Aide, XO

Typically, a lieutenant should have a few "key developmental positions" before they're promoted to captain. According to DA PAM 600-3, a transportation officer's KD positions are platoon leader, company executive officer, detachment commander, battalion staff, installation staff, and training officer.

The battalion and higher levels of staff can wait for one's captain years, usually in the months before one's captain's career course, but it's important to get that executive officer spot during one's lieutenant years. (Having more than one captain in a company makes things a little weird.)

Having been a platoon leader for over 2.5 years, and having been passed over for the XO spot in my own company, I've been feeling pessimistic about my chances of finding another job somewhere, especially since my brigade is over strength on officers.

My mood wasn't helped on Monday when I got word that the aide position I'd interviewed for had been filled. I was one of the top three, I was told, but it went to someone else. Though that's not a complete tragedy -- it would have required two months of travel during the next year and a captain's career course date delayed until well into next year -- I was still a bit bummed.

The good news is that there's another XO spot opening up in one of my battalion's other companies soon. The current XO has 16 months experience in that role already, and is trying to get out of the battalion before it closes down later this year (in Army terms, "rolling up the guidon") due to the downsizing.

Even better, I've worked with this particular company commander before -- in Tarin Kowt, Afghanistan. His guys were the ones with the container movers (Rough Terrain Cargo Handlers, or RTCHs), the ones for whom I did the Combat Action Badge paperwork.

Pretty neat how that worked out. I don't know how much longer I have to wait for my promotion to captain, but it will be good to have some XO experience before losing eligibility for the company level assignments. Moreover, it will be nice to move over to a company with which I already have some experience.