the first to screen staff sergeants. The QSP panels will meet in conjunction with the sergeant first class promotion boards that convene Feb. 4 at Fort Knox, Ky. The new MILPER Message 12-357 was released on 9 November 2012 regarding the implementation of the SSG QSP Board during the FY 13 SFC Selection board that convenes on 4 February 2013. SSG QSP eligibility criteria: All SSGs with a PMOS identified below who have a date of rank (DOR) of 4 February 2009 and earlier and a basic active service date (BASD) of 5 February 1992 and later: 11B, 11C, 12B, 12V, 13B, 13T, 15J, 15P, 15R, 15S, 15T, 15Y, 19D, 19K, 25L, 31B, 35M, 35T, 36B, 42A, 56M, 68A, 68D, 68E, 68G, 68J, 68M, 68P, 68Q, 68R, 68S, 68T, 68W, 74D, 88H, 88M, 91A, 91B, 91C, 91D, 91E, 91H, 91L, 91M, 92A, 92F, 92G, 92L, 92R, 92S, 92W, 92Y, 94E, 94F, and 94R SSGs having less than 15 years of active federal service are encouraged to request Voluntary Reclassification (See your Career Counselor) into one of the following MOSs: CMF18, 35P, 35Q, 38B, and 51C. For CMF 18 and MOSs 38B and 51C, Soldiers must be pre-approved by MOS proponent prior to submitting reclassification request. Due to the sometimes lengthy application time for various MOS, Soldiers are encouraged not to wait too long to apply for a particular MOS. Also, if the Soldier is considering a Transfer of Educational Benefit (TEB) to allow their dependents use of their Chapter 33 Post 9/11 GI Bill, they are encouraged to apply prior to the board. If they have a service remaining requirement and they apply before the board is approved and they are subsequently selected for separation under the QSP, they will retain the TEB. However, once the board is approved and they are selected for separation, they will potentially no longer be authorized the transfer unless there is no service remaining requirement. As with any variation of the Qualitative Management Program or the Qualitative Service Program, it is imperative that all Soldiers maintain their records and keep every aspect of their records up to date.

FORT IRWIN RETENTION TEAM CONTACT INFORMATION

Unit POC Phone
380-3581 380-3580 380-5250 380-3762

Unit
1/11th ACR 2/11th ACR 916TH Support Brigade MEDDAC

POC
SSG Jamison SFC Correa SFC Castro SSG Burns

Phone
380-2546 380-5911 380-3841 380-5215

Command Career Counselor MSG Carter Retention Ops / Ops Group Reserve Component 11th ACR Sr. Counselor SFC Sonnenfeld MSG Floyd SFC Moreno

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OTHER ARMY NEWS

SOLDIERS GETTING ENHANCED TRANSITION ASSISTANCE
WASHINGTON (Army News Service, December 10, 2012) -- One of the biggest challenges Soldiers face is transitioning to civilian life. That transition got a boost Nov. 21, when the Veterans Opportunity to Work, or VOW, to Hire Heroes Act went into effect. The act requires every Soldier to attend transition assistance classes. But the Army already was working to make transitioning easier even before the act took effect, according to retired Army Col. Walter Herd, director of the Army Transition Program, headquartered at the U.S. Army Human Resources Command. When the "re-engineered" Transition Assistance Program, or TAP, took effect Nov. 21, the Army already had 700 transition counselors and support staff in the field at 80 locations, including for the first time in U.S. Central Command's area of responsibility and in far-flung locations where Soldiers in the reserve component serve, according to Herd, who said that was double the capability the Army had just a year earlier. And there's more. For decades, TAP involved attending classes. While classes are still offered, Herd said Soldiers now have options other than going to a brick-and-mortar structure at a fixed time and place. "We now have 24/7 virtual capability where Soldiers can connect with a masters degreed transition counselor via phone, webpage, email or via a virtual avatar-based ACAP center," he said. "These are the same services offered at brick-and-mortar centers here or overseas." That call center number is 800-325-4715. ACAP, the Army Career and Alumni Program, is a transition and job-assistance program that goes beyond TAP in offering detailed job-assistance training. Their website is https://www.acap.army.mil and their Facebook page is http://www.facebook.com/ArmyCareerandAlumniProgram. ACAP is offered both virtually and in a classroom setting and is now part of the expanded TAP. Feedback from the field on the Army's transitioning efforts has been positive, Herd said, noting that the flexibility of the new choice-based system is especially popular. "A Soldier can now work on his or her resume at midnight on Saturday via virtual contact with a live counselor, if he or she so chooses," Herd said. "The Army is currently the only service offering this benefit." Transition assistance includes completing a family budget, an individualized transition plan, and a military occupational specialty crosswalk gap analysis. The latter, according to Herd, is a plan to match a Soldier's Military Occupational Specialty, or MOS, with one or more civilian occupations. Soldiers can then build a more effective resume and also determine if a license or certification is required for those jobs or if additional training is warranted. Other transitioning help will be available soon. The Department of Veterans Affairs will deliver a virtual benefits brief at 9 a.m. (EST), Dec. 21. The Department of Labor will deliver its virtual employment workshop Dec. 18-20 at 9 a.m. (EST). Herd said the Army will offer this virtual training on a regular basis, beginning in January. To register for these events, visit www.acap.army.mil.

Herd said all of these transitioning services are offered to Army family members as well as Soldiers. With 132,000 Soldiers alone transitioning last year, that's a pretty big audience if you include family members, he said. Transition help will get even better in the future. Next spring, the Army is piloting three different two-day seminars in education, entrepreneurial planning and vocational-technical training. Another pilot will be launched around the same time, known as the capstone event. "What this means," he said, "is that Soldiers will sit down with their commander and/or a counselor to ensure everything that needs to be done has actually been done: transition briefing, yes; budget, yes; resume, yes; training seminar, not yet." The three two-day seminars and the capstone event are scheduled to go Army-wide in October 2013, he said. "By October 2014, Army transition efforts will be scattered throughout the lifetime of a Soldier, so you don't begin to think about transitioning the last year or so," he said. "Rather, you start the transitioning process the first year or so so you can prepare yourself with plans, certification, networking and so on throughout your career, whether it's just a 12month mobilization or a 30-year career." Herd said that while the Army is offering a host of transitioning services, "the most important thing that Soldiers can do is to go to their transitioning events early and often. Leadership support is essential to making this happen. This is key to a successful transition."
By David Vergun, ARNEWS

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OTHER ARMY NEWS CONT

STRUCTURED SELF DEVELOPMENT (SSD) ENROLLMENT POLICY
Enrollment into SSD will be established as a result of completing the resident NCOES courses in a progressive order: (Warrior Leader Course (WLC), Advanced Leader Course (ALC), Advanced Leader Course Common Core (ALC CC), Senior Leader Course (SLC) and Sergeants Major Course (SMC)) to support the NCOES training path. Effective immediately, Self Enrollment for SSD is NO LONGER ALLOWED. Automatic enrollment is as follows: For SSD-1: All Soldiers who have completed advanced Individual Training/One Station Unit Training, but not WLC, will be automatically enrolled. For SSD-3: All Soldiers who have completed ALC, but not SLC, will be automatically enrolled. For SSD-4: All Soldiers who have completed SLC, but not SMC, will be automatically enrolled. For SSD-5: Upon SMC Graduation. There is no SSD-2, Soldiers will be scheduled for ALC CC. Points of contact for this message are; SGM Troy Ross; commercial: 703-692-6128 NIPR: troy.ross.mil@mail.mil References: ALARACT 288/2010 Structured Self-Development (SSD), Governance: Implementation of SSD Policy, DTG: 151806z Sep 10. ALARACT 300/2010 Structured Self-Development (SSD), Governance: Implementation of SSD Policy, DTG: 271533z Sep 10. ALARACT 216/2012 Structured Self-Development (SSD), Prerequisite for NCOES DTG: R 101452z Aug 12. AR 350-1, Army Training and Leader Development, 18 Dec 09. AR 600-100, Army Leadership, 8 Mar 07. DA PAM 600-25, U.S. Army Noncommissioned Officer Professional Development Guide, 29 Jul 08. Expiration date cannot be determined at this time. or Mr. Ronald Schexnayder; commercial: 703-614-9701 NIPR: ronald.a.schexnayder.ctr@mail.mil

FOR QUESTIONS ABOUT THE NEWSLETTER PLEASE CONTACT MR. DAVID BLUE STODDARD AT 760-380-4367