And then some officers got involved

Let’s suppose a staff sergeant drill sergeant two weeks ago was told he was NCOIC of a detachment of 220 BCT/AIT soldiers who were not going home for Christmas. (The number later was reduced to 120.) The staff sergeant was given appropriate information, including names of nine other drill sergeants he would be in charge of, and bus schedules to take the privates to a basketball game in Atlanta and to movies in Columbus, Ga.

The staff sergeant completed a schedule and plan for the 10 or 14 or however many days he would have the young soldiers and other drill sergeants beginning today, 18 December.

Let’s suppose on 16 December an officer at the brigade hosting the young privates decided an E6 might not have the wherewithal to handle such an assignment. Disdaining the staff sergeant’s two tours in Iraq, EIB, CIB and two BSMs (one with V device), the officer said, “This is the Army Maneuver School of Excellence. These soldiers might be visited by the post commander or TRADOC commander or someone of equal rank. We cannot trust the assignment to a staff sergeant.”

Someone suggested the brigade operations NCO take the assignment. That recommendation went nowhere, possibly (only a guess) at the insistence of the so-designated NCO.

Eventually, the powers settled on a first sergeant who had not taken block leave. Yesterday, the first sergeant met with the previous NCOIC and the other nine drill sergeants. The first sergeant asked the previous NCOIC to lay out his plans, which the staff sergeant did, for each day. When the staff sergeant was finished, the first sergeant said, “Sounds good to me. You’ve planned it all out. That’s what we’ll go with.”

And … Let’s suppose the brigade commander yesterday visited the barracks where the privates will stay. There are four bays with 30 bunks each. The brigade commander asked how the staff sergeant planned on getting linens and blankets for the soldiers. The staff sergeant said linens and blankets were laid out on tables at the barracks entrance. Each soldier would be instructed to take two sheets, one pillow, one pillow case and two wool blankets and make up his assigned bunk.

“No,” the brigade commander said. “We won’t do it that way. We will have the linens placed on the bunks. These soldiers are missing Christmas at home, and we want to make things as comfortable as possible for them.”

So, 10 drill sergeants placed on each bunk two sheets, one pillow case, one pillow and two wool blankets. Dressed and covered, of course.