 It's not fair, Sergeant. Well, you're not in any trouble, so you can relax. I just wanted to talk to you for a couple of minutes, that's all. I'm going to level with you. Your record is good. You did well in basic, made E2. First few weeks here in AIT, you went through like a dune buggy. Top scores and everything, best in the platoon. Then you began to slip. Now, all the NCOs noticed it. What's bugging you, Anton? What's wrong? Nothing, I just get uptight, that's all. Like nervous, I mean. But that's the point. You weren't uptight during the first three weeks of AIT when most men feel the pressure. You were right in stride. Then when the rest of the guys catch up to you, you fall apart. Take yesterday. I boasted to the CO how well the section's doing. Bring them out to the training site to take a look. What happens? You goof and the whole section blows it. Then the old man looks at me as if to say, these are the hot shots you've been yelling about? Captain King doesn't like me. He's got me on his list. Yeah, how do you know? I just, you know, feel it. OK, let us not argue the point. He's got 200 AITs here. Probably doesn't even know you exist. But suppose you're right. What difference does it make? You'll graduate in four weeks and probably never say him again once you get to your new assignment. But that's just what bugs me. When he makes up the assignments, he'll probably ship me to Siberia someplace instead of giving me my preference. Oh, so that's it. Look, Anson, the CO has nothing to do with making assignments. In fact, no one person makes assignments. How does it work? All assignments are made in Washington. Do you think my last CO shipped me here? I didn't want this post. I just came back from Vietnam. Coming here meant yanking my family 2,000 miles. A lot of guys are getting exactly what they put in for, but I didn't. So while en route, I made it my business to find out exactly how the situation works. So I made a little side trip to the Pentagon. I knew my previous commander had nothing to do with it and that assignments were coming out of a computer. But as far as I was concerned, their computer had flipped. The receptionist had directed me to the enlisted personnel directorate of the Office of Personnel Operations. I had expected to see a giant computer called HAL and a couple of white coded programmers. But instead, I discovered that EPD, enlisted personnel directorate, consists of 630 officers enlisted personnel and civilians. In the interview room, the receptionist had me fill out a form so that my records could be assembled while I waited. Other men with assignment problems were sweating out their turn. I discovered that there were two sections handling assignments, one for seniors E7 through E9 and the other, the replacement division for the lower grades. I was told that there'd be at least a 20 minute wait. So I asked if I could visit the side handling lower grades. I knew I'd be training AITs. So it would help if I could answer assignment questions, just like yours, Anson. I was invited to spend a few minutes with Lieutenant Colonel David P. Leland at his desk in the replacement division. But Colonel Leland doesn't centralization of personal management mean that it's all up to a computer. No, not exactly, Sergeant Hoffman. Really, we use a combined or mixed computer manual operation in order to make our assignments here at Department of the Army. As you know, we do not maintain records on E1 through E6 personnel here at DA. We depend upon information furnished from the enlisted master tape record and reports from the field. There are many ramifications that go into a man's assignment. And many of the men and women in the Army, I'm sure, do not realize what goes into the assignment of one individual. And it's an extremely personal thing to them. It affects the man, his life, and his family. Let me start out with BCT and run BCT and AIT through for you, and you'll have some idea of how the assignment system starts. When a man reports into the reception station, part of the processing, their card is punched up with the basic personnel data on this man. This is forwarded along with his records to the basic training center. Here another card is punched up with further data on the individual. And these are forwarded to Department of the Army, where they're put through a computerized process and analyzed. Based on this analysis and on the personnel working with these cards, the man's assignment to AIT is made. And this arrives in the field approximately four weeks prior to his graduation from BCT. What about AIT, sir? Is the system basically the same? Yes, basically it operates the same during the first week a man is in AIT. A card is furnished to Department of the Army with basic personnel information to include when the man is scheduled to graduate and in what MOS he's being trained. This card is fed into the computerized system again. And information is furnished to us approximately five weeks prior to the man's scheduled graduation date, as to his name, rank, serial number, preference, MOS, and other personnel data. This is then matched against the requirements that we have in-house for both overseas and stateside units. The selections are made, the cards are matched, and then fed back into the computer system where the assignments are autodinned to the field and sent by mail also as a backup. Basically, this covers how the man's assignment is made out of AIT. You know, sir, I hate to admit this, but there's a lot about the system I never realized or understood, especially the assignment of lower grade enlisted personnel. I honestly never realized how busy this place was either. Sir, I realize you have a lot to do, but I have a couple of more questions I'd like to ask if you don't mind. Not at all. Shoot. How does the recap office here at DA get involved in reenlistments and enlistments? Recap stands for Reenlistment Centralized Assignment Program. The reenlistment office here at DA acts as a central clearinghouse to receive requests for reenlistment options from commands throughout the world. It operates 24 hours a day on a telephone system whereby reenlistment counselors worldwide can call in and request certain options for enlisted personnel. These are then matched against the requirements we have in house, and if we have requirements, we go back to the reenlistment counselor and authorize him to reenlist the man for that option. You know, sir, as you've been talking, I've been trying to absorb all I can because I can just imagine some of the questions I'm going to get from the troops. I'm sure most of them will be going overseas, and they'd like to know how they get there and what happens after they've completed an overseas tour. Let me break that one into two blocks for you, really. The assignment of personnel from colonists to an overseas command and the assignment upon return from an overseas tour. We assign personnel based on the requirements in the overseas command and on information furnished to us from the enlisted master tape record. These two are matched. The assignments are made based on the priorities of the requirements, and the assignments are forwarded to the field. The man should know approximately 60 to 90 days prior to movement overseas. For personnel returning from overseas, it's a little different story. This man is, or woman, is called into his personnel office approximately six months prior to return. There, he records his preference for a stateside assignment or to another overseas command if he wishes to transfer it to another overseas command. This is recorded forwarded to Department of the Army along with standard personnel data, and this is the basis for our assignments of personnel returning from overseas. The selections are made and the assignments are passed to the field and should arrive in the overseas command once again approximately 60 to 90 days prior to the individual returning from overseas. Sir, occasionally announcements are made in the field seeking volunteers for special assignments. How does that work? Well, a volunteer application is one way an enlisted man can influence his next assignment. Man goes to his orderly room, makes out an application to volunteer for, say, an overseas assignment, such as Vietnam, Europe, a MAG, or mission assignment. This is forwarded through channels to Department of the Army. Here, we give it preferential treatment in that we attempt to assign those personnel volunteering for an overseas area ahead of selecting other personnel that are permanent party and do not desire to move. Then if I graduate AIT and get pretty good scores, I have a chance of getting my preference? That's right, Anson. Remember, though, needs of the service come first. But I'd say there's the strong possibility you'll get what you want, providing you stop goofing up, OK? OK. But, uh. But what? What happened with your interview? Well, when I got back to the senior side, I was told Lieutenant Colonel Thomas Irwin wanted to see me. Actually, sir, what I wanted to do was check and see you. He had heard I'd been checking out the replacement division and gave me the lowdown of how the senior side handles assignments for E-7 through E-9. Of course, he knew I had really come to complain about my own assignment. Well, I can understand how you feel, Sergeant Hoffman. I can remember when I first came in the Army, and a Sergeant Major told me, however, that I should be more concerned with what I was doing in the Army versus where I was in the Army. I guess that's pretty good advice, sir. Well, it's been a pretty good philosophy for me. But here at Department of Army, we've got to consider the needs of the service first, and then the preferences of the man. And of course, the priority must go to the need to the service. But we have set up a system that we think provides equity to where all the members in uniform at least carry their fair share of the burden of service. So I think, again, when you put everything together and we try to balance out the needs and the equity and the desires of the man, we have a relatively good system. Well, I got the job I wanted, sir, after I returned from overseas. It was the location I objected to. Still, I suppose it could have been worse. I might have been shipped to Korea or Bangkok after Vietnam. Well, not really, Sergeant Hoffman, unless you'd volunteered. Because Department of Army policy is not to assign from one short tour area to another short tour area. Really, our policy now is to try to assign a man from a short tour area back to the states to a long tour area back to the states prior to going back for a short tour. Now, in a couple of instances in the critical MOSes, we have found it necessary to take a man from a short tour, returning to the states, and then right back to a short tour. But that's not our normal policy. When I last returned from overseas, sir, my preference was for Fort Devons. Was this information considered by DA in making the assignment? Yes, or at least it was if your preference was known to DA. And of course, this depends on whether you put in your preference sheet or statement. Are all assignments made by the computer, sir? Or does DA really put into practice the personal into personnel? Well, believe it or not, Sergeant Hoffman, we really try to put personal into personnel. What the computer really does is to list for us those people eligible by MOS, grade, and all the other data. And we try to match that off against the requirement from the field or the installation, where they have, again, requirements for certain MOSes, certain grades. Then what we do is to go to the assignment manager who pulls the individual's file and he looks at it to see whether the man really is eligible, whether he meets the qualifications that are required. And if so, the assignment remains firm. Otherwise, the assignment is revoked. Are the files here at the Pentagon pretty complete, sir? I think so. Of course, again, it all depends on what the company clerk or the battery clerk in the field is putting into the system through his morning report changes. Here at Department of Army within the Pentagon, we receive probably hundreds of what we call snowflakes every day for posting to the individual's file. Now, a snowflake to us is really these reports of change, promotion orders, awards. Things are this type that affect the man they come into us. We file them and post them. And then they're considered by the assignment manager, promotion boards, things of this type. Sir, the interview room here is really a good deal. And I appreciated a chance to review my files. But what about those men who can't get here? Well, of course, we encourage everybody to try to come to DA to look at their file, review it, and also to ask questions about assignments. But the man who can't can always designate a representative to come here and review his file for him. And of course, then we receive a number of letters from individuals asking questions out in the field, again dealing with their career, with assignments, things of this type. For example, I received a letter from a soldier out, or actually down at Fort Gordon, Georgia, who wants to go to Fort Lewis, Washington, or any place in the Washington area. Unfortunately, we have no requirements at Fort Lewis so that he won't be able to go there because the priority of Fort Gordon in this particular case for his MOS is outstanding. Therefore, his assignment instructions are going to have to remain firm to Fort Gordon, Georgia. Supposing that he's still not satisfied, can he appeal? No, he can't appeal. But if he does have what we call compelling reasons or compassionate reasons involving his family or his well-being, he can submit for a reassignment under the compassionate reassignment regulations. Suppose, Colonel Irwin, you can find someone who has the same rank and qualifications, who is willing to trade assignments. Can you work out a swap? Well, technically, yes. In practice, it's much more difficult. In fact, this morning, working on the sergeant's case and reviewing the regulation, we call them exchange assignments. The regulation states that the soldier can swap within CONUS or the United States or within an overseas area. For senior NCOs, however, it's almost impossible to do. For example, a man who is on orders to a short tour area wanting to go long tour and a long tour assignee wanting to go to a short tour. Even though they want to switch, they can't because it disturbs the assignment cycle and the career development of the NCO. So you see, and the commander doesn't make any assignment decisions. In fact, no one person does. Why didn't you take a drive to the Compassure Review Board? Wouldn't have done any good. Thank God my family's healthy. So we didn't qualify. Now there's gotta be an illness or a legal problem. So we just took the move and here we all are. Did your kids mind? Sure, at first. So did my wife. Now they like it better here. They're all army brats and can take it and stride. But enough about the Hoffmans. Let's see what we can find out about you. Now what was your preference again? What are the engineer battalions in Europe? Ed? Hoffman. You got any orders yet from DA? My AITs are in their fourth week. Good. Check one for me, will you? Anson, Steven R. E2. 086-34-3155. Right. How soon can I have the whole list? I'll send someone right up. Roger. Now keep this under your skull. I don't want 200 trainees storming the orderly room trying to find out where they're going. They'll find out first thing tomorrow. And as for you, Anson, you still have three full weeks of training before you graduate. So let's stop goofing up and start grooving, get me? OK. Well, we'll see. Because if, and I mean if, you graduate, you're going to Germany. Wow, that's great. Thanks a lot. Don't thank me. Needs of the service, remember? Besides, when I take one long look at you, all I can say is the service must be really hard up.