G-1 and HRC Discuss Taking Care of Soldiers

By Capt. Tim Irvin, U.S. Army Human Resources Command Public AffairsSeptember 3, 2014

McConville applaudes HRC's service to the force
(Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL

FORT KNOX, Kentucky (Aug. 14, 2014) -- The newly appointed U.S. Army Deputy Chief of Staff, G-1, met with leaders and staff of the U.S. Army Human Resources Command on August 14 and 15 to receive an overview of all the services HRC provides to the force.

Lt. Gen. James C. McConville was appointed as the Army Deputy Chief of Staff, G1, August 4. Maj. Gen. Richard P. Mustion, U.S. Army HRC Commanding General, explained the organization's mission.

Each year HRC handles over 20,000 veteran inquiries, holds almost 100 selection boards and processes over 17 million documents into Soldiers' files, Mustion said.

"Every document you process and every board you hold represents a Soldier," McConville told the HRC staff. "You are determining the future of Soldiers' lives and I know none of you take that lightly."

Taking Care of People

Taking care of Soldiers and their families with compassion, care and precision is the foundation of what HRC does, McConville said.

In 1781 Gen. George Washington said, "The willingness with which our young people are likely to serve in any war, no matter how justified, shall be directly proportional to how they perceive the Veterans of earlier wars were treated and appreciated by their nation."

McConville reiterated Washington's 1781 remarks by saying, "We must ensure we care for our people. If we take care of our Soldiers, Veterans and retirees, they will encourage others to join our ranks and that will only strengthen our Army."

But as the Army is drawing down, leaders are faced with tough choices on who stays and who doesn't, McConville continued.

"You all are making hard decisions that will have a major impact on peoples' lives," McConville told the HRC staff. "These are good Soldiers who have done a lot of good things. I wish we could keep every single Soldier but that's not possible."

As Soldiers are required to transition to civilian life the Army is there to assist them with a number of programs. The Secretary of the Army's Transition Policy encompasses all stages throughout the entire military lifecycle of service, which reflects a Soldier for Life mindset.

Soldier for Life

Gen. Raymond T. Odierno, Chief of Staff of the Army, created the Soldier for Life office to enable Army, government and community efforts to facilitate successful reintegration of our Soldiers, Veterans, and their families in order to keep them Army Strong and instill their values, ethos and leadership within communities.

To support this enduring mission, the Soldier for Life -- Transition Assistance Program, formally known as the Army Career and Alumni Program, is a robust and intuitive program combining counseling, employment and education and workshops, and career skills program tailored to prepare and connect transitioning Soldiers to meaningful civilian employment and education opportunities, Mr. Walter Herd, Director of Army Transition, said.

SFL-TAP focuses on supporting the Soldier in all phases of the Soldier Life Cycle: allowing them to Start Strong, Serve Strong, Reintegrate Strong, and Remain Strong, Herd explained.

"Soldier for Life is an initiative that needs to be at the forefront as we go through this drawdown," McConville said. "We must treat all Soldiers with compassion during this tough transition."

However, even as the Army decreases its numbers it must retain Soldiers that are best suited to face the future. The Soldiers that are retained will need to be developed as they prepare to be the future leaders of the Army, McConville explained.

Managing the Talent

Maintaining the Army's most precious resource, its people, can be a very difficult task especially during a draw down, said Col. Doug F. Stitt, Director of the Enlisted Personnel Management Directorate at HRC. He compared the task to solving a Rubik's Cube.

"It is a very complex problem but it is not impossible,' he said. "Our goal is to get the right Soldier in the right place at the right time."

This initiative of the right person in the right place is the core of talent management, a theme that McConville mentioned over and over again.

"We must continue to maintain our All-Volunteer Army. This is the underlying objective to everything we do," McConville said. "We are growing the future leaders of the Army today. The Soldiers we assist today will be the next [general officers] and [command sergeants major]. We must prepare them for the future."

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