An Informational Battle Assembly Newsletter for the
222nd BOD and 302nd MPAD
Vol 2 February 2013
Battle Assembly Dates
Opening Formation
Training Highlights
8 - 10 Feb (222 BOD)
9 - 10 Feb (302 MPAD)
Saturday, February 9, 2013 - 0730
Sunday, February 10, 2013 - 0730
Saturday
Equipment Turn in
Radio Operations
Sunday
Radio Operations
NCODP - NCOERs
222nd BOD COMMANDER’S CORNER
Soldiers of the Mighty 222,
Big things are happening at the 222nd
BOD! No doubt that when you show up for February’s Battle As-
sembly you will be impressed at all the hard work SFC Macleod has done. He has started the ground
work for a new radio room, been tracking our new equipment, working on our office space, and so much
more. It is all part of a hard-charging effort he is making to take us into the next level of training. As al-
ways I would encourage everyone to let us know how things are going, if you have any suggestions, or
criticisms. It will take a group effort but I want to continue to see the 222nd
BOD be the best broadcast
unit in the Army Reserves.
One of the things I would like to see improved upon in this new year is having more families involved
with readiness. Our family readiness coordinator is a volunteer who works hard helping out both the
222nd
BOD and the 302nd
MPAD. She does an excellent job and it would be great to see her get more
support. If you know of any family members who would be willing to help please let your chain of com-
mand know. Your families and unit family readiness is extremely important to me.
Lastly, I want to continue to discuss individual personal responsibility. We are Soldiers and as such it
cannot be enough that we take care of ourselves and take responsibility of our own actions. We must
take care of our fellow Soldiers, support each other, and have genuine concern for the growth and suc-
cess of our unit. It is also critical that if you are interested in promotions that you take every opportunity
to show your leadership potential. In our unit your potential is mostly accurately assessed by showing
that you can exceed military standards while demonstrating compassion towards the other Soldiers in
the unit.
Unfortunately we are often limited in the opportunity to show our leadership potential due to the short
amount of time we have each month. That is why it is critical that when given the opportunity to lead unit
training you give it your best effort. If you have any training ideas or want to take a lead role in training
then please step up. SFC Macleod has been looking into promotion boards and nothing would make me
happier then to recognize our excellent Soldiers leaders than a well-deserved promotion ceremony.
Looking forward to seeing everyone this week. Lets challenge and ready ourselves for the 222nd
of 2013
and beyond!
Always there, on the air!
CPT Stern
302nd MPAD DETACHMENT 1SG CORNER
Everyone in the military wants to be promoted. Privates want to be specialists; sergeants want to be staff sergeants; and lieutenants want to be captains.
Unfortunately, the promotion process is not always the clearest topic in the U.S. Army Reserves. Conflicting guidance at various command levels, limited access to resources our active duty siblings take for granted, and sporadic promotion boards are all issues Reservists face when looking for promotion to the next rank.
What you as an individual Soldier must remember, is that not everything in the process is outside of your control. Too many times, conversations on promotion between Soldiers and their supervisors or chain of command go something like this:
Soldier: Sgt., I think I’m ready for a promotion and want to be put in for the next promotion board.
Sergeant: Sure. Let me see your promotion packet.
Soldier: I don’t have one yet.
Full disclaimer - the author typing this is guilty of the same thing earlier in his career.
A promotion packet is the first thing every Soldier considering a promotion should do. Find those awards, records, certificates of appreciation, DD 214, 1059, NCOERs and print copies. We all know that not every award or certificate presented to us can be found at the unit. Take that quick look in the closet or storage box in the garage and find those extra promotion points. If you need help with what to include or for a check-list, then ask your supervisor for help. But the main point is that the majority of work necessary for a promo-tion packet comes from the person trying to get promoted. If you’re reading this and already have a packet, congratulations, you’re ahead of the pack. If not, then get one started this week.
Once you have a packet complete or near complete, the only requirement there is to add any future awards, school diplomas or NCOERs. The same packet used for your promotion to sergeant can be used for your promotion to staff sergeant, and so on.
Finally, within the realm of what you can do for you, is to complete your Structured Self-Development train-ing. SSD is here and it’s not going away anytime soon. The majority of you reading this have already been signed up for SSD (with or without your prior knowledge).
That sums up what you need to do. What others – your supervisors and chain of command – need to do is this:
1. Help finalize and review your promotion packet. Bring your packet in during BTA and have your su-pervisor or senior NCO review it.
2. Inform you of the next promotion board and the process for inclusion. We’ll continue to ask our higher HQ for information and will email that information to you. Guidance, and at the very least, emails con-cerning promotions from our higher HQ will be posted in our common areas.
3. Work with you (taking into consideration your civilian work and family requirements) and sign you up for the schools or training you need for promotion.
Promotion is not only a unit or individual responsibility. It is a joint responsibility that only succeeds when both sides do their part.
Many units on the active duty side only consider those with “potential” for promotions. In the mind of this au-thor, that just means every single Soldier within the 302nd Mobile Public Affairs Detachment and 222nd Broadcast Operations Detachment should be promoted.
Promotions: what you need to do vs. what others need to do for you By Sgt. 1st Class Carlos J. Lazo
Full Time Support
S-1
SFC Alyn-Michael Macleod
[email protected] [email protected]
719-433-5829
If you need anything please contact him.
Medical and Dental Readiness are one of the Command-
ing General top priorities and Soldiers are required to en-
sure they are in compliance.
There is a disconnect when a Soldier looks on AKO to see
if they are due for a PHA- AKO will show a Solider green
for 15 months when in all actuality- you are required to
have your PHA (physical) annually.
To get your PHA scheduled: go into AKO; click on my
medical readiness and on the left side of the screen you
will see several options- click on PHA.
Complete the on line portion of your PHA by answering all
questions, then call 1-888-MYPHA-99 to schedule the ex-
amination portion of your physical.
When you go to the scheduled appt, take any current pre-
scriptions you may have, any documentation of medical
issues and any notes from your physician.
When your PHA is complete, return your signed voucher
to the SFC Alyn Macleod so that he can get you paid
(Yes, you get paid to get your PHA done).
Dental Readiness
Medical and Dental Readiness
You can fulfill your requirements for dental readiness by
simply taking a DD Form 2813 to your civilian dentist and
having them fill out and sign it. Bring the form to your unit
administrator to be uploaded into the system. If your
Dentist takes any x-rays, request copies and bring the
copies to drill for inclusion in your dental records.
All of the Army’s newest doctrine can now be found on
one page:
http://usacac.army.mil/cac2/MCCOE/Doctrine2015Tab
les.asp
Mission Command Center of Excellence just launched
the new webpage for Doctrine 2015 that features all of
the new Army Doctrine Publications (ADP) and Army
Doctrine Reference Publications (ADRP).
Not sure what Doctrine 2015 is all about? Check out the
videos and latest information on the new doctrinal
changes at the same site.
Resources
If you would like to know how to use your CAC
card on your personal laptop check out -
https://militarycac.com/owa.htm
SPC Soler
SFC Mitchell
SFC Macleod
One of the most important forms that a Soldier should have on file and regularly update is the DD Form 93 - Record of Emergency Data.
The January 2008 form allows a Soldier to designate one or more recipients of up to 100 percent of the $100,000 death gratuity paid after the Soldier's death.
The death gratuity is a one-time, nontaxable payment of $100,000 to one or more individuals designated by a Soldier or determined by federal law after the Soldier's death on active duty or within 120 days after release from active duty if the death is due to a service-related disability.
The purpose of the death gratuity is to help survivors deal with the financial hardships that accompany the loss of a Soldier.
A Soldier may distribute the $100,000 death gratuity in $10,000 increments to up to 10 different individuals.
Undesignated portions of the death gratuity will be paid, by federal law, to a Soldier's spouse, children, or parents, in that order, and will be paid to a Soldier's spouse even if the Soldier and the spouse were separated or in the process of getting divorced when the Soldier died.
Married Soldiers should be aware that if they do not give all of their death gratuity to their spouse, federal law requires the Army send a ‘‘spousal notification” letter to their spouses notifying them of this election.
The Army will not tell the spouse to whom the Soldier elected to give the death gratuity or the amount that the Soldier elected to give.
To prevent confusion, surprise or anger, a Soldier should inform his or her spouse if the Soldier designates someone other than the spouse to receive part or all of the death gratuity.
A Soldier can designate a minor child as the beneficiary of some or all of the death gratuity by designating a trustee or custodian to control the money while the child is under age 18.
Soldiers who need help with a beneficiary designation for a minor child should make an appointment with a legal assis-tance attorney.
In addition to being able to designate beneficiaries of the death gratuity on the DD Form 93, a Soldier may also desig-nate a Person Authorized to Direct Disposition (PADD) of his or her remains should he or she die.
By federal law, only a spouse or a blood or adopted relative, who is at least 18-years-old, of the Soldier may be a PADD.
A Soldier may designate a non-medical attendant and the location where the Soldier prefers to receive medical care in Block 14 of the DD Form 93.
The Soldier should provide the name, relationship, address, and phone number of the non-medical attendant and the city and state of the preferred medical care location.
A non-medical attendant is a person who assists a Soldier with non-medical care and assistance at a military treatment facility.
A non-medical attendant does not have the right to make medical decisions for the Soldier unless authorized to do so by a healthcare power of attorney.
If a Soldier wants to authorize the non-medical attendant or another person to make healthcare decisions for the Sol-dier if the Soldier is unable to make them, then the Soldier must sign a healthcare power of attorney au-thorizing the non-medical attendant or other person to make healthcare decisions for the Soldier in that situation.
S-1 - The importance of the DD 93
January Battle Assembly Photos
During the January Battle Assembly
Soldiers from both units participated in
an EO Observance, Turn In Inventories
and went on assignments so they
could practice their video editing skills.
(Photos by - Sgt. 1st Class Alyn-
Michael Macleod)
African American/Black History Month Tri-Letter
February Special Observance Theme
Discounts for the Military
“Social networks aren’t about W
eb sites.
They’re about experiences.”
222nd Broadcast Operations Detachment Social Media Links
https://www.facebook.com/222BOD
http://www.flickr.com/photos/222bod/
302nd Mobile Public Affairs Detachment Social Media Links
https://www.facebook.com/302MPAD
http://www.flickr.com/photos/302mpad
