ROCK ISLAND ARSENAL, Ill. - Human resource issues and solutions were the focus of the second annual First Army Adjutants General summit, held here from April 24-28 in the Baylor Conference Room.
Topics included pay, retirement, manning, awards, with additional focus on ensuring attendees understand the processes that govern these areas, how to resolve problems, and effectively using all lines of communication.
Maj. Dedrick Marshall, chief of integration and operations for First Army G1, talked about the importance of human resources workers being on the same page.
"One of the summit's major purposes is to talk about the synchronization of human resources from the subordinate units to First Army headquarters," he said. "We would like to make sure that we have the same lines of communication and a common operating picture when it comes to HR functions and operations."
The summit helped to ensure that, with a series of presentations and breakout sessions on various topics relevant to the AG branch.
"This is a great opportunity," Marshall said. "A successful summit would be that everybody leaves here understanding the processes and flows and who to contact. You may not necessarily know the answer, but you know where to get it."
First Army Commanding General, Lt. Gen. Stephen Twitty, addressed attendees to open the summit, and he reminded them they are quiet professionals whose work often goes unnoticed.
"You are the unsung heroes," he said. "You rarely get patted on the pack, people rarely talk to you guys unless they have a problem. Then they're your best friend. I need my pay, I need my award, I need my OER, I need my NCOER, I need, I need, I need."
Despite this lack of recognition, they plug away and get the job done, Twitty noted. "No one really cares what you all do, they just want it done for them," he said. "And you guys do it extremely well. You're professional about it and you're challenged every single day and I thank you for what you are doing."
Maj. Felecia Nolan, S1 officer in charge for First Army Division East's 177th Armored Brigade, welcomed the chance for face-to-face dialogue.
"The big thing has been networking, being able to share information ideas with peers," Nolan said. "Being geographically dispersed, we don't have a lot of opportunity to talk and cross-pollinate, so that was beneficial."
Nolan added that she especially welcomed the chance to learn about a new officer assignment integration system: "It will be implemented in the next month and I had been unaware of it, so that's something I gained that I will take back to my unit and be able to better serve them."
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