Photo By Sgt. 1st Class April Davis | Lt. Gen. Jack C. Stultz (right), chief of the Army Reserve, and Command Sgt. Maj....... read more read more
BAGHDAD — Lt. Gen. Jack C. Stultz, chief of the Army Reserve, and Command Sgt. Maj. Michael D. Schultz, command sergeant major of the Army Reserve, visited deployed soldiers Dec. 26 at Victory Base Complex in Baghdad, Iraq.
Members of the Army Reserve, serving in Iraq under United States Division – Center, gathered for a town hall meeting at Camp Victory to ask Stultz questions and discuss issues affecting them.
“The Army, today, can’t accomplish what it does without you,” Stultz told the reservists during the town hall meeting. “I tell everyone who will listen that you are a national treasure.”
“As I travel around the world, the question I get asked most often is, ‘How have you built such a capable and professional reserve force?’” Stultz said. “The fact that other countries want to create a reserve force modeled after you is a testament to you and your dedication.”
Stultz discussed promotions with the reservists, explaining how strength, training requirements and the location of where the soldier lives in relation to a Reserve unit with an available slot all play a role in determining eligibility.
“We are in the process of shaping the force, trying to make a better formation,” Stultz said. “I need to put the right people with the right ranks and the right job skills in the right locations.”
Schultz advised deployed soldiers to keep up on the changes taking place with promotion requirements, including structured self-development courses, and to take advantage of online education opportunities available through Army distance learning courses and civilian institutions.
“A lot of changes are moving forward right now and the train is moving fast,” he said. “Keep up on the changes, so when you get home from deployment you are not behind your peers who stayed behind.”
Schultz also reminded the reservists to become familiar with the Army’s new physical readiness training which replaces previous physical fitness training manuals. Other topics discussed at the town hall meeting included health benefits for reservists when they return from deployment, the retirement system and civilian employment opportunities.
“Employers in America are starting to wake up to what a national treasure you are,” Stultz said. “Only a small percentage of the American population meets all of the educational, physical and background requirements to serve in the military. Civilian employers face the same challenge. The criteria we look for to enlist soldiers is the same criteria employers look for in their employees.”
Stultz said medical companies, hospitals and law enforcement agencies, among many other top companies, are lining up to join the Army Reserve Employer Partnership Initiative. It is not just out of patriotism, but because of the skills that soldiers bring to the table.
“You have a different set of values, work ethic and integrity that employers can appreciate,” he said.
Stultz and Schultz also presided over several award presentations and promotions during the town hall meeting. They promoted three soldiers, administered the oath of enlistment for two soldiers re-enlisting and formally recognized eight soldiers with certificates of achievement. After the town hall, the chief and sergeant major ate lunch with Army Reserve soldiers in the dining facility at Camp Liberty.
For information on civilian employment opportunities for reservists, visit Employer Partnership of the Armed Forces at www.employerpartnership.org. For information on Army Physical Readiness Training visit http://www.armyprt.com.
For information on educational opportunities, login to Army Knowledge Online and click the My Education link under the Self Service menu.
| Date Taken: | 01.06.2011 |
| Date Posted: | 01.06.2011 04:34 |
| Story ID: | 63087 |
| Location: | BAGHDAD, IQ |
| Web Views: | 163 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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