Just when I thought I had enough on my plate to think about lately.
Yesterday, I took an LT up to another Camp to the Signal Company tat he came to my Company/Section from. He needed to grab his dental records and get some paperwork from the unit. Well as I always do, I stopped by the Commander and First Sergeant's office. The First Sergeant was on leave, so it was just me and the commander in there. Well, he and I have a pretty good rapport, and he respects me because I always let him know when I am on his site since we are a higher headquarters. (he's a company, I work at Brigade, so it's two levels higher.)
While we were talking and waiting on the LT, I mentioned I am considering extending. His eyes lit up. Really lit up. He asked my MOS, and I told him I was a Poppa. (25P, and if you are in the Signal Corps talking to other Signaleers you just give the letter, we are all 25 series.) He said he needed a Poppa NCO who could lead. I kind of raised on eyebrow and cocked my head, not sure what he was saying.
He offered me a job. I would be the Site NCOIC for one of the remote sites, in charge of the Soldiers who work there, and he would probably dual hat me as the Outside Plant Team Chief. In charge of more Soldiers. I am a Staff Sergeant (E-6), and for me to even have a chance at the next rank, I need leadership time. Being in two leadership positions at once would be OUTSTANDING on my Evaluation.
Now, this is nowhere a dream come true. There are downsides. Here, where I am at is a Brigade Staff Position, gotta have staff time to get to the higher ranks. I already have one NCOER (NonCommissioned Officer Evaluation Report) with my Staff time. Here, where I am at, I live in a hardened barracks. I live on the 2nd floor of an actual barracks. There, I would be in a Trailer style housing. Here, it is like Popular Mechanics City of the future compare to there. We have pavement, and almost every building has running water. There, you see lots of Portalets and Hotboxes (portalet with water storage that gets to be about 100 degrees in January when it's cold outside, so just imagine what it's like now.) Here I have a bathtub and shower, there I would get just the shower.
I was talking to my Master Sergeant (MSG)(I have two right now, one is my supervisor and the other is the acting S-3 Sergeant Major (SGM).) I was talkign to my Supervisor, and told her about this conversation, and she said if it was her, a few years younger, and not getting ready to retire she would jump all over it. I told her I wasn't sure if I wanted to extend or not. She said that the kind of position I was being offered, really couldn't be turned down because with what they do here, I wouldn't be able to get stateside. She also said that it would be outstanding for my career.
So this afternoon, I am going to talk to the S-3 SGM, and my S-3 (Lieutenant Colonel) about it. Get some more advice. Plus my contractor sidekick who overheard, said for me to jump on it. I just dont' know. I mean the camp I would be going to is kind of like a small town, not that many Soldiers, and not near as much brass walking around. But it's always got a dust storm.
So what do you all think. Another year in the desert, with 2 additional sets of leave, or take my chances on getting my assignment changed and actually getting 12 months stateside before redeploying.
