I love my new job

[Hansmeister]

Well, in February I started my new job building a new PSYOP Company and I'm having a blast.

I'm the First Sergeant and the senior full-timer so I have pretty much freedom in shaping the Company as I see fit.  Particularly since my Reserve Commander is on the exact same wavelength as myself.

My Company consists mainly of brand new privates (a good chunk which are still in High School) and our numbers are approaching 50, nearly halfway to our authorized end strength of 104 (to go up to 132 in 2012).  Not a bad start!

We have no senior NCOs (outside myself) and lack officers (except for the Commander), but this is a CAPOC-wide phenomena and there isn't an easy solution to this.

At formation I asked who was born after 16 Jan 1991 (the date I joined the Army) and, depressingly, several Soldiers raised their hands.  I'm now the grouchy, old First Sergeant.

In June the other units in the Reserve Center are moving out and I'll take over responsibility for the entire facility (consisting of four buildings).  In September is our official activation and we can expect to be deployed a year later.

[The Brain]

You joined the day before Desert Storm? Desert Shield made you horny?

[Hansmeister]

You joined the day before Desert Storm? Desert Shield made you horny?

I actually signed up in August to be shipped out in January.  I had finished MEPS and was in the hotel since my plane to take me to basic was flying out in the morning when the war kicked off.  A bunch of us recruits huddled around the TV and watched as the war unfolded.  Of course, this was the only part of the war I saw, since there was no TV in Basic.

[Caliga]

I took the ASVAB and was going to do ROTC till my mother intervened. 

I hope the recruiter wasn't beaten too badly when I withdrew from the process. 

[FunkMonk]

Top! 

[Valmy]

Sounds great Hans

Just out of curiousity why did you decide to not become an officer?

[Caliga]

Yeah, I would have expected Hans to go to OCS by now or something.

[KRonn]

Sounds good Hans. Enjoy and good luck.

And grats on being the Old man, the Big Toe, Old Timer!   

[Hansmeister]

Sounds great Hans

Just out of curiousity why did you decide to not become an officer?

My wife would've had to give up her career for mine.  Officers have to move around a lot, making it impossible for spouses to have careers.  Any income I would've gained would've been more than offset by income loss of my wife.

I wanted to go MI Warrant but my wife vetoed that as well since I would constantly be deployed.

[Scipio]

That's your wife who only has sex for reasons of procreation, right?

[grumbler]

My wife would've had to give up her career for mine.  Officers have to move around a lot, making it impossible for spouses to have careers.  Any income I would've gained would've been more than offset by income loss of my wife.

I wanted to go MI Warrant but my wife vetoed that as well since I would constantly be deployed.

I think NCOs have a better life than officers, having seen things only from the officer POV.

Officers spend a lot of time apple-polishing and filling needles billets.  NCOs do the important stuff.

Bravo for you, top!

[FunkMonk]

My wife would've had to give up her career for mine.  Officers have to move around a lot, making it impossible for spouses to have careers.  Any income I would've gained would've been more than offset by income loss of my wife.

I wanted to go MI Warrant but my wife vetoed that as well since I would constantly be deployed.

I think NCOs have a better life than officers, having seen things only from the officer POV.

Officers spend a lot of time apple-polishing and filling needles billets.  NCOs do the important stuff.

Bravo for you, top!

I've come to realize this very thing over the past two years. I was at one time seriously looking to Go Gold but I thought better of it.

[Hansmeister]

My wife would've had to give up her career for mine.  Officers have to move around a lot, making it impossible for spouses to have careers.  Any income I would've gained would've been more than offset by income loss of my wife.

I wanted to go MI Warrant but my wife vetoed that as well since I would constantly be deployed.

I think NCOs have a better life than officers, having seen things only from the officer POV.

Officers spend a lot of time apple-polishing and filling needles billets.  NCOs do the important stuff.

Bravo for you, top!

The pay is much better for senior NCOs than in days past.  People outside the military don't even realize how well we get paid.

[Phillip V]

I hope the recruiter wasn't beaten too badly when I withdrew from the process. 

We had an Army-wide stand-down last month because a bunch of recruiters had committed suicide under the stress, so I hope not.

[Phillip V]

Congrats, Hans. I hope to join CA.