Thanks for all of the Advice so far!

Well, I started this blog almost three weeks ago and I feel like it's really serving the purpose I intended. I wanted to say thank you to everyone who has commented and given their opinions so far!Not only are you helping me with my college assignment, but you're helping me aim for success after graduation.

The majority of the advice I've received has come from military Facebook groups that I'm a part of. Here is a screenshot of what I've received so far from the African American Army Officers group I recently joined:

 

Obviously, a majority say that Bragg is the better post for opportunity. Many have said that it's more competitive there and one of the hardest posts where they have trained at. I had the great opportunity to attend Airborne school at Ft. Benning during the summer of 2012, which helped me get this assignment. It was one of the most rewarding experiences I've ever had and I'll never forget those that I met.

 

For those reading who don't know what Airborne school is, here is a quick video. They start jumping around 3:42.

 

 

 

Like a mentioned before, my professor or military science is a Colonel who loves Ft. Bragg and mentions Airborne in about every other sentence. Naturally, he had a biased opinion and described it as a base of volunteers--a very Alpha male post. I don't know if I like the sound of Alpha male but other opinions and experiences shared about it definitely has me rethinking my options. I may decide not to try to trade for Ft. Campbell after all.

 

I took a closer look at my orders and it looks like I'll be assigned to HHC 82nd Sustainment Brigade. I'll make my next post about that itself.

 

I can't describe how exciting it is to be done (temporarily) with school and starting the next chapter. I'm really starting to see how much those hours of studying has really paid off. I definitely plan to take advantage of the grad school opportunities that the Army may be willing to provide after the next 4-5 years.

 

Well, that's all I have for now. Please continue commenting with any advice you have. I really appreciate everything!

 

 

 

~ Melissa 

 



One Step Closer..

Well, it's starting to feel more official everyday. Commissioning is in two weeks. I made another trip to Ft. Campbell today to pick up my new ACUs.

 

While I was there, I really thought to myself whether or not I wanted to attempt to trade Ft. Bragg with someone to be stationed at Ft. Campbell or not. Ironically, I don't like change. I picked the right profession right? Over the past few years, I've definitely learned that change is eminent in the military. Change in leadership abilities, plans, location...and that's not even the surface of it all.

I think I've really got a big decision to make because both are great posts. Ft. Campbell has always been home though. It's natural to want to be close to family. After I graduate, I'll be adjusting to new levels of responsibility, meeting new people, and attempting to perform my best at it all. I know that the Army has become more competitive ever since it began downsizing again. I really don't want to be on the chopping block.

Do I want that kind of pressure in an environment that I'm already familiar with, surrounded by family or should I just take a leap of faith and start somewhere new?

I'm a firm believer in taking advantage of opportunities. I just wish I could see which opportunities I'd have at each post. But that's where you all come in.

I'd really appreciate it if you'd share your experiences at either post and give me your impression of them. What opportunities did you pursue and achieve while you were there? Thanks for commenting!

 

 

~ Melissa

First Stop: Ft. Bragg

Well, first I'd like to start off by showing you my new hair that is currently in regulation for 670-1:

 

It's neat, flat enough to fit underneath my headgear, is strikingly similar to the twists I had before (but are now braids), and I got the approval from my colonel. "It looks good," he said.

 

 

I'm certainly going to miss my hair stylist when I leave. I told her that I wish I could take her with me when I leave for training. I know this is a topic that has been beaten like a dead horse, so I'm not going to say too much about it. But I know that there are a lot of African American lawmakers out there working to get the regulation changed and I think that's great. That's all I'm going to say about that.

 

As for everything else, graduation is in my sight picture and I can almost taste walking across the stage. Even more exciting is my commissioning ceremony the day before. Right now I've been scrambling and making multiple trips to Ft. Campbell to make sure my uniforms are all squared away. This is just me holding up the AG insignia with my gold bars. That day can't come soon enough.

 

The biggest blessing of all has been that God has allowed me to still have my grandfather around so he can pin my rank on during the ceremony. He's been very influential in molding the person I am today and helped raise me.During times when I thought I wouldn't make it through to this point or when I just had a bad day in ROTC, he always encouraged me and reminded me that there is a light at the end of the tunnel. I'm finally starting to see the light.

 

After a year of waiting, I finally found out where my first duty station will be: Ft. Bragg, NC. At first, I was a little discouraged that it wasn't home--Ft. Campbell. But then I started counting my blessings. From what I've heard, Ft. Bragg is a nice post and it's still on the East coast close to home. I asked about the selection process and how it worked. Of course Ft. Bragg is home to many jumping units so the fact that I'm airborne qualified sealed the deal for me being stationed there.

 

 When I head to BOLC, I'll have a chance to ask if anyone wants to switch duty stations but if that doesn't work out, I think I'll be satisfied with this assignment. It's definitely not a permanent location.

 

But I really can't complain at all. The day after graduation, my active duty pay will automatically start. I've been given the opportunity to work in the ROTC office on campus as a Gold Bar Recruiter until I leave for BOLC in July. Gold bar recruiters are newly commissioned second lieutenants who remain on campus after graduating while they await their slot for BOLC. This basically means I'll be helping the cadre get potential cadets interested in the program during the summer by helping with recruiting events and whatever else they may need done in the office. Not a bad deal at all.

 

It helps add a new perspective in the ROTC office for new college students who may be interested in joining the program because of my familiarity with high school, college and cadet life. Here is a short blog post of an AG Captain who wrote about his experiences back in 2009 as a Gold bar recruiter when he first became a 2LT. I found it very interesting because he is very similar to myself and what what he studied in college and the military path he took. Check it out: Captain Rigg's Blog

 

I'll definitely try to reach out to him and get some insight.

 

If you're interested in reading blogs in general about military personnel to gain some insight and advice for yourself in your MOS or branch the Army Strong Stories is a great page to look into. I think there are bloggers for just about every branch so I really encourage you to take a look! I'm considering becoming a blogger for them. ---> Army Strong Stories

 

If anyone has any advice or knows the ins and outs of Ft. Bragg, please let me know! I want to know about good nearby cities to visit and places I should probably avoid. What are the people like? Anything you'd like to share!

 

As for the next blog, hopefully I'll be able to give you some more info on Ft. Bragg and what I'll expect there. I'll also try to share advice given to me from current AG officers.

 

18 more days until commissioning and graduation!

 

 

 

~ Melissa 

 



24 More Days..

I have long started my own countdown until commissioning and graduation. It's surreal to think that almost four years ago, I was a freshman just starting college. I've learned so much about myself within that amount of time and what I'm capable of. During my four years at Tennessee Tech, I have:

 Learned the value of friendship.

Became a part of something larger than myself. 

Earned my Airborne wings. 

Felt alone in challenging situations. 

Met the love of my life with similar dreams and goals. 

And so many other things that I can't keep track of. For the most part, college has been one of the most rewarding experiences I have ever had --an experience that many in society don't have because they can't afford it. Thankfully ROTC has allowed me to pursue my dreams debt free. Quite frequently, I've been asked why I decided to pursue the military as a career. 

When society and my parents said that journalism and communications was a dead end field, the military gave me hope and options. I plan to utilize the skills that I’ve learned in college and the passions I’ve developed to pursue the field of public affairs. I cannot think of a better way to serve than to help keep the American public constantly aware of the wellbeing and actions of their serving family members, foreign and domestic. Public Affairs is unfortunately a field that I will have to transfer into after a few years of military experience. But for the time being, my next chapter is becoming an active duty Adjutant General (AG) Officer.

In July, I leave for AG BOLC in Fort Jackson, SC, which is an Army training school for  upcoming Human Resource Officers. Here is a better description of AG: AG Officer Description

Luckily I found another female Lieutenant who attended AG BOLC last year and her blog about her initial experience there! I hope to do something similar with this blog starting in July. Here is a link to hers:LT Snell's AG BOLC Blog

Afterwards, I hope to be stationed at Ft. Campbell, KY for my first duty station where the remainder of my family resides.

My question for you all is, do you have any advice for a new LT coming to their unit? Or advice for females in general? First impressions are everything and I want to make the right one. Thank you so much for commenting!

~ Melissa

 

 

Conforming to AR 670-1

The infamous Army regulation that is currently affecting many African American women across the ranks.

Ever since the initial word of the new standard surfaced about a month ago, opinions have been thrown from everyone--military personnel who are being affected, those who aren't, prior service, and even individuals who have never stepped a mile in the shoes of a service member. Sergeant Major of the Army Raymond Chandler III officially announced the formal publication of the newly-updated AR 670-1 on 31MAR. The following day, I was used as an example during my ROTC lecture class. 

"You have one week to get your hair in regulation in accordance to the new grooming standards," my military professor said. 

I sat in the classroom among my other peers, all who are Caucasian males, and couldn't feel anything but targeted as we went through the published slides. I currently wear the 2 strand twists, which are no longer authorized. I had finally found a style that kept my hair neat, fit underneath my head gear without looking massive, and something that I personally liked to wear out of uniform. And apparently cornrows look more professional?

The official powerpoint detailing the new standards can be found here: Updated 670-1 Standards Powerpoint

The Colonel continued using me as an example, asking things such as "Most black women either have to chemically process or cut their hair short right?" and other questions that I certainly did not feel like answering in front of an audience that awkwardly sat silent. 

After calmly explaining to him that if the Army wanted African American females to be able to get up and go for training and still maintain a neat appearance, this style helped achieved that and it's being taken away. I convinced him to give me a month to find a new style and make an appointment with my stylist because a week was out of the question. I'm a college senior with 22 hours of credits trying to graduate within the next month and that simply could not happen. 

"I'm really surprised they're allowing hair extensions since it makes the hair so thick," the Colonel continued to say in front of the class as he looked at me. 

I really didn't want to "play the race card" with these new changes. But the more that I thought about it, the more it really seemed like natural hair would suffer under this change. It's amazing the type of comments people have been giving, many that lack support and understanding. Things such as "Just buzz it and make them all uniform." or "You joined to serve, you knew the standards."

I had another cadre member comment that it wouldn't be fair to those dealing with the tattoo standards. I asked him are tattoos really a necessity...

 There are many non-ethnic people, military and civilian, that don't understand black hair and really do not care to. It's crazy that one of the lessons that Army leadership "attempts" to teach us is to adapt and respect culture because the military is becoming more of a diverse profession than ever. Leaders will have to learn how to approach a soldier who can't eat certain foods because of their religion or needs certain holidays off, etc.

 

I know that hair isn't exactly a religious thing (though it can be in other cultures), but it is a part of black culture and can be a long process to take care of when conforming to these standards. The sad thing is, my military professors were able to admit that the hairstyle I had did look professional and they really don't see the difference between the twists and braids.

 

A lot of people who aren't black mistake the hairstyle I had for dreadlocks--which are completely unauthorized in uniform and have been for years. I don't have a problem with that standard. I have a problem with people being ignorant and not taking the time to understand my cultural needs. As they were briefing my class the new standards, the professors had the nerve to say "no shitlocks".

 

If I really disliked them and if I had been smart and recorded it, I probably could've had an equal opportunity case on my hands. But I'm so close to the graduation finish line that it's not even worth it.

I have gladly signed the petition directed to the Obama Administration that has been circulating across forums for reconsideration of these standards. It can be found here: 

White House Petition against 670-1

My questions to other naturalistas serving are: How have the new changes affected you already? And has your chain of command addressed them respectfully? What are your opinions surrounding the whole issue? Please feel free to include any info or links that I may have overlooked!

In the meantime, I'll be harassing my stylist for braids that will meet that 2 inch of bulk bun requirement...

Commissioning in 4 weeks!!

~ Melissa