Victory Newsletter - Vol1, Issue 2

Volume 1, Issue 2 1st Recruiting Brigade Victory Newsletter30 September 2011 Commander Sends Emphasis on Vigilance turn to someone for help. Let them know they can seek Col. Ricky Emerson the help of mental health care professionals and facili- ties. Continue to refresh your memory with the suicide Team— prevention training provided by the Army. Each year, the U.S. Army sets aside There are no secrets September to place emphasis on These resources include: to success. It is the suicide awareness and prevention,  Chain of Commandresult of preparation, an issue that requires everyone’s vigilance and undi- hard work, learning  TRICARE vided attention. Although the Army designates Sep- from failure. tember as a month of awareness, suicide prevention  Brigade Chaplain 301-677-2943; 888-235-5953 —Colin Powell is an issue that must continue throughout the year.  Army One Source: www.militaryonesource.com  Brigade Facebook Suicide Prevention tab In this issue: Suicide is a national problem. Soldiers at all levels must be aware of the factors that can contribute to  Well-Being: http://www.armyg1.army.mil/hr/suicide/ suicide. To prevent the next attempt, make sure you  Real Warriors: www.realwarriors.netCommander Sends 1 are personally involved with your battle buddies. Be  National Suicide Prevention Line: 1-800-273-TALK aware of how they are doing. Many of our SoldiersCSM Says 1 are under a great deal of stress for many different Everyone in this Command must know they always have reasons. Many suffer quietly through hard times. Let someone to turn to when help is needed. Ask yourDCO Corner 2 them know it is okay to ask for help. No one will be buddy, care for your buddy, and escort your buddyLegal 2 stigmatized for seeking help --- no matter the issue. through the chain of command if you believe anyone in It takes courage and strength to ask for help, and it your Team may have some suicidal symptoms.Station Commander 3 takes the same to intervene on behalf of someoneInsight who isn’t making good decisions. Vigilance by every Soldier, Civilian and Family memberMRTT 3 helps minimize the risk of suicide within the Army. WeA&PA 3 Tell each of your people about the sources of help. must remain engaged with our Army Family to stop this Make sure they know of the many ways they can tragic and unnecessary loss of human life.Budget 4Wellness 4 CSM Says Purpose Accomplishment of the Mission, (When we give directives our Soldiers are required toThe Victory Brigade is an adaptiveorganization, exemplifying Army Welfare of My Soldiers obey...there is no option, either in regards to pride orValues and excellence in recruiting law!)operations, while simultaneously Command. Sgt. Maj. Gregory O. Craigproviding for the wellness of itsSoldiers, Civilians and Families. Accordingly, I accept responsibility for their ac- Team—The intent of this newsletter is to tions. As a noncommissioned officer, I accept thecreate a continuous message be- I’d like to take this opportunity to go charge to observe and follow the orders and di-tween the 1st Recruiting Brigade over some particulars from FM 7-22.7,and battalions on pertinent items rections given by supervisors acting according to The Army Noncommissioned Officer Guide. The follow-and issues. the laws, articles and rules governing the disci- ing is the Charge of an NCO and my discussion points pline of the Army, I will correct conditions detri-Questions or concerns? Please in parentheses. This charge more specifically lays out mental to the readiness thereof.email 1bde-apa@usaac.army.mil our duties. (You will "accept the charge” and correct conditions detrimental to readiness. You will make "on the spot" I will discharge carefully and diligently the duties of corrections that could cause a deterioration of disci- the grade to which I have been promoted and up- plines.) hold the traditions and standards of the Army. (While each level of NCO will have separate "duties of In so doing, I will fulfill my greatest obligation as a the grade," we all have common traditions, standards leader and thereby confirm my status as a non- and an ethos!) commissioned officer. (What is your greatest obligation as a Leader? It’s I understand that Soldiers of lesser rank are re- two-fold actually and can be Continued on p. 2 quired to obey my lawful orders.

Victory NewsletterPage 2 CSM Says, cont. from p. 1 found right in our Creed: “the cant help but think what the Leadership of these Soldiers could have accomplishment of the mission and done to make a tweak or a fix to the problems that were lying so the welfare of my Soldiers.”) heavily on these Soldiers’ hearts. Were there signs? Could another Soldier have helped by following Welfare of My Soldiers the ACE guidance? I dont know the answer to these questions but I The Army and USAREC took a great loss this month as we had sev- feel personally responsible regardless of whether or not those Sol- eral Soldiers within our Command commit the unspeakable by taking diers were in our brigade ranks. their own lives. As a senior Leader, it tears my heart out each time I hear about these incidences. Primarily, I hurt for the loss of a young Take the time to care for your fellow Soldiers. Remember: Ask, Care, life and the Family that is left in its wake to deal and cope; however, I Escort. DCO Corner Are You Worth Your Salt? So what does this have to do with recruiting? We are all paid a lot of Col. Kenneth Sullivan money to conduct the mission of recruiting (SDAP, TDY, awards, time off, fancy clothes) to support the defense of our nation. The Have you ever heard the saying, "Hes not worth his question before us: are we earning our pay, day-in, day-out, every salt"? Obviously it is an insult, and in ancient Ro- week, every quarter? The truth is that just over 40 percent of our man times, it was a profound insult. How would this force consistently writes contracts. phrase come to be used in ancient Rome as an insult? We take months (or sometimes not at all) to contact all of our high school seniors. We give up when no on answers the phone during Roman soldiers were paid in money (Roman coins) and some portion Telephone Prospecting. We run out the door at 1700; this is fine if of their pay was in the form of salt. It is unclear and there is not con- you accomplished your tasks for the day. We don’t take counseling sensus as to whether this was in the form of physical substance of seriously. We fail to enforce standards of performance. So, when we salt or an extra allowance for salt. The amount of salt (or salt allow- look in the mirror, can you really say you’re worth your salt? ance) was dependent upon rank and performance in war. The word ―Soldier‖ is derived from the Latin, ―sal dere,” meaning ―to give salt.‖ There is nothing wrong with working an eight-hour day if we are giv- The English word ―salary‖ is derived from the Latin word, ―salarium,‖ ing ―8 for 8.‖ ―8 for 8‖ is an old saying that reinforces the idea of eight meaning ―salt money.‖ hours pay for eight hours work. I challenge each of you to rededicate yourself to a work ethic that gives ―8 for 8.‖ Never forget that we are a Salt was a matter of life and death in these ancient times. Salt was mission oriented organization. This is not Wal-Mart or CVS where the only known preservative at the time and was used to preserve you make your $10 per hour and go home. We are charged with food, primarily meats, and the dead. Without the ability to preserve leading and recruiting America’s finest and this does not always stop meats, a society would perish. Additionally, preserving the dead was at 1700. essential to prevent decay and disease while waiting time for the required burial rites and ceremonies. The Roman rite of contarreatio, If we get our whole BDE team to adhere to this level of effort, I prom- or marriage, included a practice wherein the groom and bride ate a ise you this: 1. Stress will go down. 2. Mission Accomplishment will cake of flour and salt. The flour and salt symbolized flesh and blood be YTD by the end of 3rd quarter. 3. You will have time as command- and indicated that they were now one, or flesh and blood kin -- unable ers to do those esoteric things that changes good units into great to allow harm to come to one another. units. In the end, I ask you all again: are you worth your salt? Legal As you should all be aware now, the ban on homosexuals serving in the ual marriage. There are some benefits that only dependants of military has been lifted. You will most likely face a number of new ques- military members are entitled to, such as access to medical care, tions from individuals who are interested in joining the Army, but have BAH and family separation pay. In a situation where a Soldier, who concerns about what benefits are available to them and their significant is in a lawful homosexual marriage, the spouse would not be enti- others. This article is not intended to discuss the Public Affairs guidance tled to those benefits. on responding to questions, but mainly to reinforce previous training regarding benefits eligibility. (See the Public Affairs article on page 3 for Other benefits, such as naming an SGLI beneficiary, recipient of guidance on media queries.) the death gratuity, unpaid pay and allowances, are available to anyone. Since benefits are a main concern for most people joining Currently, six states and the District of Columbia allow homosexual the Army, knowing the differences are quite important. marriage, and others recognize a form of a civil union. However, under Another situation that may arise is whether the couple can cohabi- the Defense of Marriage Act, Federal law does not recognize homosex- tate in post quarters. Decisions regarding Continued on p. 3

Victory NewsletterPage 3 Legal, cont. from p. 2 who is eligible for on-post housing usually rest Homosexuals openly serving in the military is new territory. While with the garrison commander, so this may the Pentagon has tried to take into account all possible concerns, change from post to post. In general, though, if a Soldier would other- new issues will undoubtedly arise as more homosexual individuals wise qualify for on-post housing, (for example, the Soldier has a de- apply for the Army. If you receive any questions that are either un- pendant child), then the Soldier’s spouse or significant other may also usual or complicated, please do not hesitate to contact either the be able to reside in the on-post housing. BJA at 301-677-2788 or your chain of command. MRTT Leaders, Soldiers and Civilians, greetings from the MRTT. always a Soldier.‖ These Prior Service have friends in those units still and they want to know whats going on with those units. It was a pleasure to see you all at the most recent QTB and the entire team found it a pleasure and honor to present classes to a distinguished Having those Units as "followers" on Twitter and/or "friends" on group as yourselves. Today I wanted to tie in some of the training that Facebook would make it possible for you to develop very targeted, was given in regards to social media to this months newsletter. benefit rich TWEETS and POSTS to those units. When you do that, your message is streamed to the followers of those units. Precision mission and precision prospecting for Army Reserve and Prior You can do this by using the "reply @" function on Twitter or post- Service is a big deal around USAREC right now and Im sure youve all ing your message directly to the walls of Facebook accounts. heard about it. BAM! Targeted, precision prospecting using a language that eve- Did you know that many TPUs, National Guard Units and college pro- ryone is speaking! fessors have their own Facebook and Twitter accounts? Many former Soldiers are still followers of those units because "once a Soldier, A&PA September 20 marked the repeal of Don’t Ask Don’t Tell and media on the repeal. It is important to stress that recruiters follow regula- coverage and public interest of the repeal is to be expected. Although tions and keep personal opinions out of it. many of you will not have media interactions, it’s important to understand the facts of the repeal. Most importantly, if you or someone else in your organization re- ceives a national media request for information, it is required to The general public and media will continue to be interested in this topic notify your higher headquarters of the request. Route the media as the situation evolves. Media will begin to focus more heavily on reac- query through the proper chain of command. cessions, changes to discharge paperwork, and differences in benefits for gay/lesbian couples and married heterosexuals. For further information or questions on the DADT repeal, please contact Brigade Public Affairs Specialist Jessica Maxwell at 301- Recruiters may be approached by the media for their personal opinions 677-2530. Station Commander Insight Building More Resilient Soldiers, Families in and day out will wear down on any Soldier and his or her Family. Sgt. 1st Class Brandon L. Mattern, Rose City Recruiting Station To be resilient we need to be able to identify stressors in our envi- Recruiting is a very unique part of the Army many Soldiers tend to for- ronment and find how we can offset the effects. I believe effective get about after they enlist and move on with their careers. The amount time management is key to balancing stressors in our work envi- of time and effort it took to put that one Soldier in the Army isn’t usually ronment and the ability to overcome the effects it takes on us. seen by the actual applicant, now Soldier. It’s a struggle many recruiters Keeping the balance between mission, Family, personal time and find when they come out to recruiting. Soldiers usually relate stress to unit cohesion will give every Soldier the ability to become resilient. training, combat and Family. What recruiters and their Families relate stress to is recruiting and the high tempo of the never ending mission. As leaders, we need to make sure Soldiers are not neglecting the time lost with the Family and make sure they are taking advantage As a new station commander assigned to a large station, I am fresh off of the time afforded to spend with their Families. the recruiting trail and into the leader’s role of the office. What I bring with me is that I don’t forget what it’s like to be the recruiter. It’s stress- Happy Soldiers will care about their mission and, more importantly, ful—all the time. I know and understand the stress of the mission. Day about the other recruiters who share that mission with them.

Volume 1, Issue 2 Page 4BudgetUnauthorized Commitments: can execute the buy in accordance with regulations.An Unauthorized Commitment is an agreement that Continuing Resolution Authority:is not binding solely because the government repre-sentative who made it lacked the authority to enter The U. S. federal government operates on a budgetinto a contract on behalf of the government. Only calendar that runs from October 1 through Septem-Contracting Officers, acting within the scope of their ber 30. The Congressional Budget and Impound-authority, are authorized to enter into contracts or ment Control Act of 1974 (P.L. 94-344) requires thatmake modifications thereto on behalf of the govern- the Congress and the President enact appropriationsment. which provide funding for federal agencies to oper- ate in a new fiscal year by October 1, the first day ofIn order to preclude personal financial liability of the new year. Historically, enactment of appropria-individual employees, everyone needs to understand tion acts has often been delayed well beyond thisthe limits of authority to commit the Government to date. When Congress does not pass the appropria-purchases or contracts. The laws and regulations tions in time for the start of the new fiscal year, theyare very clear in this regard: Only a Contracting frequently pass a Continuing Resolution. ContinuingOfficer can purchase or contract on behalf of the resolutions (also known as "CRs") are a type of ap-Government. If you do not have a warrant that was propriations legislation used by the United Statesissued by an authorized Government official, then Congress to fund government agencies if a formalyou cannot commit the Government. An unauthor- appropriations bill has not been signed into law. Theized person who commits the Government is estab- legislation provides funding for existing federal pro-lishing a personal commitment and possible per- grams at current or reduced level until either thesonal financial liability for the action. resolution expires, or an appropriations bill is passed.Unless you are a Contracting Officer, do not buyanything for the Government, and do not indicate toa vendor that an order will be forthcoming. To pro-cure any supply or service that exceeds the GPClimits, process a requisition through the BattalionRMS through Brigade HQ’s to Contracting so theyWellnessOctober is the month in which we as a nation and an also at your disposal:Army observe Domestic Abuse (Violence) Prevention  If you or someone in your Family is involved inMonth. The theme for the Army this year is an abusive situation, get help.―Together, We Can End Domestic Abuse: Act Now!‖  If you are a Soldier, Family member, DA CivilianThe motivation for this year’s campaign emphasizes or a contractor who wants to make a difference,not only the complex nature of the problem of Do- know your reporting point of contact and referralmestic Abuse in the Army but also its effects on the sources.Army Family and the Army mission. Domestic abuse  If you are a friend of a Family who is experienc-undermines the Army’s core values – Loyalty, Duty, ing the problem, encourage them to contactRespect, Selfless Service, Honor, Integrity, and Per- Family Advocacy Program (FAP), law enforce- ment, and other designated Points of Contact.sonal Courage. By Army regulation 608-18, leaders are required toThe resources to prevent Domestic Abuse are at report all known or suspected incidents of domesticyour disposal: abuse. Everyone else in the Army Family should be Strengthen your own relationships. encouraged to report incidents as well. Making a Reach out to struggling Service members and report of domestic abuse is not career threatening and will not get you into trouble unless the incident is se- Family members. vere or a weapon is involved. For further information, Encourage others to get involved in available contact the Brigade Family Advocacy Program Coor- prevention classes and wellness programs to dinator at (301) 677-2571 or 1-800-853-2675 or your improve and sustain resiliency. battalions Soldier and Family Assistance Program Manager.The resources to intervene in Domestic Abuse are

Victory Newsletter - Vol1, Issue 2

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