Ken,

I understand your bigger view, but it is discouraging to those who are in the mix. We used to look at the incoming leadership list for an NTC rotation and it would show OIF/OEF experience. Some were surprised at guys commanding or senior staff with no experience, but I was just glad they were going. They could have ducked it and everybody has their first time.

Niel, thanks for the backup. You mentioned it in a previous post that the Marines put the call out to the ranks, saying lack of combat zone experience would probably be detrimental in promotion boards. Nothing derogatory to those who hadn't served, just reminding them to work to get to the fight. However, some junior officers in the Army now are starting to develop more biased views of those who couldn't manage to at least get to the combat zone. Again, lots of staff positions and MiTT jobs out there.

It really hits the junior ranks the hardest. This thread is about officer retention. How about the 1LT, going back for his 2nd deployment, with less than 2 years in the Army, and noting 2 things:

First, he already has more combat experience than an awful lot of O-6s, and is more intimately involved than they are in what the Army is doing.

Second, the Army doesn't seem to be as committed to the fight as an institution as he would like to see.

I am sure in past wars the Army had 'image' issues with its training and various support centers (research, doctrine, material commands, etc) as to their involvement with the current war, but the whole nation at least understood we were in a war.

A good friend on Facebook noted with frustration that CNN opened with a Michael Jackson story (1 week after his death) and 20 minutes later, got to mentioning the Marines' offensive in Afghanistan and the news of a captured Soldier. BBC led with an Afghan update and mentioned the other items in passing.

With the press (indicative of the population) nonchalant about the war, and indicators that the Army isn't always fully invested, it can greatly disillusion the young leader.

As for HRC, I have no ideas where to start there. Perhaps it is just a result of a large Army where people are simply a commodity to be managed. Every OER revision that comes out is supposed to be the solution to the problem of the month. If I was in charge for a year (IIWICFAY), I think coaching the HRC leadership to have a longer outlook on decisions, and orienting them around combat effectiveness, would be a place to start.

Tankersteve