Tuesday, March 6, 2012

Company Command

For many officers in the Army, the apex of their career is when they assume command of a company. As a Platoon Leader, we get our first taste of being in charge of Soldiers; however, as a company commander, we are in charge of a lot more Soldiers and responsible for thousands (sometimes millions) of dollars worth of equipment.
Today, I was informed that I have been selected to take command of the original company I was in when this deployment first started. The current company commander has reached the end of his career and is essentially being told by the Army that it's time to retire. So, I've been chosen to take his place. As a result, I have about 48-72 hours to packet all of my belongings and fly to another Province in another Regional Command, where I will spend the next two weeks inventorying every piece of equipment that belongs to the company and take ownership of it. I will also charge of all the personnel and be responsible for ensuring they make it back home to their friends and family.
The good news is that I'm going to link back up with all the people I was originally supposed to deploy with. The bad news is that I'm now having to take on way more responsibility than I want at this point. If you're not familiar with the term "Shamming", look it up. That was supposed to be my MO for the next year, but now I have to actually do some work and finish out this deployment as best I can.
Please pray for safe travels over the next few days and a smooth transition into my new position. I'd like to think I might do something productive while down there, but we'll have to wait and see! All you C Co guys reading this, looking forward to the reunion!!!
Take care,
JC

2 comments:

Claire said...

All I can say is enjoy the command while in theater... it's (reportedly, from what I hear...) WAy better over there. Hope you finish the deployment well! We'll be praying!

randommomma said...

Just remember this new job is like eating an elephant -- one bite at a time! You've got this! I have no doubt you will rock your new position and be a stellar company commander!

I'll be praying for you, Jesse! And for your beautiful wife & daughter, too!