Platoon leader without a PSG
- Thread starter Mere2033
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Zaphod Beeblebrox
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There should be an acting platoon sergeant even if the position is not officially filled. It's quite common to not have a platoon sergeant (or platoon leader) at any given time given transfers, leaves, schools, etc.
Currently a very stressful situation for her.
Zaphod Beeblebrox
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I presume she was just sharing the latest work challenge she's experiencing with her mom as a normal conversation. I doubt very much this is as stressful for a 1LT as you are perceiving so I wouldn't worry too much barring something highly unusual or a convergence of multiple challenges and this is "just one more thing".
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As a brand new LT, I had to fire my PSG and felt head under water trying to figure things out two months out of flight school by myself. Not a fun situation, but I grew a lot as a leader for the experience. I relied on my 1SG a lot (like a lot a lot) for the interim senior NCO guidance I was lacking at the platoon level, and the acting PSG (a very junior SSG) and I kept things rolling until a backfill eventually arrived.
Good luck to your daughter. She has resources outside the platoon that can help mentor her through day to day operations even if she doesn’t have a right hand battle at this exact moment. And like @Zaphod Beeblebrox said, take it in stride if she’s just venting. There are plenty of times in my career I’ve needed to unload and get a sanity check from people I respect, including my parents, but I wasn’t always looking for a solution, just someone to listen. She’s where she is at because she has been successful through college, commissioning source, and BOLC up to this point. Her job now is to learn as much as possible, as quickly as possible, and the rest will fall in place. Soldiers are generally forgiving to newer officers when they see genuine efforts to take care of them, even if the new LT isn’t doing everything perfectly.
Good luck to your daughter. She has resources outside the platoon that can help mentor her through day to day operations even if she doesn’t have a right hand battle at this exact moment. And like @Zaphod Beeblebrox said, take it in stride if she’s just venting. There are plenty of times in my career I’ve needed to unload and get a sanity check from people I respect, including my parents, but I wasn’t always looking for a solution, just someone to listen. She’s where she is at because she has been successful through college, commissioning source, and BOLC up to this point. Her job now is to learn as much as possible, as quickly as possible, and the rest will fall in place. Soldiers are generally forgiving to newer officers when they see genuine efforts to take care of them, even if the new LT isn’t doing everything perfectly.
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@Mere2033
This is how JOs learn, being “stretched” in assignments - missing key people, having extra workload, getting an additional collateral duty, etc. She is gaining insight into what a PSG does, what makes the everyday routine work like a well-oiled machine, and figuring out how to get it done by prioritization, delegation, giving a more junior enlisted a chance to grow too. This will be great stuff for her annual performance evaluation input. This is how you become a pack-plus leader ranked ahead of your peers behind you in the pack and pack-minus groups. This is an opportunity to shine, though it undoubtedly feels like a painful burden.
A military career is by nature stressful, even in non-operational peacetime roles. There is always something. Always. All the crap and challenges I went through as a JO prepared me for even tougher challenges as a senior officer. Functioning well in high-pressure situations is also enormously attractive to civilian employers at any stage of departure from military service for the private sector.
This is how JOs learn, being “stretched” in assignments - missing key people, having extra workload, getting an additional collateral duty, etc. She is gaining insight into what a PSG does, what makes the everyday routine work like a well-oiled machine, and figuring out how to get it done by prioritization, delegation, giving a more junior enlisted a chance to grow too. This will be great stuff for her annual performance evaluation input. This is how you become a pack-plus leader ranked ahead of your peers behind you in the pack and pack-minus groups. This is an opportunity to shine, though it undoubtedly feels like a painful burden.
A military career is by nature stressful, even in non-operational peacetime roles. There is always something. Always. All the crap and challenges I went through as a JO prepared me for even tougher challenges as a senior officer. Functioning well in high-pressure situations is also enormously attractive to civilian employers at any stage of departure from military service for the private sector.
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Here is a concrete example of opportunity to break out ahead of peers:
- I had my orders to desirable Job X switched 30 days out to going to command early than expected and stepping in where someone had been relieved early and abruptly retired. A stinking pile of poop. I had to relieve the Command Master Chief (senior enlisted advisor) because of an arrest for assault on his wife, so I didn’t have one of my key advisors (@Devil Doc, I tapped the HMCS, respected by all, to step in as acting, and he did great). There were problems everywhere. There was no way I wasn’t going to look better than my predecessor out of the gate. Stress non-stop, but having been through this on my training wheels as a JO and mid-grade officer, I realized this was just the Navy stretching me to fit just a bit more. Secretly, I thrived in this kind of situation, and found the leadership challenge made me dig to the very bottom of my toolkit and even get more. It was exhausting, frustrating, and my DH got some of it, because I never dropped my positive game face at work. At fitness report time, I was ranked ahead of peer COs under the same reporting senior, putting me in great position for the next promotion and additional command opportunity.
If our intrepid JO above takes the long view, she will understand these lessons at this stage of her career are the foundation of her strength later on.
- I had my orders to desirable Job X switched 30 days out to going to command early than expected and stepping in where someone had been relieved early and abruptly retired. A stinking pile of poop. I had to relieve the Command Master Chief (senior enlisted advisor) because of an arrest for assault on his wife, so I didn’t have one of my key advisors (@Devil Doc, I tapped the HMCS, respected by all, to step in as acting, and he did great). There were problems everywhere. There was no way I wasn’t going to look better than my predecessor out of the gate. Stress non-stop, but having been through this on my training wheels as a JO and mid-grade officer, I realized this was just the Navy stretching me to fit just a bit more. Secretly, I thrived in this kind of situation, and found the leadership challenge made me dig to the very bottom of my toolkit and even get more. It was exhausting, frustrating, and my DH got some of it, because I never dropped my positive game face at work. At fitness report time, I was ranked ahead of peer COs under the same reporting senior, putting me in great position for the next promotion and additional command opportunity.
If our intrepid JO above takes the long view, she will understand these lessons at this stage of her career are the foundation of her strength later on.
This is what I’m hoping for. She’s at a base that has had a lot of problems and she chose to go there to make a difference. She’s definitely making it happen but not without a lot of lost sleep. Part of the deal. She keeps me in the loop daily which makes me worry more.
Thank you!
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Ah. I learned to edit heavily with my mom.
Mom: “You weren’t anywhere near where the plane hit the Pentagon, were you?”
Me: “Nope.” (Fingers and toes crossed) She was expert at post-event worry.
So much of this. Where are you? Told her no where bad as I was sitting in Fallujah.
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Oh yes.
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DW is becoming an expert at pre-event worry.
DD: “I might be involved in joint exercises in [certain allied country].”
DW: “Hmmm, that’s awfully close to [site of foreign armed conflict].”
DD: “It is. I’ll be fine, Mom.”
DW, to me after hanging up: “I don’t like it.”
Back to the OP. It’s great your daughter cares so deeply and desires to make such changes, but the military has a next man up mentality. If she is lacking one, appoint one in the interim. It’s a great leadership experience for someone looking at that role in the future. Lean on the next person in the chain of command to mentor that PSG. Tell her Company Commander what she needs and ask for their support. Good luck to her.
USMCGrunt
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Currently in the process of asking for additional support. Not a lot of options currently which is what is making this so difficult.
USNA75
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It’s not uncommon to not have a full up T/O. As an infantry officer I had Marines serving in a position higher than their grade. Sgts as acting plt sgts, Cpls acting as sqd ldrs, etc. it’s a great opportunity for her to train these younger soldiers to be prepared to assume their next promotion.