The discussion continues…

“My name is Sergeant Hook; I am your new squad leader. I have been working on CH47 Chinook helicopters for several years now and intend to share my experiences with you. I will take the first two days getting to know each of you and will spend time explaining my expectations of you and goals for the squad. I will also outline what you can expect of me but for now; know that I am available to you, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.”

“I understand from Sergeant Greene that you guys were on a detail earlier today, how did that go?” I asked the six young men standing before me, all holding the rank of private first class (E-3) except for one, Specialist Lim (E-4).

“It went well,” replied Specialist Lim somewhat enthusiastically.

“What was the mission?” I asked.

“The mission?” Lim began, “Oh, the detail, well we had to pick up some parts at the motor pool for our truck to get it running.”

“And that required 6 soldiers to accomplish?” I asked, but continued, “Never mind, what work orders do we currently have open?”

The soldiers exchanged momentary glances before Specialist Lim offered an answer, “We don’t get much aircraft maintenance here, the flight platoons take care of most of it, and 1st squad handles the phase inspections.”

I stood there, in front of a group of young, inexperienced soldiers, aircraft mechanics, amazed at their lack of focus, their misguided sense of purpose. I felt a fire beginning to burn in my gut and was not pleased at all. Just as I was about to lash out at the soldiers, I stopped short, realizing that it wasn’t their fault, but it was the fault of their leadership. It was at that moment that I developed the mindset that there is nothing wrong with our soldiers, and that 99% of the problems we have stem from a lack of leadership (a mindset that has endured over the years).

“OK, let’s begin with a toolbox layout,” I said, not wanting to dwell on what was.

“Ah, Sergeant Hook, we don’t have tool boxes,” Specialist Lim answered for the group.

“What do you mean ‘you don’t have toolboxes’ ?”

Lim began to answer when I held up my hand cutting him off. “You, Private Edge, why don’t you have toolboxes? You are mechanics right?” I asked sarcastically getting a bunch of head nods and a couple of chuckles.

Private First Class Edge eagerly replied, “Sergeant Hook, Sergeant Greene keeps all the toolboxes locked up so that we don’t lose any tools and his periodic inventories are squared away.”

“Well how in the hell do you fix f*&#n’ aircraft?” I was beside myself.

“We sign out a toolbox from Sergeant Greene whenever we need to use tools,” he replied.

Shaking my head in disapproval and keeping my emotions under control I offered, “OK then, Private Edge, you are now in charge of 2nd squad’s toolboxes. Today we will issue each of the squad members, mechanics as I understand it, a toolbox, conduct an inventory and provide you each with an inventory sheet that you’ll use at the end of each day to make sure you haven’t lost a tool.”

Most eyes were wide in amazement as I continued, “Private Edge will conduct a monthly toolbox inventory with each of you, and if a tool is missing, he will fill out the proper paperwork so that it can be replaced, after you pay for it.”

Smiles and grumbles.

“But!” I said raising my voice, “If you lose a f*&#n’ tool, it’ll cost you more than the price to replace it. A lost tool in aviation maintenance means that it could possibly be on the aircraft where it may cause catastrophic failure.”

Serious stares.

“Do you know what that means Private Pilsner?” I asked.

He hesitantly replied, “Ah, I think so Sergeant Hook.”

“It means somebody dies because we f*&#ed up and lost a tool!” I sternly offered. “Now, let’s get you issued your tools. C’mon Edge, I’ll show you what right looks like.”

“That sounds great Sarge, but I don’t think we have enough time,” Lim countered.

With a growing annoyance I flatly stated, “We have plenty of time Lim, it is only 1430 hours, now let’s get moving.”

“Uh Sarge, it’s Wednesday and we get off at 4 O’clock on Wednesdays,” Specialist Lim informed me.

Deciding that I had allowed this to go on long enough I explained, “Specialist Lim! Assume the position of parade rest and listen very carefully. First of all, you will NO longer address me as ‘Sarge,’ do you understand? I am Sergeant Hook and I am your squad leader. I will tell you what time you get off on Wednesdays and every other f*&#ing day, is that clear?!”

“Yes Sergeant Hook.”

“Furthermore,” I continued, taking a moment to look at each of the other squad members, “And this applies to all of you, you are Soldiers and you are mechanics and your mission is to repair the Army’s CH47 helicopter and by God that is what you are going to do! Is that clear?”

This time a chorus of voices replied, “Yes Sergeant Hook!”

“Good. Now let’s get the gottdamned toolboxes inventoried and issued. And once we’re finished with that, I will counsel each of you individually on what my expectations are of you, and what you can expect from me. Are there any questions?”

There were none and at 1800 hours on Wednesday, my first day as the 2nd Squad, squad leader, I released the men to go get chow and informed them that I would see them at 0630 hours for PT the following morning.

More to come. Sgt Hook out.

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Before I begin my discussion on key and not so key leadership positions in the Army, I think it fitting to point out that what follows is my opinion and based largely upon my experiences in Army Aviation. I use the word “discussion” as I invite all current and former service members to leave a comment sharing their experiences as well.

The Squad Leader…

As mentioned previously, the smallest unit in the Army is the squad, usually consisting of 8 to 12 Soldiers, but could be as small as 4 or 5. The squad is led by; you guessed it, a squad leader, ordinarily in the rank of sergeant (E5), sometimes a staff sergeant (E6), and often a corporal (E4). For the purpose of this discussion, I will focus my views primarily on the sergeant, aka: buck sergeant, as the squad leader.

The squad leader is the only position that is in both a Soldier’s chain of command, and NCO support channel. He is the first line leader and supervisor of our young Soldiers. There is nothing that happens at the squad level that he is not directly involved in, or aware of; nothing. A good squad leader knows each member of his team inside and out. He knows his Soldiers, what their strengths are, what their weaknesses are, and what makes them tick. He reads the signs that indicate when a Soldier is on the verge of his breaking point, and when he can go further.

The squad leader works right along side her Soldiers, demonstrating what right looks like, then evaluating to ensure her squad members know what right looks like. She’s the first one in to work at oh dark thirty, and the last one to leave in the evening. She stops by the barracks more nights than not, just to check on her Soldiers, knowing she’ll be late for dinner with her family, yet again.

The squad leader has a huge amount of responsibilities, though it may not seem so compared to leaders of larger units. He is responsible for making sure that each member of his squad is trained to proficiency, both tactically and technically. The squad leader is also accountable for all equipment assigned to the squad, and for ensuring his Soldiers have in their possession, maintained in a serviceable condition, all uniforms and equipment issued to them. His greatest responsibility, however, is in knowing where each member of the squad is at all times, always ready to respond when asked, “Where’s Jo?”

My first squad…

I recall the day that I was standing in formation when I heard my name called out, “Specialist Hook…POST!” It was my first duty station, Fort Campbell, Kentucky; I was assigned to the famed 101st Airborne (Air Assault) Division.

Taking a 15” step to the rear, leaving my position in the squad, I turned sharply to the left and moved out smartly, jogging between the elements of the formation until I was clear of the platoon. Turning again, this time to the right, I continued my gait up to where the commander was standing in front of the company, assuming a rigid position of attention facing the nearly 300 Soldiers in formation before me, looking smart and standing dress-right-dress.

The commander re-positioned himself to a point directly in front of me. “Publish the order,” he commanded.

Attention to orders! The Secretary of the Army has reposed special trust and confidence in the patriotism, valor, fidelity and professional excellence in James Hook. In view of these qualities and his demonstrated leadership potential and dedicated service to the U.S. Army, he is, therefore, promoted to Sergeant. By Order of the Secretary of the Army…

The words tapered off as I focused on the commander pinning sergeant stripes to each of my uniform collars, and to my patrol cap. I felt my heart swell with pride and noticed that I stood a little taller, as it hit me that I was joining a time honored corps of leaders in the U.S. Army.

To say that I was a little apprehensive at assuming such a leadership rolel would be an understatement. I called my dad, my hero, the Commander to ask for advice. He wisely counseled that there was no magic formula to being a good leader, but offered, “Be accountable for your mission and take care of your men and everything else will fall into place.”

Two months later I was reporting in to my new unit at Camp Humphrey’s, Korea. I was assigned to the maintenance platoon in B Company, the Innkeepers, a CH47 Chinook helicopter company with a storied history originating in Vietnam.

“Welcome aboard Hook,” Sergeant First Class Black boomed offering a hand.

“Thank you sergeant, I’m happy to be here,” I replied taking his hand.

“I’m giving you 2nd squad Hook. Sergeant Greene has been the squad leader for the past 4-months but is transitioning into the tool room so shadow him and pick his brain as quickly as you can before he moves into his new job.”

Those were my marching orders, so I marched. Walking onto the hangar floor, finding and introducing myself to Sergeant Greene, I offered my hand saying, “Hi, I’m Hook, nice to meet you. Where’s the squad.”

Sergeant Greene looked at my hand, then at me, replying, “Squad’s on a detail, they’ll be back after lunch.”

Noticing that the hangar was empty, I glanced at my watch noting that it was 0945 hours, before asking, “Do we have a lot of work?”

Sergeant Greene laughed and shrugged by way of answering. “Here’s your key, and there’s your work area, good luck,” he said and walked off. So much for “shadowing” the outgoing squad leader.

I spent the next couple of hours in the squad area, looking around at the facilities, reviewing the few maintenance records on file, and formulating what I would say to the men when they arrived back after lunch. I was kind of surprised to find that there was not a folder for each squad member, nor any developmental counseling forms on file. I was eager to learn about my guys, but would have to wait until we met, face to face.

I mistakenly assumed that “after lunch” meant 1300 hours. It wasn’t until 1345 that I had all six of my soldiers present for duty.

“My name is Sergeant Hook; I am your new squad leader. I have been working on CH47 Chinook helicopters for several years now and intend to share my experiences with you. I will take the first two days getting to know each of you and will spend time explaining my expectations of you and goals for the squad. I will also outline what you can expect of me but for now; know that I am available to you, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.”

More of the Squad Leader coming soon. Sgt Hook out.

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Before I begin my essays (for lack of a better word) on the Army’s key, or not so key, leaders, I think it important to outline for the gentle reader just how the Army is organized as it may help make sense of ramblings yet to come. So, without putting up a confusing organizational chart, or getting too deep into the levels of command, I’ll attempt to break it down as simple as possible for you.

The smallest unit in the Army is the squad, usually consisting of 8 to 12 Soldiers, but could be as small as 4 or 5. The squad is led by a squad leader, ordinarily a sergeant (E5), sometimes a staff sergeant (E6), and often a corporal (E4). For the purpose of our discussion, I will focus my views on the sergeant, aka: buck sergeant, as a squad leader.

Next up from squad is the platoon (note: there is something called a section, but for ease of explanation we’ll just go from squad to platoon). A platoon is normally made up of several squads and depending upon the type of unit, a platoon could consist of anywhere from 40 to 80 Soldiers. The platoon is ordinarily led by a platoon leader and a platoon sergeant. The platoon leader is most often a Lieutenant (O1 or O2), but I’ve seen at times Captains (O3) leading some of the larger platoons. The platoon leader is not alone however, as there is a platoon sergeant assigned, usually at the rank of Sergeant First Class (E7), though sometimes a Staff Sergeant (E6) has the reigns.

A company is made up of several platoons; anywhere from 4 to 7 platoons. The company commander is usually a Captain (O3), though there are some companies who require Majors (O4) to be in command, and some companies that just don’t have a Captain available, so they stick a Lieutenant in command. Each company also has a First Sergeant (E8) assigned as the senior enlisted Soldier of the unit. The First Sergeant is one of the most important positions in the Army. Companies are formed by capability and most companies have unique missions.

The battalion consists of several companies, usually 5, but sometimes is made up of 4 to 7 companies (my battalion has just 4 companies). Leading the battalion is a Lieutenant Colonel (O5), aka: “light colonel,” and a Command Sergeant Major (E9), aka: “pain in the ass.” The battalion has a large staff of officers and senior noncommissioned officers who do a lot of mission analysis, planning, and resourcing in support of the companies within the battalion.

A brigade is comprised of several battalions. Since the Army’s transformation, the brigade has become the focal point of how we do business. Most brigades are led by a “full-bird” Colonel (O6) and a Command Sergeant Major (E9) and are comprised of several battalions. Today’s brigade is 99% self sufficient and capable of conducting operations anywhere in the world.

Last, but not least, is the division. The Army has 11 10 active divisions, made up of multiple brigades each. The commanding general of an Army division is usually a two-star, Major General, and he has a Command Sergeant Major assigned. The division plans for and assigns missions to its subordinate brigades.

Note: There are echelons above the division, however, as they are not relevant to the discussion I intend to have regarding the Army’s key and not so key positions of leadership, I won’t bore the gentle reader any longer. Next up, The Squad Leader.

UPDATE: As the ever astute Signaleer kindly pointed out, there are only 10 active divisions in the Army today (the 24th ID inactivated this past August), and 8 National Guard divisions, but I’d like to point out to the RTO that there is nothing “lowly” about being a Buck Sergeant, nothing at all.

Sgt Hook out.

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This post is filed under: Duty Descriptions

Soldiers' Angels New York linked with Good Stuff from the Sgt.