Do Have Issues With Your S-1?

SSG(P) Private RallyPoint Member — Wed, 25 Mar 2015 05:51:08 -0400

Over the last nine years of my career, I can't help but have utter hatred and contempt for my S1. I'm not a 42A, but I was thrown into the Admin position for my unit. I had no idea what I was doing at first, but I currently have no difficulty managing personnel records efficiently.

Right now, I am tracking eight separate awards across my current and previous unit. Two are PCS awards from last year, and a third that is a retirement award, which is well over a year overdue. The retirement award has been submitted over five times, yet it keeps getting lost. We also have three Soldiers who are more than 4 months overdue their AGCM. One has it on his ERB, but the dates are wrong, and he doesn't have the orders for it either.

Financial records are missing at BN S1. For instance, we haven't received a UCFR or AAA in three months, with the exception of one that I received one day before the suspense. Leave forms are missing. I, myself, even had to go to a levy brief the day before I deployed because they failed to fence me in. Right now, I'm supposed to be in Korea, as of Jan 2015. The orders still have not been deleted.

So, why is it so hard keep track of personnel records?

[UPDATED 9 April 2015, 0536Z]

So I was just told by one of my 1LT's yesterday, the reason why I can't get anything accomplished with my S1 in the rear, is because I have overwhelmed them. Overall, there are eight awards (two over a year overdue), three past-due AGCM, two overdue Promotion Orders, 13 Soldiers who have been deployed 6 months, yet to be fenced (because they keep getting orders to PCS; I, myself, was supposed to report to Korea 3 months ago while deployed because I didn't get fenced. I even had to attend a levy brief the day before I deployed).

Apparently, I have given them more than they can handle. This all started with only two awards, but they kept losing them. Those were while I was at my previous unit. Then I came to my current unit, and they received four from this one, which makes six now. It all just kept piling up, because they kept losing them. From what I'm told, there is an investigation regarding the failure to maintain personnel records: financial, awards, orders, promotion, SGLI/DD93, UCMJ, leave, etc. None of it was maintained properly.

Seriously though, does anyone else have these problems at their units?

[ADDED 13 May 2015]

Former Soldier just sent me a photo she received of her award being sent in the mail. The original recommender was removed and replaced by the S1 OIC, who also took the liberty of reducing the award. Classic!

Response by PO1 Private RallyPoint Member made Mar 25 at 2015 6:25 AM

PO1 Private RallyPoint Member — Wed, 25 Mar 2015 06:25:57 -0400

Been to commands with great S1, and just plain HIDEOUS ones. I did learn that the bigger the command, the worse they are: resources stretched to the max and people are burned-out, so be very patient and don't hate!

Response by MAJ Private RallyPoint Member made Mar 25 at 2015 6:52 AM

MAJ Private RallyPoint Member — Wed, 25 Mar 2015 06:52:08 -0400

I don't know that I hate my S1, but I've certainly had a lot of issues getting things right. I had state promotion orders for CPT in July of last year. The short story is that some related personnel documents of mine sat on someone's desk for 6 months before anybody bothered to action on them. It'll probably be another 60 days before I see a promotion.

It took me almost a year to get my ORB straightened out. Somehow I had accumulated an ACM, even though I've never been to Afghanistan. It also had other issues, like showing me holding an MOS that I did not and an incorrect DOR. I've personally had Soldiers receive awards that were two years overdue. That is simply inexcusable in my opinion. I don't have a silver bullet answer for you but I can tell you your experiences certainly aren't unique.

Response by CSM Private RallyPoint Member made Mar 25 at 2015 7:55 AM

CSM Private RallyPoint Member — Wed, 25 Mar 2015 07:55:00 -0400

I find it hard to believe that your CSM and the BDE CSM have not been relieved. The S-1 is the battalion training room +. How is finance not beating down the door for not receiving a signed UCFR? How are you conducting promotions and promotion boards without receiving AAAs? If you are not receiving any of those reports I am sure your flag report is missing and your units HR Metrics are atrocious!

Someone is going to get hammered, surprised it hasn't happened already.

Response by SPC Private RallyPoint Member made Mar 25 at 2015 9:16 AM

SPC Private RallyPoint Member — Wed, 25 Mar 2015 09:16:17 -0400

I have had one good S1, one bad S1 so far.

About your awards, I would suggest starting to submit your paperwork with a DA-200 so when it gets lost you have a clear person to blame.

http://armypubs.army.mil/eforms/pdf/A200.PDF

Response by SGT Bryon Sergent made Mar 25 at 2015 9:20 AM

SGT Bryon Sergent — Wed, 25 Mar 2015 09:20:13 -0400

Not the person that I hate. I really hate their work ethic! I'll do Later, send me an email, my system doesn't talk to this system which doesn't talk to this system. Then when you contact Ft. Knox they say to contact your unit admin. which is where the stuff is right but wont up load to the different systems! Sorry for this, but get the LT's out of the mix, put a couple of hard charging NCO's in there and fix it!

Response by SGT Justin Lamb made May 13 at 2015 2:06 AM

SGT Justin Lamb — Wed, 13 May 2015 02:06:42 -0400

SSG,

Did you have any 42As in the shop at all? When I got to one of my duty stations we only had 3 42As in BN and the rest were field artillery guys just thrown in there to try to help out. But we still managed to take care of soldiers. Overwhelmed by 8 awards is... Special to say the least

Emilpo is a desent system when it decides to work but it does go down a lot and has quite a few bugs. Not to mention everyone in your shop aren't always allowed EDAS/Web EDAS access. Sadly they said Dimers (sp?) was supposed to come out in 2007-2008 which of course never happened and from the sound of it, it probably won't.

Response by 1SG Michael Blount made May 13 at 2015 9:16 AM

1SG Michael Blount — Wed, 13 May 2015 09:16:50 -0400

So far, I'd rather have hemmorroids than deal with my S1. Absolutely worse than useless

Response by SFC Private RallyPoint Member made May 13 at 2015 11:39 AM

SFC Private RallyPoint Member — Wed, 13 May 2015 11:39:12 -0400

Over the last 14 years i had no Idea that AGR soldiers have 2 ERB's. It wasn't until I sat down with my currant S-1 NCOIC that I found thi sout when updating it for retirement. It was then she informed me that the ERB used for teh MSG Board is the one in AGRIMIS, and the one the S-1 posts documents to is only in IERMS. So each year I have been sendi ng My S-1 the missing documentation and corrections for my ERB, for 12 years, I found out the ERB in I oerms was perfect. yet that is not the one in the board file. So she sent the hupdates to the Agrimis folks and the board one finally got updated, however I have retirement orders now so I wasn't even considered this year. Could have been a MSG years ago if I had only known.

Response by SPC Private RallyPoint Member made Jun 2 at 2015 3:34 PM

SPC Private RallyPoint Member — Tue, 02 Jun 2015 15:34:43 -0400

I had no problem at my unit. They were pretty spot-on. Help me with any issues regarding where the soldiers were. No complaints from this medic.

Response by MAJ Ken Landgren made Jun 2 at 2015 3:49 PM

MAJ Ken Landgren — Tue, 02 Jun 2015 15:49:59 -0400

When I was in an Armor Bn, all the chapters went to work at the S-1.