Case Study: Karma
- Thread starter Marauder06
- Start date
That is it, thank you!
“Uh, what do you mean, sir?” you ask with trepidation.
“With you coming out on the promotion list that’s about to drop, and the MTOE showing the MID commander as a captain, the Group commander feels like you’ve been promoted out of a job. My very strong recommendation was that you stay on as commander of the MID, both to ease the transition and turnover within the GSC, and to keep you here in the Group until you actually pin on. He asked the S2 for his opinion, and the S2 said that he felt LT Delano was more than capable of commanding the MID.”
“Who?” you ask, incredulously.
“The hot new lieutenant,” replies MSG Reynolds, “The one that The Dud didn’t want you to have as the XO.”
“What? Her? Sir, she’s just a first lieutenant. She has no experience, no credibility, and no business being in the GSC, let alone in command of the MID. She will get eaten up trying to deal with the crap that goes on inside of the MID. Plus, the MTOE coded all those positions “male-only.” She doesn’t meet the requirement in any possible sense.”
“I know that, and I agree with you,” replies MAJ Ripley. “I’m going to continue to work this, but I’ve got to tell you, it doesn’t look good. The Dud has the commander convinced that this is a good course of action, and with everything else going on in the unit, what happens on the enabler side is kind of low priority for him.”
“OK then sir, where does this leave me?” you inquire.
“The DCO says he thinks you need some staff time. You’ve been in the Army for almost ten years now, and you’ve never had a “real” intel job. Most of the time you’ve been intel, you’ve been in command positions, doing very little intel work. There will be an assistant Group S2 position opening up, if you want it, it’s yours. Or you can find a job outside of Group.” MAJ Ripley pauses to let that set in for a second. “This meeting that just ended was a game of ‘Musical MI chairs,’ and you’re the only one left without a seat.”
There’s not much to say after that. As you file out of the room, MSG Reynolds asks, “Sir, WTF just happened?”
“What happened? I just got outmaneuvered by The Dud,” you reply, somewhat stunned. The Group S2 knows that you will never take a position subordinate to him, and since that is apparently the only option open for you to stay in Group, it looks like he has effectively pushed you out of the organization altogether. You never should have underestimated him…
“But hey sir, congratulations,” says MSG Reynolds.
“For what, getting kicked out of Group by the dumbest MI field grade on the planet?”
“No, for coming out on the major’s list… weren’t you paying attention to anything that MAJ Ripley just said?” replies MSG Reynolds, partly in jest. Actually, you hadn’t caught that at first. Well, at least now you have SOMETHING good to tell your wife when you get home tonight.
“With you coming out on the promotion list that’s about to drop, and the MTOE showing the MID commander as a captain, the Group commander feels like you’ve been promoted out of a job. My very strong recommendation was that you stay on as commander of the MID, both to ease the transition and turnover within the GSC, and to keep you here in the Group until you actually pin on. He asked the S2 for his opinion, and the S2 said that he felt LT Delano was more than capable of commanding the MID.”
“Who?” you ask, incredulously.
“The hot new lieutenant,” replies MSG Reynolds, “The one that The Dud didn’t want you to have as the XO.”
“What? Her? Sir, she’s just a first lieutenant. She has no experience, no credibility, and no business being in the GSC, let alone in command of the MID. She will get eaten up trying to deal with the crap that goes on inside of the MID. Plus, the MTOE coded all those positions “male-only.” She doesn’t meet the requirement in any possible sense.”
“I know that, and I agree with you,” replies MAJ Ripley. “I’m going to continue to work this, but I’ve got to tell you, it doesn’t look good. The Dud has the commander convinced that this is a good course of action, and with everything else going on in the unit, what happens on the enabler side is kind of low priority for him.”
“OK then sir, where does this leave me?” you inquire.
“The DCO says he thinks you need some staff time. You’ve been in the Army for almost ten years now, and you’ve never had a “real” intel job. Most of the time you’ve been intel, you’ve been in command positions, doing very little intel work. There will be an assistant Group S2 position opening up, if you want it, it’s yours. Or you can find a job outside of Group.” MAJ Ripley pauses to let that set in for a second. “This meeting that just ended was a game of ‘Musical MI chairs,’ and you’re the only one left without a seat.”
There’s not much to say after that. As you file out of the room, MSG Reynolds asks, “Sir, WTF just happened?”
“What happened? I just got outmaneuvered by The Dud,” you reply, somewhat stunned. The Group S2 knows that you will never take a position subordinate to him, and since that is apparently the only option open for you to stay in Group, it looks like he has effectively pushed you out of the organization altogether. You never should have underestimated him…
“But hey sir, congratulations,” says MSG Reynolds.
“For what, getting kicked out of Group by the dumbest MI field grade on the planet?”
“No, for coming out on the major’s list… weren’t you paying attention to anything that MAJ Ripley just said?” replies MSG Reynolds, partly in jest. Actually, you hadn’t caught that at first. Well, at least now you have SOMETHING good to tell your wife when you get home tonight.
The infinite repercussions of the Dud's maneuvering will cause mayhem - politically, from the command bench, and socially in the Group. This could be a case of a single act axing multiple careers and the health of a Group... One question, if a slot is coded male only (and possibly 18/180 only) how is that going to get through SOCOM/USAJFKSWC for approval, true the 4th BN standup is straining the command ranks, but the ingrained trust of a fellow SF guy in the GSC/MID command desk will cause turmoil unseen since the Deluge. IOW... Noah, Noah.... How long can you tread water?
Carry on with your redoubtable tale, oh, MI author of renown!
Carry on with your redoubtable tale, oh, MI author of renown!
I made a mistake in my last post (since corrected). I said that LT Delano was to command the MID, then I said it was the GSC. I meant MID in both cases and the post now reflects that. I'm sorry about the mistake and I appreciate The Troll catching it.
To make clear what I was trying (unsuccessfully) to convey earlier, CPT James is earmarked to backfill MAJ Ripley as the GSC commander, and 1LT Delano is to take over command of the Group MID from CPT Faith.
It will still be a major case of caprine fornication from the ODC/ODB/ODA standpoint... top level command at GSC will be a green light - from all levels (CPT J is a known/proven entity and appears to be trusted), but an IED is being placed into the already onerous morass of the MID by placing LT D (is she even 1LT(p)?) in charge of the SOT-As that need to be brought up to Victor standards; having no true knowledge of the interactions and demands of an SF Group; and finally the lack of trust from the all male SOT-A and 18 series guys... All while the MTOE and manning/command of the Operational BNs is changing.... Thunderball, we need an Arclight on GSC/MID, Danger Close, immediate... Request Spooky as CAS for stragglers, over.
Yes; that is a very accurate assessment of the situation.
This could be a case of the effluent going antigravitational... true?
You needed some hate returned...
discouragement gets hate... you will remember this in the future.
discouragement gets hate... you will remember this in the future.
Think I need some help here, to understand the process.
If MID Commander is a "male only CPT" coded position, how likely is it in real life that the Group Commander would decide to move CPT Faith, even bfr he pins Major, and assign a female 1LT in his place?
What are the chances of higher ups (that would be USASFC right?) challenging his decision?
Does CPT Faith get at least the opportunity to speak to the Commander and try to convince him to keep his position?
On the other hand, if the Group Commander decides that he wants CPT Faith to be the new S2A, and there is widespread change in the Group, would it be acceptable ( or proper so to speak) if the good CPT declines the new position and requests transfer?
Last but not least, to get back to the story, is the DCO an idiot?
I understand from previouw itterations that the personality conflict between CPT Faith and the S-2 is well known not just to the DCO but to the whole Staff.
Or maybe he is actually taking the S-2 side and pushes to get Faith out of the Group?
AFAIK, in real life the Group MID commander is not male-only. The SOT-As are, but not the commander. In fact, 5th Group had a female Group MID commander not too long ago. The battalion MID commanders are, I believe, male-only, as are (were) most jobs below the brigade level in combat arms units. In this case, the Group MID commander is male-only to help drive the plot.
Commanders are normally given enormous latitude in making personnel decisions within their commands. If he wanted it badly enough, I think a Group commander could put a female into a male-coded position at the Group level (if there are any) without too much fuss. And it certainly wouldn't help CPT Faith if he complained about it; the Group commander would probably just say "fine," put some other male officer in the job and CPT Faith would be out on the street, so to speak.
With regard to the personnel moves, it might be that the Group Commander and the DCO want CPT Faith in as the Group AS2 because they know The Dud sucks, and now that Faith is on the list for O4, they could move Dudley out and appoint Faith as the Group S2. Or they want Faith in to help prop up the floundering Dud. Or the DCO is looking out for Faith's professional development as an MI officer and thinks he needs some actual intel time instead of all this command time he has gotten so far. Or maybe the Group Commander hates Faith's guts.
Or maybe karma (and the incidents in The Soul Plane and The Loyal Wife) finally caught up to CPT(P) Faith. Or maybe none of the above? Hmmm.... I wonder which it is....
So, if you're CPT Faith, what do you do now?
Commanders are normally given enormous latitude in making personnel decisions within their commands. If he wanted it badly enough, I think a Group commander could put a female into a male-coded position at the Group level (if there are any) without too much fuss. And it certainly wouldn't help CPT Faith if he complained about it; the Group commander would probably just say "fine," put some other male officer in the job and CPT Faith would be out on the street, so to speak.
With regard to the personnel moves, it might be that the Group Commander and the DCO want CPT Faith in as the Group AS2 because they know The Dud sucks, and now that Faith is on the list for O4, they could move Dudley out and appoint Faith as the Group S2. Or they want Faith in to help prop up the floundering Dud. Or the DCO is looking out for Faith's professional development as an MI officer and thinks he needs some actual intel time instead of all this command time he has gotten so far. Or maybe the Group Commander hates Faith's guts.
Or maybe karma (and the incidents in The Soul Plane and The Loyal Wife) finally caught up to CPT(P) Faith. Or maybe none of the above? Hmmm.... I wonder which it is....
So, if you're CPT Faith, what do you do now?
104TN
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Open up your Roladex and call the CO of every cool guy unit around, let your branch manager know what your doing, and then tell the DCO to suck your butt when your by-name rolls down from G2. Go straight scorched earth. Do unto other before they do unto you - and whatnot.
Suck em up and drive on.
"Well sir, what's our next move?" asks MSG Reynolds as you walk out after your meeting with MAJ Ripley.
"'Our next move?" you reply, "you still have a job here." You pause for a moment, and then add, "I guess I'll go see CPT Cho about that job in the 16th."
"Oh come on, don't go all 'pity party' on me," MSG Reynolds admonishes, "You know that you're the DCO's boy. If he went along with this, it's for a good reason. Go talk to him, find out what the deal is, and then make up your mind what you want to do."
"What do you mean I'm the DCO's boy?" you inquire, pausing in the hallway. "That guy hates me. Every time I'm in his office, I'm on the receiving end of the biggest ass chewing of my life. If I dropped my pants and turned around, they could make a dental cast out of the imprint of his teeth.”
“Think about it, sir, all the times you’ve screwed something up in this unit, who is the one who controls the damage, where does the pain train stop? Right with the DCO. Come down on the blotter after beating down some piece of shit in a parking lot? DCO’s office. Try to set a plane on fire combing back from Rota? DCO. Regularly disrespect a field grade officer? Handled by the DCO…”
“Yeah, OK, I get it,” you reply curtly. “First of all, you were with me in that parking lot, and I didn’t try to set the plane on fire… but I kind of see your point. Still though, if the DCO is such a great guy and he wants to look out for us, then why this arrangement, out of the blue like this?”
“Gee, I don’t know sir,” replies MSG Reynolds sarcastically, “maybe you should… maybe… ASK THE DCO!”
“OK, fine, I’ll go see if he’s in the office,” you reply. “But I’m NOT his boy.”
“Whatever, sir,” MSG Reynolds replies, smiling as he walks away. “I’m going to go see the CSM, meet you at the car in 30 minutes?”
"'Our next move?" you reply, "you still have a job here." You pause for a moment, and then add, "I guess I'll go see CPT Cho about that job in the 16th."
"Oh come on, don't go all 'pity party' on me," MSG Reynolds admonishes, "You know that you're the DCO's boy. If he went along with this, it's for a good reason. Go talk to him, find out what the deal is, and then make up your mind what you want to do."
"What do you mean I'm the DCO's boy?" you inquire, pausing in the hallway. "That guy hates me. Every time I'm in his office, I'm on the receiving end of the biggest ass chewing of my life. If I dropped my pants and turned around, they could make a dental cast out of the imprint of his teeth.”
“Think about it, sir, all the times you’ve screwed something up in this unit, who is the one who controls the damage, where does the pain train stop? Right with the DCO. Come down on the blotter after beating down some piece of shit in a parking lot? DCO’s office. Try to set a plane on fire combing back from Rota? DCO. Regularly disrespect a field grade officer? Handled by the DCO…”
“Yeah, OK, I get it,” you reply curtly. “First of all, you were with me in that parking lot, and I didn’t try to set the plane on fire… but I kind of see your point. Still though, if the DCO is such a great guy and he wants to look out for us, then why this arrangement, out of the blue like this?”
“Gee, I don’t know sir,” replies MSG Reynolds sarcastically, “maybe you should… maybe… ASK THE DCO!”
“OK, fine, I’ll go see if he’s in the office,” you reply. “But I’m NOT his boy.”
“Whatever, sir,” MSG Reynolds replies, smiling as he walks away. “I’m going to go see the CSM, meet you at the car in 30 minutes?”
So now we (almost) know. DCO wants to have someone capable in the S-2 shop to take up the slack from the "Dud" and hopefully fill his shoes soon enough. Not bad for a CPT(P) soon to be a Major and in need of some Intel Staff experience to get rounded.
It will also be an exercise in patience, which as most know, is the key to happiness, (and sometimes to advancement in the organisational hierarchy).
And if he screws up a little the DCO could turn a blind eye.
It actually happens a lot in the civilian world too.
But , I feel that CPT James could give another sudden twist to the story very soon...
It will also be an exercise in patience, which as most know, is the key to happiness, (and sometimes to advancement in the organisational hierarchy).
And if he screws up a little the DCO could turn a blind eye.
It actually happens a lot in the civilian world too.
But , I feel that CPT James could give another sudden twist to the story very soon...
Just went back to previous posts to refresh my memory a bit. It seems that the DCO is a level headed practical man. And sooner or later the Group will have to deploy (as the basis for a JSOTF?- do correct me if I am wrong).
The "Dud" is already three years in the Group and hopefully he will be leaving, so most probably the DCO would like to have a known- even if a bit hotheaded and outspoken-commodity in place, to take charge of the S-2 shop, without taking chances with another new guy coming.
AND the MID is getting disolved with most assets going to the Battalions with the rest (all source and terrain team) going to the... S-2. So why not have a female 1LT in charge of the new "small" MID.
The "Dud" is already three years in the Group and hopefully he will be leaving, so most probably the DCO would like to have a known- even if a bit hotheaded and outspoken-commodity in place, to take charge of the S-2 shop, without taking chances with another new guy coming.
AND the MID is getting disolved with most assets going to the Battalions with the rest (all source and terrain team) going to the... S-2. So why not have a female 1LT in charge of the new "small" MID.
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