Inf Journal 69

7/29/2019 Inf Journal 69

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unlbDdObBBriOIo

MG George I. FonytheCommandont

BG Sidney B. BerryAssistant CommandantCOL Ea,1 C. AcuHDeputy Assistant Commandont

ACADEM IC STAFFCOL amy M. VaughnSecretoryCOL George E. WearDirector of InstructionCOL William J. Higgins, Jr.Operations & logisticsLTC Leub H. a ....herDoctrine Development,lit. an d PionsCOL William L. HumphreyMonogement an d BudgetCOL John I . Wi Office of the Doto SystemsLTC_h i S . R . .Staff Su'lleon

DEPARTMENTSCOL Lomar A. WelchAirborneCOL Robert N. MackinnonBrigade an d BattalionOperationsCOL John B. McKinneyCommunications-ElectronicsCOL Joh. P. Ge....Company Operations

COL o..ald F. BarracloughGround MobilityCOL John D. WhiteLeadershipCOL Y. Y. Phillips, Jr.RangerCOL Joel M. Halli,WeaponsCOL Albert N. Ward, Jr.Non.Resident Instruction

COL n .-W .CDC InfantryCOL Waiter F.InfantryLTCHumon


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THE PROFESSIONAL MAGAZINEFOR INFANTRYMEN 6

FEATURE ARTICLESEnlisted Promotion Systelll . . Centralized. decentralized systems reviewedin depth

......... ,.w...LTC James E. Witek

. . . . . . . . D .. .2LT David E. DaubelSpS MII


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\Ne lcomeGeneralForsythe

INFANTRY welcomes Major General George I. Forsythe, the 30th Commandant of theUnited States Army Infantry School. General Forsythe has just returned from Vietnamwhere he was the Commanding General of the 1st Cavalry Division (Airmobile).

General Forsythe was commissioned a second lieutenant in the Infantry after completingROTC training at Montana University in 1939. He began his military career in August 1940when he reported for active duty as a platoon leader in the 30th Infantry at the Presidioof San Francisco, Calif.

At th e start of World War II, he was serving with US Forces on Kodiak Island, Alaska.After completing the Battalion Commander's Course at the Infantry School, he wasassigned to Special Troops, Amphibious Task Force Nine, in the Aleutian Islands whichunit he subsequently commanded in May 1943. After th e invasion of Kiska, he joined th e7th Infantry Division an d moved with it to Schofield Barracks, Hawaii, an d took partin the invasion of Kawajalein Atoll in the winter of 1943-44.

Promoted to lieutenant colonel in March 1944, he was reassigned to Headquarters,XIX Corps in England, where he took part in the planning and conduct of the invasion of Europein June 1944. He remained with the XIX Corps throughout the War in Europe,serving principally as Corps G3 Planner.

Immediately after World War II, he served a5 a member of the Gl Division of theWar Department General Staff in Washington, D. C, and later was assigned to th efaculty at the Command and General Staff College, Fort Leavenworth, Kan.

He commanded the 2d Battalion, 22d Infantry in Germany in 1951-52. He then returnedto th e United States to attend the Armed Forces Staff College an d upon graduation in1953 was assigned to Department of th e Army General Staff. For the next three years heserved as Military Assistant to the Assistant Secretary of the Army, as the White HouseLiaison Officer for the Chief of Staff of the Army and as a member of the Doctrine Sectionof the Coordination Group in the Office of th e Chief of Staff of the Army. He waspromoted to colonel in 1954.

Upon the reactivation of the 101 st Ai rborne Division to test the Pentamic concept,he was assigned to Fart Campbell, Ky., where he reactivated and commanded th eS02d Airborne Infantry until 1957 when he was selected to attend the Air War College.

After graduation from the Air War College in 1958, he was assigned to the MilitaryAssistance Advisory Group in Vietnam where he became the first Senior Advisor to theField Command of the Vietnamese Army. Upon his return to the United States a yearlater, he served as Deputy G3 an d later Deputy Chief of Staff, Third US Army, FortMcPherson, Ga. In November 1960, he again was assigned to the Department of theArmy General Staff for duty as th e Chief of the Policy Coordination Division in theOffice of the Chief of Staff of the Army unti I June 1962 when he was appointed ExecutiveOfficer an d Senior Aide to the Chief of Staff of the Army. He served in that capacity untilJune 1963 when he was reassigned as Assistant Division Commander, 25th InfantryDivision, at Schofield Barracks, Hawaii. He was promoted to brigadier general on1 August 1963.

From Hawaii, General Forsythe returned to Fort Benning where he served as AssistantCommandant of the Infantry School from March 1965 to March 1966.

He then was appointed Assistant Chief of Staff, G3, US Army Pacific and was promotedto major general on 1 April 1966. From June 1967 to August 1968, he served asAssistant Deputy to Commander, USMACV, for Civilian Operations an d RevolutionaryDevelopment Support. In August 1968, he assumed command of the 1st Cavalry Division(Airmobile) an d on 1 June 1969 became Commandant of the US Army Infantry School.2 INFANTRY July - Aug 1969


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COMMANDANT'S NOlESInfantrymen everywhere, especially those who have been

directly associated with the Infantry School, will understand mypleasure and pride in returning to Fort Benning as Commandantof the Infantry School. I am deeply aware of the obligations andresponsibilities to the doughboy that are inherent in this office.

I find that the officers, enlisted men an d civilians who willhelp me serve you have a deep sense of commitment to theInfantryman-all over the world. That spirit of II service tothe line" is the one unchanging quality of the people who serveat Benning.

But many changes have taken place at the Infantry Schoolsince my departure as Assistant Commandant in the spring of1966. The School's physical plant is bigger and better thanever. The Infantry Noncommissioned Officer Candidate program was begun in September 1967 an d has produced over10,000 well-trained graduates since that time. Other coursesof instruction have been expanded to meet the Army's growingneeds and the student load has been increased by almost 50per cent. Th e faculty has been increased by over 35 pe r cent,but more importantly, over 90 per cent of the instructors havehad combat experience in Vietnam and are well qualified toimpart valuable new battlefield tactics and techniques to allstudents. There is a new sense of urgency to innovate, adapt,an d exploit these lessons learned an d project the Infantrymaninto every conceivable combat environment.

This in keeping with the mission of the Infantry School toproduce th e world's finest combat Infantryman, My own servicein Vietnam has convinced me that we have been successfulin accomplishing this mission. The small unit leaders and th esoldiers who follow them are superb. Nevertheless, we will seekadditional ways of training these soldiers an d will developbetter and more effective methods of accomplishing our ultimate goal-success in battle with minimum loss of life and limb.

Even though the Infantry School is a complex military educational institution which is continually adapting to the technology of our times, we will always regard the individual officerand soldier as our greatest asset--our main point of focus.We are here to serve them, and you.

All of us humbly accept this challenge and pledge ourselvesto move forward in the traditional manner and spirit ofthe Infantry.

4 ,,- -:3.-;, ;? -GEORGE I. FORSYTHEMajor General, USACommandant

July - Aug 1969 INFANTRY 3


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COLD STEEL I read with interest your

article in the March-April issue,"Cold Steel." This controversy isnot new and my reason for writingis to cite another example of theuse of the boyonet.

Th e event took place just hoursbefore dawn on 29 January 1951north of Inchon, Korea. Th e 1stPlatoon of Company G, 5th Infantry Regiment charged the fogshrouded hill. The 26-man platoongot to within 100 yards of th e topbefore the fog blew away. Theplatoon was greeted by hand grencdes and automatic weapons.

Despite this heavy volume offire, the platoon moved out withbayonets fixed an d secured th ehill. In my own mind that platoonmoved a lot quicker because of th ebayonet on the end of those M-l 'so

LTC Arthur E. Mahoney (Ret)95 9 S Bleckley, Apt. 20 7Wichita, Kansas

4 INFANTRY July - Aug 1969

Another combat example of theuse of "Cold Steel" is described inthe following citation:-Editor.

Th e President of th e UnitedStates of America, authorizedby Act of Congress, March 3,1863, has awarded in the nameof The Congress the Medal ofHonor to Staff Sergeant JoeR. Hooper, United States Army,for conspicous gallantry andintrepidity in action at the riskof his life above and beyondthe co II of duty:

Staff Sergeant (then Sergeant) Joe R. Hooper, UnitedStates Army, distinguishedhimself by conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity on 21 February 1968, while serving assquad leader with Company D,2n d Battalion ( A ir b 0 r n e) ,501st Infantry, 10ist AirborneDivision, near Hue, Republ icof Vietnam .

Company C was assaulting aheavi Iy defended enemy position along a river bank whenit encountered a withering hailof fire from rockets, machineguns and automatic weapons.Staff Sergeant Hooper ralliedseveral men and stormedacross the river, overrunningseveral bunkers on the oppositeshore. Thus inspired, th e restof the company moved to theattack.

With utter disregard for hisown safety, he moved outunder the intense fire againand pulled back the wounded,moving them to safety. Duringthis act Staff Sergeant Hooperwas seriously wounded, but herefused medical aid and re-turned to his men. With th e relentless enemy fire disruptingthe attock, he singlehandedlystormed three enemy bunkers,

destroying them with handgrenades and rifle fire, an dshot two enemy soldiers whohad attacked an d wounded th echaplain.

Leading his men forward ina sweep of the area, Staff Sergeant Hooper destroyed threebuildings housing enemy riflemen. At this point he was at tacked by a North Vietnameseofficer whom he fatally wound-ed with his bayonet. Findinghis men under heavy fire froma house to the front, he proceeded alone to the building,killing its occupants with riflefire and grenades.

By now his initial bodywound had been compoundedby grenade fragments, yet despite the mu Itip Ie wounds an dloss of blood, he continued tolead his men against the intense enemy fire. As his squadreached th e final line ofenemy resistance, it receiveddevastating fire from fourbunkers in line on its left flank.Staff Sergeant Hooper gathered several hand grenades andraced down a small trenchwhich ran the length of thebunker line, tossing grenadesinto each bunker as he passedby, killing all bu t two of theoccupants.

With these positions destroyed, he concentrated on the lastbunkers facing his men, destroying the first with an incendiary grenade and neutralizing two more by rifle fire.He then raced across an openfield, still under enemy fire,to rescue a wounded man whowas trapped in a trench. Uponreaching the man, he was faced by an armed enemy soldierwhom he killed with a pistol.


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Moving his comrade to safetyand returning to his men, heneutralized the final pocket ofenemy resistance by fatallywounding three North Vietnamese officers with rifle fire.

Staff Sergeant Hooper thenestablished a final line an d reorganized his men, not accept-ing treatment until this wasaccomplished an d not consenting to evacuation until thefollowing morning. His supreme valor, inspiring leadershipand heroic self-sacrifice weredirectly responsible for thecompany's success and provided a lasting example in personal courage for every man onth e field. Staff Sergeant Hooper's actions were in keepingwith the highest traditions ofthe military service an d reflectgreat credit upon himself andthe United States Army.

BETTER HEADGEAR The best argument heard for

the present Army helmet is that ,tprovides a "bucket" for washing.During the Korean War and inVietnam today, patrols avoid usingthe helmet whenever possible. Itstell-tale shape is evident evenwhen camouflaged. During a running assault it bonces allover yourhead and hangs in front of youreyes. Look at the action newsreelsfrom World War /I to Vietnam andyou will almost always see soldiersusing one hand to hold the helmeton their head. When the soldierhits the ground it is extremely difficult to determine the direction ofenemy fi re while under that soundrichocheting shell.

The present day helmet cancffer protection against earth androcks dispersed by mortar andartillery explosions. It is seldom

effective against artillery, mortarand grenade fragments. Therefore,,t is suggested we adopt the following combat headgear. Take aissued Flop (Bush) hat an d imbedabout six snap studs into the clothin each of two parallel rows araundthe hat. For fragment protection,snap a strip of body armor materialwith corresponding snap wells, anto the snap studs on the jungle hat.We now have a rather unsightly,bu t practical, effective protectivedevice that wi II stay put even onthe run. At th e same time this"armored hat': will permit bettervisual observation and less difficulty in detecting the direction ofenemy fi re by sound.

LTC Mark E. Jones29th Korean Infantry RegimentAPO San Francisco 96350

For a discussion of new developments in headgear, please refer tothe Infantry Notes section of thisissue of INFANTRY.-Editor.LEFT-HANDED SOLDIERS

Many weapons in the Army,such as the M 14 and the M-60machinegun, ore not designed foruse by left-handed persons. Thegrenade launcher can be used byeither left or righthanded individuals, hence I would suggest thatplatoon leaders could increase theefficiency of their units by arming the "south paws" with thelauncher.

TheUSAIS,answer:

2LT John E. LundyFort Devens, Mass.

Weapons Department,provided the following

"Lieutenant Lundy makes a validpoint in that the majority of In-

fantry weapons ar e designed to befired by a right-handed person.They either eject the empty cartridges to the right, or must beoperated on the right side of thebody. This can cause some inconvenience from empty cartridgesejecting toward rather than awayfrom the firer. In individual situations these factors cauld effect aleft-handed person so as to warrant assigning a grenade launcherto him. It is desirable to use an individual in the position in which headds most to th e unit's effectiveness.It is imperative, however, thatthe individual soldier should qualify and be familiar with all weapons used by his unit regardless ofhis assigned position. Therefore, aleft-handed individual must stillI e a r n to fire "right-handedllweapons. Because of the many factors involved in assigning personnel to specific jobs, this decisionshould be made at the unit level,without an y additional requirements regarding physical qualit:es./fDEFENDERS OF FREEDOM

One of the'most concise andlucid comments on the relation ofthe military to our society, and toour way of life, which I have everseen is the editorial comment "Defenders of Freedom," by First Sergeant Charles O'Hara, found inyour March-April issue. At a timewhen the military establishment inAmerica is subject to questioningfrom every quarter, and is seemingly under attack, this expression isparticularily meaningful.

Major Karl H. Hutzler, USMCMarine BarracksNorfolk Naval ShipyardPortsmouth, Virginia



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ENLISTE MOTION


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Decentralized SystemCOll1mand Sergeant Major Gerald R. Lewis

"DA announced that 200 promotions can be made in December."How often have you read an announcement like this-and

wondered just how the promotion system worked and what yourchances were of getting promoted? To most men the promotionsystem is a big secret understood only by the First Sergeant or thepeople in personnel. But it isn't a secret. All the information about theenlisted promotion system is in an unclassified regulation titled"Enlisted Personnel Management System" (AR 600-200) .

I\ 'ow I don't want everyone beating a path to the orderly roomrequesting to read this AR and thus bringing the wrath of the FirstSergeant down on you, so le t me give you the basic facts on just how thepromotion system works.

Did you say there are a lo t of vacancies for promotion in yourunit-and you wonder why, if we have these vacancies, don't they giveus promotion allocations to fill them? OK, let's find out why wehave promotion quota allocations, where they come from, and howthey finally get down to the unit.

To begin with, we will have to go back to Congress. Here it isdecided what the personnel ceiling of our Armed Forces will be andhow much money they will be given to operate these forces. TheDepartment of Defense tells the ,\rmy: you can have so manypersonnel and so much money. Department of the Army then decideson the force structure needed to carry out its mission which finallyreached you as a TO&E or TDA. (Table of Organization andEquipment or Table of Distribution Allowances). These TO&E'sand TDA's show the number of personnel, by pay grade and MOS, thatare authorized for a certain type unit. \Vhen DA decided on its forcestructure it naturally was planning on what would be needed inwartime.

Now we find that our budget won't allow us to maintain our forcesat the strength and grade we would like to have, so we have to makesome cuts in our budget. \Ve do this by setting a ceiling on the

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number an d pay grade of personnel we can havethroughout the Army.

To insure that we don't exceed the ceiling, a monthly report (Enlisted Personnel Eligible for TemporaryAppointment) is sent to The Adjutant General, Department of the Army. This report is prepared byevery unit an d is consolidated by each major commandbefore being sent to The Adjutant General. From thisreport The Adjutant General knows how many personnel can be promoted within the personnel ceilingestablished. Promotion quota allocations then areissued to major commands, on the basis of the numberof vacancies and personnel eligible for promotion ascompared to other commands. This same report andsystem is used by the rna or commands to issue promotion quota allocations to subordinate commands.You should now have a fairly good layman's knowledge of 'why promotions cannot be made against al lvacancies, and how and from where promotion quotaallocations come.How many times have you heard someone say "youhave to be in a promotable status to be considered forpromotion"-and wondered what they were talkingabout? Here's the answer. You are not in a promotablestatus an d will no t be promoted if you are:

Carried as absent without leave, absent or present in confinement, absent in desertion, absentin hands of civil authorities, in arrest, or sick,no t in line of duty on the unit morning report.

Under court-martial charges (until the chargeshave been dismissed or withdrawn, or the individual has been tried and acquitted)_

Serving a court-martial sentence, including forfeiture or detention of pay, or under suspendedsentence.

Under discharge proceedings which may resultin discharge under other-than-honorable conditions.

The subject o[ f1aggin!( actions under AR 600-31. Av\,'ai ting or undergoing reclassification for in

efficiency or for disciplinary reasons \Vithin 60 days of voluntary retirement (except

that an individual who has occupied a positionvacancy of a hi!(her pay grade for a period of 90or more days may be promoted if otherwiseeligible), bu t not higher than E-6.

Cndergoing any punishment under Article 15,U C ~ [ J , which precludes [avorable personnelaction-or if such punishment is in a suspendedstatus.

Ineligible for reenlistment.You say you are in a promotable status? Good. :\'ow

let's look into the regulation and see how you stack up8 INFANTRY July - Aug 1969

for eligibility an d selection criteria.Normal requirements necessary to establish eligibility

for promotion are shown belm,,-. However, a promotionauthority may waive any two of the requirements whichare indicated belmv as waivable for personnel who areotherwise highly qualified for promotion. This waiverprovision is used only to permit promotion consideration of personnel who demonstrate outstandingperformance.

1. Time in grade and time in service. You must complete the following time in pay grade and time inservice:Pay GradeE9E8Ei6E5E4

Time in Pay Grade16 months in -814 months in -712 months in -610 months in -5H months in -46 months in -3

Time in $enice18 yean.15 "ears10 years5 ,ears21 months1 year,WAIVER: Waiver provisions apply separately for

time in pay grade an d time in service. 'Vaiver fo r onehalf of time in pay grade is permissible; maximumwaiver of time in service is shown below:GradeE9E8EiE6E5E4

A.mount of Time in Service \Vaivable5 years4 years3 '; .ears2 ~ - e a r s6 months5 m o n t h ~2. Promotable status. ust be in a promotable status.WAIVER: Waiver no t granted.3. Recommendation: ~ I u s t receive a recommendation

or concurrence of recommendation from the unit commander. I f duty is performed under other than the unit

commander to whom you are assigned for administration, the recommendation must be endorsed by th eadministrative unit commander.

WAIVER: Waiver no t granted.4. Award of MOSC (MOS Code). Must have been

awarded, or be fully qualified for the award of, the:\[ OSC in which the promotion is to be made. I f the

__ " ' . ~ . c " w c ~ _ " _ " ' _ " ' ' ' ' ' _ ' ' ' ' ' ' ; ' ' ' ' ' ' I I I ! I I I I ! . ! ! ! I I I 1 I 3 I ............................ ""'


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1\..f05 in '\'hich the promotion is to be made is not yourP:\10S (Primary MOS), it will be awarded as yourP::\IOS at the time of promotion. The commander'srecommendation of an individual for promotion in an:tvros constitutes his affirmation that the individual isfully qualified in al l aspects of the MOS in whichrecommended. I f the individual accepts the promotion,he will be considered as having attested that he regardshimself fully qualified in the :\105 in which promoted.

\VAIVER: \Vai\'er no t granted.5. Promotion qualification score (PQS). The promo

tion qualification score is 110. This means that an individual must have attained an evaluation score of 110or higher on his latest P::\.10S evaluation for which results are available or on the latest evaluation in the?l.IOS in which promotion is to be made. A.n evaluationscore of 110 or higher may qualify the individual forpromotion consideration in an ..\-lose other than theone in which evaluated. However, before promoting anindividual in an ::\.105 other than the ::\.'105e for 'whichthe PQ5 applies, commanders will insure that the individual is qualified in all aspects of that 1\105. Theevaluation score must have been established ,dthin thepreceding 30 months.

\VAIVER: \Vaivcr permissible for evaluation scoreof 70 or higher.

Personnel in the following category are exempt fromthe PQS requirement:

Personnel not eligible for l\fOS evaluation. Personnel exempt from ..\105 evaluation underthe provisions of paragraph 5-ld(2), AR 600200. Personnel not evaluated, or whose Evaluation

Data Report has no t been received through nofault of their O\ ..n.

Personnel returning from areas in which n.l05evaluation has been suspended by Department ofthe Army. Personnel in this category will beexempt from the PQ5 requirement only untilthe results of the next regular evaluation oftheir ;\[OS have been received in their command.

Personnel ".ho are to be promoted into an:\10Se in '-\'hich they have not been evaluated inthe preceding 30 months. Before recommendingan individual for promotion in such an l\'fOSC,commanders are required to insure that he isfully qualified in all aspects of the ~ f O S C inwhich the promotion is to be made.

Personnel who do no t have an evaluation scorewill be awarded promotion points as outlined inItem 3E, figure 4.

6. Proper pay grade. :llust be serving in the pa), gradenext below that in which promotion is to be made.

...& .. .. -

Hmvever, an individual occupying a positIOn vacancyv.;ith an authorized grade t,,;o grades or more higherthan his pay grade may still only be promoted onegrade.

WAIVER: Waiver not granted.1_ Position vacancy. Personnel may be recommended

for promotion by unit commanden only against author.ized position vacancies existing or projected for a twomonth period within the command, as announced bythe promoting authority.

Cpon promotion to the higher grade, the individualmust be assigned to fill an authorized position vacancy(:lIOSC) within the command of the promoting authority, except as authorized below. In the event pes limitations preclude reassignment, the assignment v.'ill bemade as soon as possible.

::\.lajor commanders awaiting approval of recommended MTOE/TDA positions from Headquarters, Department of the Army. may promote individuals assigned.or to be assigned, to the proposed positions, but only ifthis action will no t cause the command to exceed itsauthorized position vacancies by pay grade in gradesE..j through E9.

Receipt of notification that assignment instructionshave been issued by Headquarters, Department of theArmy, to provide a replacement for an E7 position wincancel the vacancy for that position.

WAIVER: Waiver not granted.8. Physical qualifications. ~ l u s t be physically able to

perform all the duties of the MOS and grade to whichpromotion is to be made, as determined by observationof performance of duty by the local commander, an dattainment of a passing score on the applicable PhysicalFitness Test, as outlined in AR 600-9. Personnel withphysical limitations that prohibit effective performanceof duty in the next-higher grade should not be promoted. However, an individual who has a physical profile P-3, U-3, L-3, or who is retained on active dutyunder the provisions of AR 635-40 and is otherwiseeligible, may with a wai\'er, be considered for promotion to the higher grade.

WAIVER: \\'aivable.9. Education.Completion of eighth grade, or the GE D equivalent,

for promotion to pay grade -5.Have a high school diploma. or GED equivalent. for

promotion to pay grades above E-5.WAIVER: Waivable.10. Security clearance.Pay grade E-6 and below. 1\'fust have the security

clearance required by the 1\105 in which promotion isto be made. Promotion may be made on the basis ofan appropriate interim clearance.

WAIVER: Waiver not granted.Pay grade E-7. n.fust have a favorable NationalJuly .. Aug 1969 INFANTRY 9

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Agency Check ()JAC) completed or have a SECRETsecurity clearance or higher. Interim clearance is aC4ceptable for promotion provided the individual canqualify an d a request for an NAC has been submitted.Personnel ''''ithout a clearance may be considered andselected fo r promotion by a board, hut may no t be promoted until clearance is granted. An individual's name'will be removed from recommended list if he cannotqualify for final clearance of the type indicated above.

\VAIVER: \Vaiver not granted.Additional eligibility and promotion criteria for pn?motion to pay grade E7.

l . Verification of vacaoC)'. Except as authorized byHeadquarters, Department of the Army, a positionvacancy in pay grade E7 will no t be filled by promotion unless a replacement in grade has been requisitioned pursuant to AR 614-202 and notificationhas been received by the promotion authority that areplacement in the appropriate grade will no t befurnished, or unless a request for early cancellation hasbeen approved.

WAIVER: Waiver not granted_2. Two-year service obligation upon promotion. Per

sonnel promoted to pay grade E-7 ,.,rill, upon promotion,incur a two-year service obligation prior to retirement,unless they are:

Eligible for earlier retirement by virtue of completion of 30 or more years of active Federal service.

Already eligible, through prior service, for a higher grade at the time of retirement.Age 55 or older.

Except as indicated above, personnel who are selected (or promotion an d who are approaching r e t i r e m e n ~eligibility will be informed of this obligation. Promotion orders will include the statement "Promotedindividual automatically incurs a two-year service obligation prior to voluntary, nondisability retirement."

The name of an individual , .rho declines promotionunder these circumstances in 'writing will be removedfrom the recommended list, or, if he declines uponnotification of promotion, the promotion 'will be revokeel. A promoted individual may not subsequently bereduced for the purpose of terminating the two-yearservice obligation described above.

Retired enlisted personnel recalled to active dutymay be eligible for extension of their tour to completethis service obligation. Authority to extend the termof service to enable recalled retired enlisted personnelwho are promoted to pay grade E-7 to satisfy the obligation for two-year service is delegated to th e commanderwho exercises authority to promote the personnel. Thisextension will be requested by the individual an d approved by the promotion authority before issuance ofpromotion orders.10 INFANTRY July - Aug 1969

3. Position vacancy created by retirement. A positionvacancy in pay grade E-7 which will be created by retirement of the incumbent may be filled by promotionwhen the incumbent is within 60 days of the retirementdate, as approved by Headquarters. Department of theArmy. Such promotion will be made in sufficient timeto afford the individual on-the-job training and, exceptfor the position vacancy, 'NiH be subject to other pr().visions of AR 600-200, including the requirement of apromotion quota an d a cancelled requisition.

4. Cumulative enlisted service. For promotion to paygrade E-7, an individual must have at least six yearsof cumulative enlisted service creditable in the cornputation of his basic pay. Prior service as an officeris not creditable for this purpose.

You should now know whether you are in a promotable status, eligible an d meet the selection criteria forpromotion. But don't get ou t the sewing ki t yet inanticipation of putting on a set of new stripes. Now iswhen the competition starts. 'Vhat happens?

Let's assume that your battalion has announced thata promotion selection board is scheuled to select personnel for recommendation for promotion. Your company commander calls a meeting of platoon leadersand platoon sergeants an d informs them he wants recommendations for promotions. He also informs themthat an Enlisted Efficiency Report will be submittedon each person recommended.

I f the CO agrees with the recommendations he received, he will then fOf\\ard a written recommendationfor promotions, together with the efficiency reports, tothe personnel officer.

The personnel officer uses the recommendations andefficiency reports to process DA Form ,3354-R, Personnel Data Sheet, 'which indicated such matters as yourphysical profile, civilian education, military schooling,decorations, etc.; DA Form 3355-R; and PromotionPoints \Vorksheets, which will be used by the promotion selection board.

]\.[ake ou t a Promotion Points \Vorksheet an d seehmo, many points you have.

I f you haven't done so r ~ c e n t 1 y , check your personnelrecords. l\fake sure they are up to date an d accurate.This can mean a lo t when you are being considered forpromotion. Insure that there is a record o[ all coursesyou have attended and extension subcourses completed.This must be in your records in order for you to becredited for the course on the Promotion Points \Vorksheet.

The big day arrives and you are scheduled to appearbefore the promotion selection board. \\Tho ''''ill bemembers of the board? The board will consist of bothofficer an d enlisted personnel. The enlisted personnelmust be senior in pay grade to you. The majority of th eboard members , , ~ r i l l be officers. There must be at least

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three voting members an d not more than seven. A recorder "\\'ho does no t have a vote will also be on theboard.

Hmv will the board be conducted?In the past, Army promotion policy an d procedures

have differed from command to command. The Armyhas now developed a promotion policy that sets Armywide standards. '''''ith the introduction of the Standardized Promotion Scoring Form, promotion standardshave been defined in precise, measurable terms. Theintent is to insure that all boards evaluate al l personsusing the same Army-wide standards. This providesequity an d equal opportunity to the individual, particularly when he transfers from one command to another. I t also allO\\"s him to concentrate on improvement in those areas l\-'hich could affect his promotionpotential an d in which he 'will be evaluated. againsthis contemporaries.

The underlying principle of this promotion systemis to promote the best-qualified individual. Demonstrated ability and potential are the determining factors.

In awarding board interview points, individualboard members rely primarily on their own judgmentan d experience. : \ mathematical formula for breakdown of board p o i n t ~ is purposely no t provided so thateach candidate stands with respect to all other individuals of the same grade an d ~ f O S of which theboard member has knowledge.

Lack of membership in clubs, organizations, whethermilitary or civilian, cannot be factors in selection forpromotion.

The fact that an enlisted man competed an d wasno t selected by a prior board is no t a reason for rejection by a future board, Each board must form its ow nindependent and collective evaluation on the basis ofthe individual's performance and potential as com-

pared to all others competing for the higher grade.In today's active Army the soldier specializing in a

technological field has a role an d responsibility equalto the role of those in other fields. 'Yhen consideringindi\


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What happens if you are transferred to another command before being promoted?

Personnel in promotion list status who are transferred to a new command are integrated into the promotion list of their new unit effective on their date ofassignment (EDCSA). Their placement on the pro-motion list is based on the order of merit promotionlist points they received at the old unit.

Come on, now! You mean to tell me that this guytransfers into my outfit, has the same 1\.IOS I do but alesser number of order or merit promotion list pointsthan I received when I appeared before ou r board, an dhe goes on our promotion list? The only reason I didn'tmake the promotion list is there weren't enough vacancies to cover the number of people who appeared beforethe Board.

First of all, a man with promotion list status assign-

ed to your command will no t be integrated if he hasfewer order of merit promotion list points than personnel in the same MOS who have appeared beforeyour command's selection board but could no t be placed on the promotion list o\""ing to lack of vacancies, Hewill be required to appear before the command's nextscheduled board for reevaluation, If , after appearingbefore the board, his order of merit promotion listpoints are above others wh o have appeared (or areappearing) before the board but have not been selected because of lack of position vacancies, he will beimmediately integrated into th e command's promotionlist, regardless of position vacancies. I f this new orderof merit promotion list points does not place him in theabove category, he will no longer have promotion liststatus. The purpose of this procedure is to afford equalpromotion opportunity to all personnel and to insurethat only the best qualified are promoted. 0

Centralized SystemLieutenant Colonel Williatn J. Monyhan

"T HE UNDERLYING CONCEPT of the Armypromotion system is to promote the best qualified individual." Based on this philosophy, promotions aremade to recognize the oustanding individual who hasthe potential for leadership and increased responsibilityat the next higher grade level. Thus, promotions arenot made solely as a reward for a job well done.

The Army now has two separate an d distinct enlistedpromotion systems: a decentralized system for pro-motions to pay grades -3 through E-7, and centralizedsystem for promotions to pa y grades -8 an d E-9. Advancement to grade E-2 is accomplished administra-tively.

This article contains a few explanatory remarksabout the current decentralized system, bu t concentrates primarily on the new centralized system.

Under the decentralized system of th e past, enlistedpromotion policies, procedures, an d standards differedfrom command to command, creating the impressionthat a man must be "a t the right place at the righttime" to be promoted. Army-v ride standards and procedures were established with the implementation ofChange 21 to AR 600-200 on I August 1968 in a moveto correct this situation. Although the basic require-ments for eligibility for temporary promotion remain12 INFANTRY July-Aug 1969

... .

generally unchanged, promotion standards are definedin precise an d measurable terms with the introductionof the Standardized Promotion Scoring Form. The newForm also enables a soldier to determine his qualifica-tions for promotion and to concentrate on those areaswhich require self-improvement.

Promotion authority to pay grades E-3 an d E-4 isstill vested in company, troop, battery and separatedetachment commanders. Field grade commanders ofany organization which is authorized a commander inthe grade of Lieutenant Colonel or higher may promoteto pay grades E-5 and E-6. Promotions to pay grade E-7is vested in commanders of organizations authorized acommander in the grade of colonel or higher.

Promotions to pay grades E-5 through E-7 requireaction by local promotion selection boards convened bythe promotion authority. Eligibility to appear beforelocal promotion selection boards is based upon recommendations for promotion of eligible personnel by unitcommanders ".hich are submitted through commandchannels to the promoting authority for promotionboard consideration. I f the recommendation is disapproved at any intermediate level, i t is returned throughchannels to the recommending official with the reasonfor disapproval stated. The recommending official is


15/40

responsible for advising the individual of the reasonfor disapproval, identifying deficiencies, suggestingmeans of self-improvement, an d entering the date ofcounseling in the individual's personal data sheet.

The data to be made available for use by localpromotion selection boards have also been stanardizedto further assure equitable selection procedures. Foreach individual being considered for promotion, theboard is provided the unit commander's recommenda-tion for promotion, a personal data sheet, a promotionpoints " .orksheet" the military personnel file, and theD.\ Form 20, Enlisted Qualification Record.

Each individual recommended for promotion appearspersonally before the promotion selection board. Theboard members are provided a standardized appraisal'worksheet which indicates the areas to be consideredand the point spread applicable to each area. On thebasis of this appraisal, each member scores the individual an d recommends for or against promotion.The scores of all board members are a\'eraged an dentered in the promotion points worksheet. The totalof the administrative and board points awarded determines the order of merit in which selected personnelare arranged on the local recommended list.

The president of the board presents the record ofboard proceedings together v,,'ith the order of merit listto the promotion authority. The order of merit listingmay no t be changed or modified by the promotionauthority bu t must be either approved or disapprovedin its entirety. An order of merit listing apprO\'ed bythe promotion authority is published as the commandrecommended list for promotion. Promotions are madeby :Military Occupational Specialty based on the orderof merit listing as vacancies occur and promotionquotas are received from higher headquarters. An individual may no t be removed from an approved localrecommended list except for cause an d under certainother specified conditions.

A key feature of the decentralized system is the provision whereby any individual who has attained recommended list status in his current unit and is reassignedprior to promotion will be integrated into the recommended list of his ne\." unit of assignment. In the eventthe gaining command is no t authorized the particulargrade an d 1\105, the individual is still placed on thelist an d is reported to Department of the Army forreassignment or promotion consideration on an indi-vidual basis. Thus. once having attained promotion liststatus, an individual retains this status even though hemay be transferred from command to command.

A centralized system for the temporary promotionof enlisted personnel to pay grades E-8 and E-9 \\'asapproved on 28 June 1968. The basic concept of thecentralized promotion system is to provide eligible personnel equitable promotion opportunity to these grades

on an Army-wide basis, The new procedure generallyparallels the system used to promote officers to fieldgrade an d is based on the fOllowing objectives:

Provide maximum assurance of an equitable anduniform procedure for selection and promotion ofpersonnel to master sergeant an d sergeant major.

Insure that only the best qualified individuals areadvanced to the top two enlisted grades withinchosen career fields.

Eliminate the requirement for a position vacancyto exist in the individual's unit of assignment asa prerequisite for promotion.

The policies an d procedures concerning the firstselections under the centralized promotion system togrades E-8 an d E-9 were announced to the field by Department of the Army in August 1968. This guidancestated that effective 1 January an d 1 :\Iarch 1969 promotion authority to grades E-9 an d E-8 respectivelywould be assumed by, an d reserved to, Headquarters,Department of the Army.To initiate the program expeditiously an d yet keepfaith with those individuals who held recommendedstatus, the decision was made that the initial selectionboards would ('onsider only those individuals who heldlocal recommended list status as of announced cut-offdates. Local commanders ,vere authorized to continuepromotions to pay grades E-8 an d E-9 during the transition period provided a promotion quota allocation wasavailable to them. Commanders ' ...ere no t permitted toadd to local promotion lists after the announced cutoff dates except for integration of the names of newlyassigned non-commissioned officers who had promotionlist status in their former units. Commanders were nolonger authorized to maintain local promotion listsfor pay gTades EH an d E-9 once centralized promotionsto these grades began.

The first zone of consideration for promotion tostaff sergeant major included those personnel in paygrade E-8 who held promotion list status as of 31 July1968. Commanders forwarded to Department of theArmy the names of personnel in their commands whoheld such status. These lists were followed by a recommendation "packet" which \""as used to augment De-



16/40

partment of the Army records available to a centralized board for use in its deliberations. This initial centralized selection board convened on 14 October 1968 an dadjourned on 12 November 1968. The board considered 1,560 records an d from this total 915 personnel wererecommended for promotion. This number was reducedto 734 after administrative deletions resulting fromfield promotion, death, separation, or other factorswhich occurred prior to I January 1969. The first 132centralized promotions to staff sergeant major fromthose selected by this board were announced in Department of the Army Special Orders on 3 January 1969.

The zone of consideration for the first selection boardfor promotion to master sergeant included those personnel in pay grade E-7 ,\'110 held local recommended liststatus as of 30 September 1965. The selection boardconvened on 2 December 1968 and adjourned on 20February 1969. The board considered 4,676 records an dfrom this total recommended 3,619 for promotion. Thisnumber was reduced to 2,586 after deletions resultingfrom field promotion, death, separation, or other administrative factors \\'hich occurred prior to I i\larch1969. Centralized promotions to master sergeant beganon 3 I\Jarch 1969 with the announcement in Department of the Army Special Orders of 666 promotionsfrom the recommended list.

Those personnel selected by the initial centralizedselection boards represented the Army's projcted promotion capability for a six-month period commencingI January 1969 for E-9 and I March 1969 for E-S. Promotions are announced once monthly as allocations aredetermined by Headquarters, Department of the Army.

Personnel considered but no t selected for promotion by the ( \ \ '0 initial boards lost their local recommended status; however, they will be considered forpromotion by subsequent boards provided they meetthe established lone of consideration criteria. It alsoshould be noted that nonselection by these first boardsdoes not mean that an individual incurs an unfavorable stigma for future selection. Eyery noncommissioned officer who is within the prescribed zone of consideration for any board will be considered regardless of thefact that he not selected by a pre\ious board.

The zones of consideration for current centralizedselection boards are based on time in grade and time insenice. The number of selections to be made are basedon the Armys promotion capability to each of thesegrades for approximately one year. The specific zone ofconsideration criteria is prescribed for each board byHeadquarters, Department of the Army. In addition tomeeting the time in grade an d time in service requirements, each person mm,t:

Have at least 8 an d 10 years cumulative enlistedservice creditable in the computation of his basicpay for promotion to the grade of -8 and -9,

14 INFANTRY July - Aug 1969

. .- ...

respectively. Prior service as an officer is no t creditable for this purpose. Have a favorable National Agency Check (NAG)completed or have at least a final SECRET security clearance.

Individuals \ ...ithout such qualifications who may berecommended by a selection board cannot be promoteduntil a favorable determination is made. An individual's name will be removed from a recommendedlist in event a favorable determination cannot be made.

In establishing the zone of consideration, the goalof quali ty selections is, of course, the paramount consideration. However, additional factors are considered,all of which generally relate to the size of the zone.These factors are: the selection rate or percentage ofpromotion opportunity afforded those in the primaryzone; the size of the zone an d its relationship to subsequent zones; and, the need to provide a percentage ofthe allocation to a secondary zone in order to allow promotion opportunity to the outstanding individual withless service an d seniority than the majority.

\Vhen established, the zone of consideration is announced to the field by message. A circular is thenpublished which lists all personnel identified by Department of the Army records as meeting the primaryzone criteria. The purpose of the circular is to insurethat al l eligible personnel are included in the zbne ofconsideration, to provide instructions to indhidualsan d commanders in the event an eligible individualhas no t been included, and to allow full disseminationto all interested commands and agencies. A listing ofthose meeting the secondary zone criteria is not published.

Selection boards convened uncler the centralized enlisted promotion system meet at Headquarters, Department of the Army. These boards are composed ofat least five members, including a balance of combat,combat support an d combat service support officers, a"rom en's Army Corps officer appointed as an alternate

E2i


17/40

member to serve when enlisted women are being considered, and both command and staff sergeants major.The president of selection boards in al l cases is ageneral officer. The membership of the board is announced after the board has adjourned as a part of thecircular containing the recommended list. Centralizedselection boards are convened as required; however, it isplanned that one board for each grade "\\'ill be conducted annually to select personnel to be promoted againstthe projected Army-wide vacancies for the forthcomingyear.

Each selection board receives its guidance from andoperates under a specific letter of instruction. Theseinstructions include the selection criteria to be used,general criteria and the total number of personnel thatmay be selected from both the primary and secondaryzones of consideration. This guidance is pro\'ided theboard in general terms in order to a11m!,T flexibility andmaximum latitude in the overall evaluation of each individual record; however, the best qualified method ofselection is always used. Under this method, selectionboards recommend a specific number from the zone ofconsideration that are considered to be the best qualified to meet the needs of the Army. The numher ofselections to be made is that total projected by the:\rmy to maintain its authorized by-grade strength for agiven period of time.

\rhen a secondary zone is specified, the letter of in~ t r u c t i o n will include the maximum as v.Tell as theminimum number that may be selected from thatzone. The board may not exceed the maximum numher specified for the secondary zone. Should the boarddetermine that the quality of the noncommissionedofficers in the secondary lone will not permit selectionof the minimum number specified, then no selectionsmay be made from below the zone. For example, if an-8 selection board is authorized to select a total of'1.000 noncommissioned officers and the maximum percentage of the total that may be selected from thesecondary lone is i.5 percent and the minimum is 5percent, the board may select not more than 300 bu tII I list select at least 200 from the secondary zone. I f thehoard determines that the quality of the secondary zoneis not sufficient to warrant selection of .200 personnel,then no selections 'will be made. In al l cases, the totalselection5 from both the primary and secondary zoneswill no t exceed the total selections authorized or in thisexample 4,000,

\Yith regard to selection criteria, centralized selectionboards consider each individual based on his professional qualifications, demonstrated integrity, performancecapability, potential and ability. Each board makes itsselections based on four interrelated criteria:

In determining whether the indi\'idual under consideration is qualified for promotion, the board

members satisfy themselves that the individual isfully qualified professionally, has demonstratedintegrity, and is capable of performing the dutiesexpected of personnel in the next higher grade.

I -.,

F - . r J ~ 1 ~ -~ ' ~ . J l l l i J J ) V

IIIIlll/1;/ Promotion in the Army is based on demonstrated

and potential ability an d is not intended as areward for performance in the presen t grade andduty. Therefore, no single factor should be allowed to become overriding in determining '\vhetheran individual should be selected for promotion.

The board m u ~ t consider the entire availablerecord of each person recommended in order todetermine whether he or she can perform the duties and exercise the responsibility of the nexthigher grade,

Consideration should be accomplished in completeobjectivity with the good of the service of primaryimportance.

Centralized selection boards are provided the entireofficial personnel record of every indh'idual in the zoneof consideration which is maintained at Department ofthe Army. This record consists of the OPO l\lilitaryPersonnel File which contains efficiency reports, MOSevaluation data reports, photograph, citations supportin a av.'ards and decorations letters of commendation,an d appreciation, enlisted preference statements, recordof assignment actions and the Enlisted QualificationRecord, DA Form 20. Also provided to selection boardsare records of court martial, plus any record of punishment under Article IS, U C ~ I J when the commanderimposing the punishment has directed inclusion of therecord in the OP O :\filitary Personnel File. Recordsof punishment imposed under Article 15, UeM] willautomaticallv be withdrawn from the file one year afterthe date p u ~ i s h m e n t is imposed an d will not be madeavailable to future selection boards.

As is the practice in the officer system, official COIDmunications which concern recommendations for pro-


4U


18/40

motion, commendation or appreciation are authorizedfor those personnel in the primary zone of consideration. Such correspondence is provided the selectionboard if received no t later than ten days after theboard convenes. Letters of recommendation for individuals in the secondary zone are no t made availableto selection boards.

I t is policy that an individual may no t decline promotion consideration. I f recommended for promotionby a Department of the Army Selection Board and subsequently promoted on a Department of Army SpecialOrder, an individual is allowed fifteen days from thedate of issuance of the promotion order in which tosubmit a written statement of declination. Unless apromotion is expressly declined by the individual concerned, it is considered to be accepted as of the dateof the announcing order. Commanders of personnelwho decline promotion under the centralized systemmust advise Department of the Army by electricalmeans, and a signed letter of declination from the non-commissioned officer concerned must be submitted16 INFANTRY July - Aug 1969

, , ~ I~ ~ .r~ ~ ~

\ I II 1\ \ ~~ \ Q \ \ ~through channels no t later than 15 days after the dateof issuance of the promotion order. A duplicate signedcopy of the letter of declination must be forwardedby the declining individual's unit commander direct tothe Department of the Army.

\Vhen the board has completed its selections, thelist of names of those recommended is reviewed at theOffice of Personnel Operations to include a routinesecurity check. The list is then fon"'arded to the DeputyChief of Staff for Personnel for approval. After approv-al, seniority sequence numbers are assigned based ondate of rank in the current grade. The final recommend-ed list is then published in a Department of the AnnyCircular in the 624 series.

Promotions are announced once each month in Department of the Army Special Orders as the monthlyallocation for each grade is determined. Dates of rankare distributed uniformly over the ''''orking days of themonth preceding promotion. Pay an d allowances areeffective only from the date of the promoting order.

To preclude promotion of personnel who are in-


19/40

!, '

, \ \" I

,jeligible under AR 600-31 as well as those individualswhose names appear on a recommended list and subsequently become ineligible for promotion, commanders should insure the list is reviewed immediately uponreceipt an d on a continuing basis thereafter until theJist has been exhausted. Commanders are responsiblefor advising Department of the Army, "Tashington,D. C., of th e names, facts and circumstances surrounding the case of individuals identified as nonpromotable.An individual on ' ' ' 'hom favorable personnel action issuspended for any reason is not promoted until his caseis resoh'ed. The promotion of individuals in this category are "\vithheld v.'ithout delaying the promotion ofpersonnel j u n ~ J r to them on the recommended list.

Commanders may recommend the remoyal of a non(ommissioned officer's name from a recommended listat any time; howeyer, such recommendations must be

~ l l p p o r t e d by written justification in order to provide~ u f f i c i e n t data upon ,,,,'hich Department of the Armycan base a decision, In any case in which the commander recommends remo\'al from a list, he must

1l11tlate flagging action immediately under the provisions of AR 600-3\. Removal of flagging action will no tbe made until final resolution of the case by Headquarters, Department of the Army.

In support of the Centralized Enlisted PromotionSystem, a permanent Enlisted Advisory Board has beenappointed at Department of the Army. The membership of this board also includes a general officer as

p r e ~ i d e n t . field grade officers and a command sergeantmajor. The mission of the Enlisted Advisory Board isto reviev\; enlisted promotion cases which fall into threecategories:

Initial Consideration Case-A case in which anindividual meets the established zone of consideration but ' . as no t revie,,{ed by a regularly constituted board.

Reconsideration Case-A case ,,,,'hich involves administrative error or an official change in arecord has occurred since review of the record bya regularly constituted board.

Recommendation for Removal from a Recommended List-A case in which an individual- hasbeen selected for promotion by a regularly constituted board; however. prior to promotion ofthe individual, derogatory information is disclosed which might have a bearing on the promotion. The advisory board operates under ageneral letter of instruction as v{ell as the appropriat e letters of instruction used by the regularboards.

One major difference bet\\'een the officer promotionsystem an d the centralized enlisted promotion system isthe so-called "passO\'er" aspect. An officer recommendedfor promotion may incur a "passover" whereas currentpolicy for the centralized enlisted promotion systemprovides that no unfavorable stigma is incurred by anindividual not selected for promotion by a Departmentof the Army selection board. A noncommissionedofficer not selected by one board is automatically considered by subsequent selection boards provided hemeets the established zone of consideration criteria.

There are continuing efforts being made at Department of the Army to improve individual records so thatthey factually an d completely represent eyery individualbeing considered for promotion under the centralizedsystem. Currently, a new enlisted efficiency reportsystem is being developed which will require submissionof reports on a more frequent basis regardless of dutyassignment. In addition, photographs are now requiredto be submitted on all senior grade personnel. The recently announced program of centralized managementof career personnel is another major effort by Department of the Army to imprO\e all management aspectsof the career soldier, a part of which is the CentralizedEnlisted Promotion System.



20/40

The Origin 0/ TapsMrs. Julia H. Duncan

Since biblical times trumpet and drum calls have been used by military men as signals. One oftoday's most ceremonious and unforgettable of all bugle calls is th e American version of Taps.

Composed by Daniel Butterfield, a Union General, in July, 1862, at Harrison's Landing, Va., th epoignant notes of this refrain may be heard at th e end of the soldier's day and, in solemn farewell,at burial rites in American cemeteries around the world.

As a distinguished Army officer an d a successful business man General Butterfield easily took hisplace in the annals of American history. But in the field of military bugle calls, particularly withregard to the origin of Taps, honor came belatedly to this unpretentious composer, a gentleman whohad no formal music education.

In August, 1898, just three years before the death of General Butterfield, Century Magazine car-ried an article on "Trumpet an d Bugle Calls" by Gustav Kobbe in which the author stated he hadbeen unable to trace the origin of th e call used for Taps.

The feature attracted the attention of Major O. W. Norton, a member of General Butterfield's oldbrigade. Writing from Chicago on August 8, 1898, Major Norton informed the editor of CenturyMagazine that he could furnish the clue to th e origin of Taps. According to his letter:

"One day, soon after the seven days' battles on the Peninsular, when th e Army of the Potomacwas lying in camp at Harrison's Landing, General Daniel Butterfield, then commanding our Brigade,sent for me, and showing me some notes on a staff written in pencil o.n the back of an envelope,asked me to sound them on my bugle. I did this several times, playing th e music as written. Hechanged it somewhat, lengthening some notes an d shortening others, but retaining the melody ashe first gave it to me. After getting it to his satisfaction, he directed me to sound that call for Tapsthereafter, in place of the regulation call. The music was beautiful on that still summer night, andwas heard for beyond the limits of our Brigade. "

The editor of Century Magazine immediately contacted General Butterfield at "Cragside", ColdSpring, N.Y. in August, 1898, for confirmation of Major Norton's statements.The General, then 67 years of age, replied, "I recall, in dim memory, the substantial truth of the

statement made by Norton .. about bugle calls. His letter gives th e impression that I personallywrote the notes for the call. Th e facts are, that at that time I could well sound calls on th e bugleas a necessary part of military knowledge and instruction for an officer commanding a regimentor brigade. I had acquired this as a regimental commander. .. I cannot write a note of music

The calls of Taps did not seem to be as smooth, melodious an d musical as it should be, and Icalled in some one who could write music, and practiced a change in th e call of Taps until I had itto suit my ear, and then, as Norton writes, got it to my taste without being able to write music orknowing the technical names of any note, but, simply by ear, arranged it as Norton describes./J

Thus was born today's American version of Taps.

In response to the frequently asked question, "lVhatcan I do to get promoted?", the reply is really quitesimple. Any soldier mm t keep himself among the bestqualified. Under the current promotion system everyeligible individual is competing for promotion 'withinhis chosen career field and his record represents him inthis competition under the centralized system. I f there18 INFANTRY July - Aug 1969

are any items that can be singled out as the most important in a record, they would be the efficiency reportand 1\105 evaluation test scores. Thus, in order to bejudged as "best qualified" among his contemporaries.a soldier must seek the responsible jobs and see to itthat his job performance will earn for him the desiredefficiency report, and do his very best on the annual

~ 1 0 5 evaluation test. 0


21/40

Your Life

Major RaYIDond E. FunderburkBlood-chilling screams of the charging Viet Cong

broke the early morning silence. In a human wave, theyelling ve rushed the US position. Startled, the 35-manTecon platoar. hugged the mud and returned fire.

Spurting enemy rifles spread a yellow line across thefront of the positions. In each of the five bunkers,soldiers watched in horror as the screaming mass movedcloser.

"BID'\-' the C l a y m o r e s ~ " shouted Sergeant John 'V.I\Jiller, senior man on the left flank bunker. All alongthe line, similar orders ,,,'ere repeated an d loud ex-

plosions erupted with a flash an d a roar-spraying theenemy with ho t steel fragments. Horrible screams penetrated the battle noise but the attack continued.

"Holy Jesus ... look," muttered Sergeant l\filler. Hiswarning ,vas needless-the four men had seen. Athicket of slender bamboo, 20 yards from their bunker,slowly bent towards them. ~ f o r e than 30 VC burst fromthe bamboo toward l\liller's position.

Firing their i\'I16's on automatic and throwing grenades, :'!iller's group fought savagely. With the VC onlythree feet from the sandbags, Miller ordered a with-



22/40

drawal. "Get to the canal," he yelled.Bending low, the four scrambled to the rear and

toward the muddy canal which was the last obstacleto safety. Across the canal were more US troops andartillery. 'Vith the recon platoon safely across the water,the big I05mm hov.;itzers could be lowered and usedto stop the onrushing horde.

As the VC crawled into the bunker, Miller walkedbacbvards, firing from the hi p to coyer the ,\Tithdrawalof his men. Out of the corner of his eye, l\Iiller sa'\'''one of the men drop. Racing over, he found three VCstanding near the fallen man. In the darkness, theenemy soldiers hadn't seen l\Iiller approach. He cutthem down with a short burst of fire. On hands an dknees, l\.filler dragged the young soldier in the directionof the canal.

Straining and heaving. the slender sergeant pulledthe limp form through the mud and brittle swampgrass. "Don't worry," he whispered to the youngster,"I'll get you back."

l\filler was still talking softly to the wounded t r o o p ~er when an enemy grenade plopped near his head-.Miller rolled aside an d hugged the soggy ground. Asearing pain came with the blast. Hot, sticky fluid ra ninto the sergeant's eyes. Shaking his head, igoring thewound, ~ , I i l l e r cravded beside the injured trooper. Hefelt for the pulse-nothing.

The hardened NCO fought back the mixed tears ofgrief an d anger. Twisting, still on his stomach, he facedthe enemy and fired a full clip in anger. Quickly reloading, Miller rolled around and crawled to the canal.The frontal attack continued. Slowly, steadily, th ehuman wave pushed nearer. Friendly artillery fromacross the canal fired directly into the line of VietCong, thinning and slowing the attack,

After overrunning l\liller's bunker, the VC movedalong the platoon's left flank toward the next positionin line.

In the next bunker, three men lay stunned from theimpact of an enemy grenade. "Anybody hurt?" questioned Sergeant Jack 1\1. \"'edge"tood. His two companionsanswered that they were all right. "\Vell keep firing, forChrist sake," implored the h e a \ " y ~ s e t ~ C O , vdncing ""'ithpain. Grenade fragments ,,,'ere embeded in his facean d neck. He crawled back into a firing position an dresumed the fight.

\\Tith their attention fixed to the front, the threewere unaware of the approaching danger to the left.In the darkness, 'with the confusion and noise of battle,they had no V.lav of kno\\'ino- that Sergeant ~ I i l l e r ' s, bposition ha d been taken by the enemy.. \'Vedgewood sensed something-a moyement. He

~ e r k e ~ around an d looked up-into the face of a glarIng VIet Cong. They both fired at the same time. Theenemy soldier fell. But the VC bullets had taken a20 INFANTRY July - Aug 1969

toll. Wedgewood had a gaping hole in his shoulder.\Vedgewood saw the approaching enemy. \Vith guer

rillas surging toward the bunker from the front, andfrom the left flank, Wedgewood decided to pull back.

"\Vhen I count three, run lIke hell for the canal,"shouted \\Tedgewood, grimacing with pain as he pulledth e pin on a grenade an d held it in his hand.

"One ... Two ... Three!" he yelled in quick succession. He waited until the other two sprang from thebunker, then dropped the grenade at his feet. Hejumped outside the sandbagged enclosure as the VCleaped inside. The ear-splitting explosion lifted th eenemy bodies. They fell limply across the sandbags.

The recon platoon leader, Lieutenant Lee B. Alley,used the third bunker in line as his command post. Inthe CP were his two radio operators and an artilleryforward observer. During the initial stages of the attack, one of the radio men ,\'as seriously wounded byan enemy mortar.

vVith one man ''''ollllded, contact broken with therest of the platoon, an d the VC charge almost uponthe CP, Alley pondered the feasibility of remaining.Only when he saw Wedgewood's group pull out didhe order the platoon's withdrawal.

"Pull back . .. Pull back:' Alley shouted in bothdirections. He didn't know if he could be heard, or i fthe bunkers to the left an d right were still occupied byhis men. He kept yelling.

To the right of the CP bunker, the men in positionsfour and five heard the command and started to withdra,,,,'. The enemy pressure had been less critical in theirarea so the two groups made it to the canal without

i n ( ~ d e n t .

Alley turned to the men in his bunker. "O.K., Dean,


23/40

You go first. We'll cover you," Alley said. PF C ThomasJ. Dean, the remaining uninjured radio operator,crouched an d scrambled for the canal. Alley , . atched asDean suddenly stopped, jerked an d fell.

"He's hit!" yelled Alley. "Cover me, I'm going afterhim." The slender lieutenant ra n from the bunker,ignoring th e heavy volume of enemy fire. ReachingDean's side, he flopped dO\-\'ll an d looked at the groaning soldier. Realizing that Dean's wound was serious,Alley grabbed him by the collar an d pulled him to themuddy canal.

At the canal bank, Alley peered along th e shoreline.~ I o s t of his meo ,vere standing ,,'aist deep in the swirlio g 'water, using the low bank for coyer against thewithering enemy fire.

Alley pushed Dean into the murky, brov{o water an drolled in . "Here, take Dean an d get him across," Alleysaid, handing the wounded radio operator to a near-by soldier. The young officer turned an d began ",,'adin g along the canal bank, pushing his men toward open'water, urging them across. "Take off what you canand swim. Ge t across-GO!" he yelled, 'waving his armtoward the friendly side.

S a t i ~ f i e d his men ,,,'ere responding, Alley crawledup the slimy edge of the canal an d raced for the CPbunker. On the way he met the artillery FO dragginghis radio man. Shouting as he passed, Alley urged themon an d added, "Keep his head ou t of the water."

At the bunker, Aile)' picked up a rifle an d beganfiring. The VC were less than 10 feet a,,;a),. 'Vith ammogone, he groped in the darkness for grenades on thefloor of the bunker, found three an d tossed them at theapproaching enemy. \ri th nothing left to fight lvith,he turned and ran to the canal.

Feet first, Alley leaped into the slimy stream. Strok-ing 'with al l his might, he pushed for the other bank.Spouts of water kicked up near his head as the VCtried to stop him, 'Vith one last lunge, he made thesafe side an d rolled over the eeIge. Only then did herealize the artillery guns were blasting over his head.

Wet and tired, Alley lay panting beside the troopslined up along the canal dike, firing into the enemyon th e far bank. Rested, he cra1Nled through themen counting survivors of the s",:im. His head countshowed three men were missing. He counted again,then sat and tried to remember 'who was missing.

The guns stopped firing. Gun crews were shoutingand pointing to the far side. Aney peered over thebank to see his three men slide into the water. "Keepfiring . . , Keep firing." he shouted to the cre, .s, tellingthem to fire to keep the VC from capturing his men.

Alley found a rubber ai r mattress, pushed it into thewater an d started across. The artilley rounds crashedoverhead as he paddled to the ' v a i t i n ~ men.

Two of the three were wounded. He put one on the

ai r mattress, held the other and all four returned tosafety.

"Where the hell have you been?" asked Alley, safebehind the protective canal dike, gasping for breath.

They told how the VC had attacked between theirlocation and the platoon, cutting them off from the unitan d the canal. Hiding among the tall reeds, they watched as VC doctors an d nurses, ",.'Omen an d children car-ried the enemy 'wounded and dead from the battlefield.They related how the enemy eventually pushed to thecanal, leaving an avenue for their escape.

Relieved that his platoon was safe, Alley found aradio an d called the ba ttalion commander. Reportingthe recon platoon's position to the CO, Alley wasordered to direct the fire of the helicopter gunshipsan d flareships overhead. \Vith the combined effect ofthe gunships an d the artillery, the enemy force waspushed back.

By 0600, everything was quiet. The early morning sunlighted the battlefield, sending a yellmv warmth acrosswhat was a black hell only two hours before.

Fresh troops were sent across the canal to inspect thescene. They found enemy rocket launchers, equipmentan d grenades-but only five enemy bodies. Lookingdeeper into the brush, they found a path of blood, fiveyards wide. Viet Cong dead an d 'wounded had beenmoved along the route to waiting sampans an d thenevacuated.

The battalion CO gathered his men and questionedthem, trying to ascertain hm.\' many VC each had seenkilled. A total of 83 enemy ha d been observed by themen, either lying dead or being killed by the murderous artillery fire. Tabulation showed more than 300VC made the attack.

Even with the element of surprise in their favor,the large VC force , . as unable to penetrate the artilleryposition. Lieutenant Alley evacuated 23 wounded andthree dead of his original 35 men. But their efforts pre-vented an enemy victory. 0

For his actions that early morning. Lieutenant Alleywas awarded th e Distinguished Service Cross.-Editor

.,:\fajor F 1 L n d e r b l l r k ~ then sen1ing as Info'rmationOfficer of the 9th Infantry Division in Vietnam}inter{licwed Lieutenant Alley two days after theaction described ir l this mticle.

,\[alor Funderburk graduated from the InfantryOfficer Basic Course in 1958 and the AdvancedCourse il l 196f). He has earned th e Silver Star}Legion of . i . \ f ( > r i t ~ Ai r . U e d a l ~ Army CommendationAfedal w,icluster and Pllrple Heart w/clllster. Heis currently a graduate student in journalism atthe Unh'ersity of Alabama.

July-Aug 1969 INFANTRY 21

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. . for progressive military thinking through thought-provoking ideas

Officer Pronlotion SystemSfilitary la,,,,' provides that promo

tions be fair an d be made on anequitable basis, and that selectionsmust be based on ability an d efficiency. The Army utilizes the Officer Efficiency Report (OER) toprovide data for promotion selection. In the last decade, the OERhas undergone three major readjustments. The latest report is supposedto increase the report's objectivityand oermit greater discrimination.

',ViII the new report accomplishthese missions? I t is doubtful. Inlieu of the old 1-5 rating on eachpersonal quality, where a 5 ratingsignified that an officer had an outstanding degree of the specific quality, a ne" . 1-5 rating has been substituted , ..here the 1 signifies thatthe rated officer has that degree ofquality that would place him in thetop 20 pe r cent of officers. l\hnypeople consider 75 pe r cent a passing score and thus the probabilityexists that not many ratings of 2will be given. A rating of 2 wouldsignify that the officer posses thatdegree of a specific quality whichwould put him in the 60-80 per centcategory. At least on the old reporta 4 signified that the individualpossessed the rated quality, but no tto a God-like degree. All I's prob-

ably will be the rule rather than theexception. Thus, a greater degreeof discrimination between rated officers does no t appear possible.

That portion of the report requiring an officer to rank an individualwithin the rated group has alreadyforced some organizations to restructure their rating procedures. Realignments have taken place so noone \""ill rate more than four of fiveofficers, thus allowing more officersto be rated number one and thelowest to receive only a " lou t of 5."In addition, reports can be submitted at different times, thus, permitting more than one "} ou t of 5."Application of these loop holescould be considered intellectualdishonesty.

Counselling Not AvoilableProbably the greatest problem

\""ith the new report is the lack of arequirement for the rating officerto show the report to the rated officer. Basic human relations and officer morale seem to demand tha t arater be required to personally facethe rated officer an d discuss his report. A pamphlet entitled, "The:Morale Function of the Executive,"published by the American "tvIan-

agement Association states:"The frank personal interview

with the chief executive, \,,",hichmight be considered an obvious recourse except that too often executives carryon to the end vdthouthaving been given any inkling bymanagement that their attitudes oracti\'ities are unsatisfactory."

A study conducted at Fort Knox,Ky., on a random sample of captainsattending the Armor AdvancedCourse sho'wed that officers werecounselled on the average of onceper nine efficiency reports. Counselling was defined as the rater personally discussing \\'ith th e rated officer his good and bad attributesan d providing recommendations onhow the rated officer could improvehis performance.

Ideally, these counselling sessionsshould take place early in a ratingperiod to provide enough time forthe rated officer to respond to thesuggestions prior to the actual rating. How can the young officersprogress if the experienced officersare no t willing to share their experiences an d offer suggestions?

The January 29, 1969, issue ofArmy Times carried an article on a

~ I a j o r Lavell :Merritt, who is retiring from the service. Although his


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situation is controversial, he madesome statements that demand th efull attention of the Army. Major

~ J e r r i t t said that efficiency reportsshould be shown to the rated officerand that the [ated officer should bepermitted to discuss the report withhis rater. He also said: "Let's havetruth an d integrity in the system."

Since the efficiency report is themajor document used by th e Armyto evaluate an officer, it must behandled with the utmost integrity.The officers today, being a productof the present society, demand fulldisclosure, to include the haws andwhys of ratings. They will not set-tle for a communications gap. Canan officer today respect his superiorif the superior lacks the moral cour-age to tell the subordinate just whathe thinks of his performance?

One mission of a rater should beto develop subordinates. Hmo\' canthis be accomplished ,vithout sin-cere counselling and full truthfulness and disclosure of efficiency re-ports? Ho",' can we say ou r systemis fair i f it permits a superior officerto rate an individual an d yet notdemand that the rated officer havefull knmvledge of his strengths andweaknesses? Any officer VdlO doesno t care about his manner of per-ionnance, how others rate his per-formance, his strong attributes, hisweak qualities, an d how he can im-prove himself, should not be an of-ficer in the United States Army.

Protecting the RaterUnfortunately, in the same issue

of Army Times, we find the follmv-ing headline, "OER Raters Untied."

This article relates that the regulations governing the new efficiencyreport have been changed. Now,the rater never has to show a reportto the rated officer. The article goeson to say that the change shouldease the decision making among raters, particularly "good guy" officersVdlO find it difficult, face to face, totell a brother officer that he is be-low par.

Further, the statement is madethat the rater will be spared the em-barrassment of a confrontation withthe low-rated officer. ,"Ve worryabout a particular breed of rater,an d we desire to protect hi m frommeeting his responsibility. \Vhat ofthe rights, the desires, an d the lifevocation of the rated officer. \Vhatsafeguards are built into the systemto protect the rated officer? I t isno t logical to expect an officer sta-tioned overseas to travel to \Vash-ington, D. C., to see his report.:\Iost officers have no reason to sus-pect that they got a 1m\' rating andthey don't find ou t until it is toolate to do anything about it.

Requiring a rater to show the rat-ed officer his report could also elim-inate many errors on reports. Forexample, a captain stated that whenhe checked his report he was de-scribed as having strange religiousideals. I t should have stated that hepossessed strong religious ideals.Since the rater discussed the reportwith the rated officer, this mistake'was found an d immediately correct-ed. Ho",' many other mistakes havetaken place, will continue to takeplace, an d will no t be corrected?

The new Officer Efficiency Re ,port also requires a rater to confine

his description of the rated officer'sperformance to the space providedon the forms i f possible. This re-quirement places a priority on writing ability in order to adequatelydescribe a year's work in 100 wordsor less. I f a report is no t to becomea numbers game, a full listing oftasks accomplished an d manner ofperformance should be encouraged.

\\Till ,,,'e ever have an officer r a t ~ing system that satisfies all? Theanswer is probably no. However,constant review an d studies directedto the officers themselves must beconducted. How the new reportwill correlate with the old reportsremains to be seen. Ho w the Armywill evaluate each is also unknown.

Secondary Zone Promotion SystemThe Secondary Zone Promotion

System is a subject that will start anemotional discussion wherever o f f i ~rers gather. Hmvever most officersare ignorant of the system. ArmyRegulations concerned 'with officerpromotions are written in abstractterms. Detailed knowledge of theselection system is not known and" .ha t officers think they know re-sembles a complex mixture of rumor and fantasy. Wh y should therebe this lack of knowledge on a sub,ject of such importance to all o f f i ~eers? I t is because selections aremade by a group of officers wh o arenot required to state why some o f f i ~cers are selected an d others are not.The criteria used by each board maybe the same or different from al lother boards. The criteria for selec-tion are not known.

Lieutenant Colonel John O.


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Childs, formerly assigned to OPO,writing in the Jan-Feb 1969 issue ofINFANTRY, stated: "Promotionsare one of th e most important per-sonnel actions that affect the indi-vidual." He also wrote that officersare no t aware of the detailed opera-tions of the Army system used toselect officers for promotion. 'Vhosefault is this? Is the informationavailable? Does the Army have aprogram with the responsibility toinsure that all officers are a1"-'are ofthe methodology of promotion selection? The ans'wer to th e last twoquestions is no!

We find experts in the field ofexecutive leadership who feel this iswrong. Dr. Joseph L. Krieger in hisbook "Principles and Problems ofExecutive Leadership" writes thatamong the principles of a sound ex-ecutive promotion program are thefollowing:

Opportunities for promotionare clearly outlined in terms of ex-perience, training, an d other qualifications needed in higher level jobs.

Promotion policy is disseminat-ed and understood by all concerned.

Colonel Childs further states that:"Selection boards do no t divulge thebasis of their recommendations;therefore, no one can tell an officerspecifically why he was no t select-ed." Hm",' can a branch career management office aid an officer if itdoes no t have this information? Ob-viously. such a department can onlysurmise at the reason for an officerno t being selected for promotion.Several officers have stated that no

apparent reason could be given,..,hen they queried their branches.

Give Branches a Greater RoleAn officer normally serves in his

basic branch his entire career. YetColonel Childs points out thatbranches are no t an active part ofthe promotion system. He goes onto say. however, that the branchesare best qualified to analyze an offi-cer's records. Thus, the promotionsystem appears to depend on otherthan the best qualified sources of in-formation.

Admittedly, the appointed promotion board has an enormouslydifficult task. The board must ana-lyze thousands of records and deter-mine which officers are to be pro-moted. Regardless of the board'sdiligence, some officers will no tagree with the selections.

Those officers who are selectedan d those officers who are no t select-ed should be able to find ou t thespecific reason for the action. I f asystem cannot provide this, then thesystem is faulty. Large numbers isno excuse. Promotion data shouldbe more discriminating. Initialscreening could be conducted by thebranches an d a percentage of eligi-ble records could go forward to theboard based on the needs of theArmy an d the size of the branch.The board would have fewer re-cords to screen and could inject astandard cri terion for final selec-tion. Each officer in the zone ofconsideration whose record was no tsent forward by the branch wouldbe provided with concrete reasonsfor nonselection.

The current system lacks individual responsiveness an d truthfulness.I t is shrouded in secrecy. \Ve oweevery officer the right to knowwhere he stands an d why. Officermorale demands that facts be madeknown. Dr. Krieger 'Hote: "Thevalue of promotion is its role as amotivating factor for greater effi-ciency and improved performance."Promotions have too great an im-pact on the Army and the individual to permit the use of a systemthat is unable to provide basic an-swers an d aid in the career management function.

Questions About the SystemOfficers selected for Secondary

Zone Promotion are usually surpris-ed at their selection. As is the case'with their fellow officers who areno t selected, no reason for their selection is given. Needless to say,they are elated, they obtain a haloeffect, and they tend to accept thesystem. Also, their probabilities offuture promotions are enhanced.The officers on the other side of thecoin, hm\'ever, become frustrated,an d finally. since no recourse exists,resign themselves to the situation.

Some of the questions asked con-cerning Secondary Zone Promotionsbear further investigation. The fol-lowing points are usually discussedat various officer gatherings:

":hy \'\'as so an d so selected? 'Vhy "\',,'asn't so an d so selected? 'Vhat was the promotion crite-

rion?


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'Vas my record ever seen by th eboard?

'Vas so and so selected becausehe had worked '\""ith or knew an officer on the board?

The board has too many records to check, and the selection isprobably made at random sincethere is no time for a detailed analysis.

Command is recognized by theofficers as the ultimate duty, andyet, individuals whose duty has beenmostly schooling an d teaching arepromoted faster.

Generals' aides have the bestchance since in theory generals onlyselect the most outstanding officers,rate high, and their reports carrymore weight with the boards.

\Iany other gripes exist, but theseare illustrative. The first four questions require full disclosure. Theremainder could be statistically examined and the results made knownto the oficer corps.

Recommendations

: \ knowledgeable officer corps isthe basis for high morale, efficiencyand moti\ation. The follmving recommendations could eliminate mostcomplaints about promotions:

Increase promotion input data.This could be accomplished by requiring exams. peer ratings. an d anOER that \\'ould discriminate across20 points, or even 100 points, oneach attribute rather than the current five points.

Insert a raters' index int

Inf Journal 69

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