Question of Command

Back in early October, I wrote about being offered command of the HHC in early May. Though the battalion commander's relief the following month made me question whether that plan would remain in place, I was reassured that nothing had changed.

However, with the new battalion commander's arrival earlier this month, that plan has been called into question. In the intervening period, the battalion's S-4 resigned without a replacement, and I was selected to fill that gap. If I were to take over the HHC in May, two problems would result.

First, the S-4 spot would have to be filled again, and that's one of those positions where continuity is important. Second is that the current HHC commander would have nowhere to spend the final six months of their tour in Korea -- it's customary for an exiting commander to leave the unit upon completion of their command.

So instead of being grandfathered into HHC in May, it sounds like the battalion commander is opening up the position for competition. Leaving me in the S-4 shop would solve the continuity problem there, but I'm the one who would get the short end of the stick.

It's doubly frustrating because -- for the past five months -- the division HQ has been tracking me as "already command-selected," so I haven't been getting any news on open positions. This is a bummer because 1.) My battalion is the only one under my brigade in this area, 2.) I would have to request release from my brigade to look elsewhere, and 3.) Any unit in another part of Korea would have to pay to move my family around. Commands are hard enough to get as it is, and I've been out of the loop for a significant amount of time.

So while the good news is that -- as a YG2009 captain -- I have plenty of time and I don't have to worry about the Officer Separation Boards, the bad news is that I've wasted several months on a commitment that never came to fruition.

With the summer coming up, and a new batch of officers cycling in, I'd like to secure a command as soon as possible. Unfortunately, I don't know how likely that is if I'm stuck in that S-4 job.