Additional Duties

Sorry for the long delay in posting. I know I said the same thing in my last post...from a week ago....but, I've been taking on some new responsibilities and been going through some preparatory training. Being an officer or senior NCO in the military means having to take on certain duties that are not directly related to your job, one of which I have for this month. Sensitive Items are pieces of equipment that vital to our success in combat and if it were to fall into the enemies hands, it could severely hinder out efficacy. These items include personal weapons, night vision devices, electronic warfare and communication equipment, among many others. To ensure that all personnel are keeping track of their equipment, I have been tasked this month with visually inspecting everything to make sure it matches what we have on our property books. Yes, this is just as toilsome in practice as it is in written form. I'm having to track down people I've never met in my company and say to them, "I need to see your sensitive items." Personally, if a total stranger, regardless of rank, said that to me, I would question their motives right on the spot. However, since this is probably the 8th time we've had to do this, I haven't been met with any resistance. It's something that happens on a fairly regular basis; yet, there are still times when we find someone who doesn't have the proper equipment, or is unable to locate it. Let me tell you how serious this is...when I was in a 7 week course last fall, a female soldier lost a SI and all training was shut down for 3 days! We resorted to kicking the gravel in the motor pool, as if someone had buried it to show her a lesson!

So, in short, the past several days have been spent scurrying around trying to find the serial number on every weapon, vehicle, and electric device in our company to make sure everything is where it was last month. Don't be fooled by the high speediness of the military recruiting commercials, half of being in the Army is just paperwork! Take care.