For those who have been in a while, what advice would you give to help someone overcome a lapse of judgment?

2022-03-16T11:22:40-04:00

Unfortunately I am in a unit where leadership is almost non existent and everything you need is more or less "figure it out" on your own with little to no guidance.

I made a mistake as an E5 , 6 years back that resulted in a GOMOR and NCOES school drop (1059-R) for misconduct ( DUI). I've since been promoted and pcs'd twice and reinlisted indef.

My TIG is almost 2 years. I'll be boarding for my first look in less than 1 1/2 years.

Recently all I can think about is how I'm going to be judged on the board and how heavily my past will weigh on the board panel members decisions. II'lI think about what I can do to improve so they don't see me for who I was then but who I am now. I plan on getting airborne, air assault and an AA degree complete before year and starting a bachelors. I plan taking on any additional duties that I can on return from my like eo,mft, or mrt. I've been making good gains in fhe gym and look forward to the acft
.

I think alot about how dug my own grave and knock myself for it but at the same time, i feel that my leaders were fair and gave me a chance to bounce back. it's been hard thinking back lately and wondering if all the progress I've made since has been in vain.

Response by MSgt Private RallyPoint Member made Mar 16 at 2022 11:56 AM

2022-03-16T11:56:35-04:00

Do some volunteering like Big Brothers or coaching little league etc. It will show signs of willingness to take on leadership to guide young minds. It will also show you have moved past your questionable behavior and are striving to do better.

Response by CPT Private RallyPoint Member made Mar 16 at 2022 1:10 PM

2022-03-16T13:10:20-04:00

Game the system.

It sounds like your biggest risk is over working yourself in an attempt to redeem your actions. Kudos, but with that in mind, "game the system" and chase successes with a focus on quantifiable successes that check boxes rather than focusing too much on the "spirit" of the good deeds.

Don't over stretch yourself with too many additional duties and perfect ACFT scores if it comes at a cost of ill performing any of those. ONE stellar additional duty performance annotated in bullets in an NCOER that catches a reviewer's eye is worth a lot more than 3+ additional duties just mentioned in passing.

Remember........... you will be judged on a board packet. So your actions need to find their way into that packet.

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Generally....... I think TIME is going to be your biggest ingredient to your goal, and how that time is used is going to be measured in NCOER bullets, school 1059's comments, ACFT scores, awards, and all things iPerm'd.

If it doesn't get in the board packet it did not happen.

YOU need to write your own NCOERs. You need to hand your rater your NCOER bullets on a silver platter, and put it on them to reign in the comments. I learned this from WO's I rated. They of course couldn't log into EVAL system and do it, but they e-mailed me everything I could need to cut and paste every section of the Eval template. I much appreciated it, and generally used it as guidance, and reigned them in accordingly. If they handed me nothing they would have got a very generic Eval and I would have moved onto the next one in my que ASAP.

Research what goes into an E7 promotion packet. Do things that fluff up that packet. Have I said that enough already?

Response by SFC Casey O'Mally made Mar 16 at 2022 3:36 PM

2022-03-16T15:36:30-04:00

Boards look at the total Soldier. Additionally, they weigh recent heavier than past, and current rank heavier than previous ranks. The fact that your local unit seemed you worthy of another chance - and you proved yourself in that second chance - will be looked upon favorably.

The rule used to be last 5 NCOERs, then it was all NCOERs at current rank, then it was both, then it was 3 years, then it was NCOERs written on days that started with T or S, then they used voodoo. Slight hyperbole, but the point is that the older the NCOER (or 1059) the less likely to be in the packet. And the less weight it will be given.

As has been mentioned, time is your friend. But only if it is filled with goodness. The longer you go with a good record, the more the DUI looks like a mistake rather than the truth of who you are. Don't expect a first look, or even second look, pick-up. But keep doing good things (and make sure those good things make it onto paper). Eventually you will get picked up. Or you won't, and you will retire as a SSG. Which is no shame. No shame at all.

Response by SFC Kelly Fuerhoff made Mar 16 at 2022 5:01 PM

2022-03-16T17:01:16-04:00

The way I understand it from SGMs who have sat on the boards - it ultimately depends on who looks at your packet. Every SGM has a different measurement they use to rate people. For some a DUI is not going to get a high vote from them; others may not put much into it since it was long ago.

Also realize let's say you and another packet are tied for whoever looks at yours. That DUI may be the deciding factor in the other packet getting a higher score than you.

I don't think anyone on here can predict what could happen. If by the time you get looked at you do have those additional duties it can help. But additional duties alone won't set you apart. You also need to excel at your job and leadership.

Response by Lt Col Jim Coe made Mar 16 at 2022 5:56 PM

2022-03-16T17:56:41-04:00

I’m not sure how closely the GO letter will follow you. Check to see if it aged out of the personnel system or was left behind when you PCSd. Next make sure you have the minimum requirements for promotion. Complete any leadership training and academic education the Army formally requires or strongly implies you should have. Even more do your job very well. Have credible accomplishments in your MOS and position giving your rater and Sr Rater something real to put in your evaluation.

After those are done, consider additional duties and schools. Don’t leave out your family! If you don’t get promoted and retire at 20 as an E6, they will still be your family.

Response by SFC Private RallyPoint Member made Mar 16 at 2022 6:18 PM

2022-03-16T18:18:03-04:00

Are you in an Airborne unit or going to one? If not, you're probably not going to Airborne school. Being in an Airborne unit usually impacts how the board looks at you, being an Airborne qualified five jump chump, does not improve your look.

When you have a Referred file in your iPerms, anything endind in -R or GOMOR, the board mist review it while grading you. Even if it happened as a PFC the board must look at it while grading you. Most people who have sat in the board will tell you that the more time that passes, the less it impacts the score. But no matter how much time passes, it will be reviewed and it will impact your score. You can try to get the GOMOR moved to the restricted file, but your AER-R will still say you were released for a DUI.

How do you overcome? Promotions at the SSG and above level isn't about overcoming. It's a competition with limited slots. Read the board AARs to see what packets were the most compey, then do that. They almost always say "challenging position" and "civilian education". With your AA you're only competitive if your peers were combat arms at the SSG level. You have SSGs and SFCs applying for the Army's Master Programs in National Defense for Intel people. These are the people you're competing against with your associates.

You sound like you have the mentality of doing well and accomplishments gets you promoted. Everyone at your level who is competitive is doing well. Everyone else has degrees, badges, and good PT scores, that's what you need just to get a seat at the table and be taken seriously.

Senior NCO positions are about leadership. The Army doesn't care how well you do the technical portion of your job, you're expected to be an SME by now. They want to see how you affect the organization. Yeah you have a degree, but have you successfully ssisted all your Soldiers in enrollment for civilian education? How many credit hours did your team accomplish this year?
Yes you probably have a good ACFT score. But what about bringing your squad average up 50 points?
You need to focus less on your accomplishments and more on improving the organization as a whole. Then get that into your NCOER. How many people did you affect? What echelon of command did you affect? What was the benefit to the Army?

If you're going to be Airborne in an Airborne unit, go to Jumpmaster school. You impact lives every time you work duties. If you're an Airborne Mi you'll usually end up in USASOC, there is an opportunity to teach Jumpmaster MTTs which has an even greater impact on your ability to affect and improve your unit