Photo By Spc. Paul Harris | Sgt. Elvin Marmol, native of Brooklyn, N.Y., operations NCO, Company C, 64th Brigade...... read more read more
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BAQUBAH, Iraq (June 29, 2006) -- Every barracks has the infamous barracks lawyer. You were probably warned about this person in basic training by your drill sergeant. The barracks lawyer is the person who had a cousin's, grandmother's gardeners" nephew who was an ex-Green Beret and told him all you need to know about the Army, including how to pass a Soldier board.
You could get better information from the neighbors" cat than by taking the advice of the barracks lawyer.
Command Sgt. Maj. Gary Rimpley, command sergeant major, 1-68 Combined Arms Battalion, 3rd Heavy Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, Task Force Band of Brothers, himself a veteran of many boards and a better source to ask than the neighbors" cat. He is the president of the board for 1-68 CAB and does not vote on the participants; rather he makes sure all regulations regarding board procedures are properly followed.
His boards are conducted in full combat gear and the moment a Soldier knocks on the door grading begins.
"Does he command a presence when he knocks on the door," Rimpley said. "Is it a weak knock, does he break the door down, or is it a firm knock to let you know someone is there?"
The Soldier is instructed to do facing movements in front of the board, this is to check his uniform and also get a perspective of how nervous the Soldier is.
"It is the bearing that you are looking at," the Penrose, Colo., native said. "It all sets the stage on how you are going to deal with a Soldier."
After a brief introduction by the Soldier, telling the board his personal history and future Army goals, Rimpley introduces the board members and the questions begin.
Each board member is assigned a specific region of questions and each Soldier is tested on Army knowledge ranging from first aid to land navigation.
"The anxiety of going to the board is the hardest part," Rimpley said. "Walking into a room and having a command sergeant major and three first sergeants staring you right in the face critiquing everything you do is the hardest part of the board."
You are nervous, said Spc. Jason Wade, battalion radio and telephone operator and raven flight controller, Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 64th Brigade Support Battalion, 3rd HBCT, and you have board members firing questions at you one after another. You want to answer them quickly without stalling and making the interviewer wait.
Rimpley emphasized every sergeant major and first sergeant that has sat on the board was a private at one time. They had to go through the same process as the Soldiers standing before them.
"We put our pants on one leg at a time and that is what they have to understand," Rimpley said.
To ease the nervousness of some Soldiers, the 29 year veteran has an unusual procedure to calm Soldiers.
"This is going to sound weird but I make them stand up, "OK pick up your left foot, stick out your tongue , hold your right arm out and scratch your head,"" Rimpley says. ""Do you feel stupid? OK, now sit down and answer the questions." With something that simple it breaks the (tension) and they click right back in."
1st Sgt. Marc Stevenson, Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 3rd Special Troops Battalion, 3rd HBCT, looks closely at Soldiers grooming habits upon entering the room for the Soldier board.
"I start from the head," Stevenson said. "If it is a male Soldier I look for a fresh haircut, not a haircut that (is) within Army regulation, but a fresh haircut that tells the board you invested some time into yourself."
Stevenson will then closely inspect the uniform. He advises Soldiers to wear a uniform that is not worn, rather wear the new uniform they have been saving to go on mid-tour leave with.
If their hand is shaking when they report to the board or they can't get the words out right I look at that as well, Stevenson said. Talking with your hands is definitely a no go; you must sit at the board at the position of attention.
To prepare Soldiers for the board Stevenson holds a nightly 7 p.m. study group open to any Soldier regardless of unit at the command post on Pad 9 at Forward Operating Base Warhorse.
"By simple repetition I cover how to report to the board," Stevenson said. "It is open to anybody who wants to come; Monday through Saturday, with Friday as a mock board."
The mock board helped Spc. Wade prepare and ultimately earn Soldier of the month for March. The other useful tool he found was www.armystudyguide.com.
The Waco, Texas, native has two key points for future Soldiers attending the board.
"The first thing is study, study, study and answer the question in a timely manner," Wade said. "If you think you gave the wrong answer give the impression that you know how to look the regulation up, never go back on yourself. Second is confidence, know what you are talking about and you are prepared to win the board or be promoted."
A strong, confident attitude is one thing Rimpley, Stevenson and Wade agreed was a key ingredient to a successful board appearance.
"It wasn't that I answered the most amount of questions," Wade said. "It was the confidence that I portrayed."
| Date Taken: | 06.30.2006 |
| Date Posted: | 06.30.2006 13:19 |
| Story ID: | 7019 |
| Location: | BAQUBAH, IQ |
| Web Views: | 250 |
| Downloads: | 46 |
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