News Filled Week

Early in the week we got the list of available jobs/locations to PCS to. At first site I was not to happy with it, but after a little examination it is not too bad. I am still waiting on another listing that was supposed to be sent on the 26th. The directions from branch specifically said not to send in the preference sheet until the additional list was sent out. The additional list will have some O1A jobs on it. Those would mostly be non-branch specific. For example there might be some ROTC or other slots that MI branch has been tasked to fill. Human Resource Command (HRC) gets a big list of jobs that need to be filled. All of the MI jobs go to MI Branch to fill, but they also have to take their share of the non-branch specific jobs. Our top three on the list is Fort Gordon in Augusta, Georgia; Fort Huachuca in Sierra Vista, AZ; and Buckley Air Force Base in Denver, CO. I have several factors helping me out and making it look like I will get one of the top 3. My total time deployed, my job diversity (or lack there of) of assignments, and with this deployment my dwell time (time that I have been back from deployment) will be very low. All of those items should result in good outcome. Preference sheets have to be turned in by April 2nd and we should know on 16 April where we are going. Another big piece of news this week was the confirmation that I am on the promotion list to Major. My sequence number is 150. I will be able to predict about when I am going to be promoted after I find out how many are being promoted in May. I suspect it will be July or August before they get down to 150.

Iron Dragon

Well the event went well yesterday. It was kind of chilly to start (46), and we had a pretty good breeze that was blowing straight down the road that the run course was on. The wind was to our backs to start, which can hardly ever be felt. It was a head wind coming back and definitely slowed the run time down a bit. I did 83 push ups, 90 sit ups, 10 pull ups, 25 dips, and ran three miles in 19:34. Got a Certificate of Achievement and a Brigade coin. I did not get my coveted Iron Dragon Trophy, but I will get it when they arrive in the mail. Most importantly I do not have to participate in the mandatory staff PT twice a week and I am back to PT on my own. I am starting a new program on Monday and will also take a record regular APFT (Army Physical Fitness Test) before i go on leave. That will be good for six months, so should not have to take another one until I am settled at the new unit. Regulations prevent a record APFT within the first 90 days of return from a deployment.

PCS on the Horizon

I got an e-mail from MI branch early this week that stated I was being slated to PCS (permanent change of station) in the July-December time frame. They wanted an e-mail back by the 14th with justification to stay with my current unit. I wrote them back and told them my preference was to stay at Fort Riley and move up to the division staff for a year or so before I go to ILE (Intermediate Level Education). My second choice was to remain in 4th BDE and attend ILE at Fort Leavenworth, KS in FEB 11. My third choice was to PCS to either Fort Gordon, GA or Joint Base San Antonio, TX. They sent an e-mail back, 30 minutes later (that has to be some sort of record), that stated they can not send me to ILE in FEB because MI had half of the 18-20 seats that they usually get per class cut for the class that starts in August 10. So that means they are back logged and I am a low priority to go to class. They said to plan on a PCS in October. So the slate of jobs available is supposed to be out at the end of the month. We will pick our top five choices and should know by the end of April where we will be moving to. We are anxious to see the slate of jobs available. No guarantees that Gordon or San Antonio will even be available.