Metrics driven home at 332nd yearly training brief

NASHVILLE, TN, UNITED STATES

05.08.2009

Story by Maj. John Heil 

332nd Medical Brigade

NASHVILLE, Tenn. - More than 30 Officers and staff members from eight direct reporting units of the 332nd Medical Brigade presented their yearly training brief of their command on April 9 to the 332nd Medical Brigade commander, Col. James Snyder, and 3rd Medical Deployment Sustainment Command, Maj. Gen. Dean Sienko at the Reserve center on White Bridge Road.

Members of the 3d MDSC were in attendance included Maj. Gen. Dean Sienko and Command Sgt. Maj. James Lambert. Members of the Army Reserve Medical Command were also in attendance.

"The Brigade is in the process of transitioning to reporting directly to 3d MDSC, instead of AR-MEDCOM," said Capt. Golden Hand, assistant operations officer for the 332nd Med. Bde., "We officially come under their control on October 1, 2009."

"These briefings are important because they establish camaraderie amongst Soldiers under the same command," said Col. Roman Golash, chief of staff 332nd Med. Bde., "And it gives the commander a snapshot of where his units are at, where they improved, and where they need improvement."

Direct reporting units who briefed the Brigade commander were the 332nd Med. Bde. HHC, Nashville, Tenn.; 427th Med. Logistics Battalion, Fort Gillem, Ga.; 429th MMB, Savannah, Ga.; 75th CSH, Tuscaloosa, Ala.; 320th Med. Co., Greensboro, NC; 369th CSH, San Juan, PR; 5th Med. Grp., Birmingham, Ala.; and 345th CSH, Jacksonville, Fla.

Primary points of discussion were duty position qualification; personnel education requirements; personnel evaluations; soldiers enrolled in AR-RAP; number of AR-RAP accessions; status of training requirements, in particular weapons and annual physical fitness test qualification; training timelines; education, non-participants; medics assigned and transitioned; critical care nurse vacancies; command issues; funding; deficiencies and action plans to correct deficiencies.

"If you account for deficiencies," said Col. James Snyder, 332nd Med. Bde. commander, "And have an action plan to solve them than it's acceptable."

A driving force in a command's success is the metrics established by the Army," said Snyder." These critical components inside the metrics were the primary points of discussion during the YTB. "It's all about the metrics," said Snyder, "And it's the hardest job we have."

One of the main themes discussed was Soldiers and NP's. In addition to wanting to know if Soldiers were receiving required training, command emphasis explored finding out why certain Soldiers were not participating in battle assemblies and other assigned duties.

"We have now met where we want to be in end strength in the Army Reserve," said Command Sgt. Maj. James Lambert, 3d MDSC, "And now we have to focus on quality [of Soldiers] rather than the quantity."

"Our goal is to fire up Soldiers to come to battle assembly," said Maj. Jeffery McCarter, commander 427th Med. Log. Bn., "We want them to know we care about them and want them to come back each month."

"Our NP packets went to Maj. McCarter before we sent them up to higher for out processing," said Sgt. 1st Class Victory Pernell, First Sgt. 427th Med. Log. Bn., "He wanted to personally contact each individual and talk with them and to see if they were recoverable."

Col. Snyder commended Maj. McCarter for talking with Soldiers on an individual basis. Some Soldiers were saved during the process and it was because of that extra communication, however others were not. All units agreed that a great amount of time is spent trying to recover NP's, which takes away from other valuable requirements.

"When you have some on the fence," said Command Sgt. Maj. Maureen Goodrich, 332nd Med. Bde., "You have to find out if they want to leave — sometimes it's a misunderstanding or there may be hidden reasons that you can address."

"On the other hand," said Snyder, "If you have exhausted all alternatives, we need to get them out — it's taken our resources and time... We have more valuable things to do."

During the briefing it was reemphasized that the Army Reserve has met its end strength and that more options are available when it comes to removing non-participants or Soldiers who failure to meet the standards.

"We got this NP problem and have had it for years," said Maj. Gen. Dean Sienko, 3d MDSC commander, "But we have met our end strength...

"The ball is in our court, climate is changing and we have a lot of great things to do, a lot of rewards to give, but if an E-6 is not passing the PT test and not performing, we need to make it clear that we are not the growing force, we are the shaping force and that it's not acceptable for Soldiers not to meet the standards."

Another topic of discussion was suicide prevention. Suicides of servicemen and women coming back from war have created concern across all branches. The Army launched mandatory suicide prevention programs across the nation and overseas. "Dividends seem to have paid off," said Golash, "In 2005 there were 25 Army suicides, 20 in 2006, 23 in 2008, and currently 9 in 2009... education and training on suicide prevention has helped."

Regarding Brigade success and the transition to align under 3d MDSC, Snyder said "Our metrics reflect on our leadership, how we are leading Soldiers and part of that includes duty MOSQ, NCOES, and evaluations."

"This comes down to recognizing Soldiers," said Snyder, "I heard negatives and positives and the positive is that we are utilizing communication with each other and with the 3d MDSC... Funding and resources are available, if you hit a wall then use the chain of command. I need to know about it so that I can communicate it up to our leadership."

"When I took command of the Brigade," said Snyder, "My goal was to give the 3d MDSC a functional medical brigade that didn't need major fixing...

"If you had seen what he had before, you would be surprised what we are today."

"You are getting a functional Brigade that needs minimal fixing," said Snyder, "We have imparted a mentality to Soldiers that holds them accountable and gives them responsibility...

"You have heard about DMOSQ, evaluations, 68 Whiskey, and everything else that drives the metrics."

"Come October 1, you will be getting a functional Brigade that is ready to go and work under your leadership," said Snyder, "We are down to only missing four percent evaluations compared to the 20 percent missing that we had before...

"To get to this point involved hard work, commitment, personal responsibility and accountability across the Brigade."

"I am amazed where we were and how far we've come," said Snyder, "We needed a lot of fixing when I took command last year and now I am impressed with the progress we've made because the issues that we have now are very minor."

Maj. Gen. Sienko indicated that when he first took command his direct reporting commands were transitioned to him in an order of those with the least problems to those facing the most problems, and that the 332nd Med. Bde. was the last in that order.

"I don't sense great alarm as to your readiness," said Sienko, "This has been encouraging to me... I am encouraged by your progress."

Maj. Gen. Sienko expressed concerns that it was difficult to get senior Army Medical leaders to take command. "There are people who do not want leadership roles... "People, who lead, lead because there is an internal satisfaction to lead Soldiers."

"I applaud all of you who lead Soldiers," said Sienko, "We need people [in the medical community] to step forward and take leadership roles... "And you need to fill these roles."

Maj. Gen. Sienko indicated that there are other branches starting to fill those roles, but preferred that own internal people would step forward and take those roles.

"It doesn't matter if it's AMEDD immaterial, commanders need to start talking to their majors and lieutenant colonels and start grooming them to command," said Sienko, "And the same thing applies to our formations, getting E-4's and E-5's to take on more leadership roles."

3d MDSC has a historical alignment with 3rd Army, indicated Sienko, who is involved in missions in Iraq, Afghanistan, in Southwest Asia and is involved in other white space missions.

"As medics, we are theater enablers," said Sienko, "We have a main medical supply center in Southwest Asia and Qatar... "We do a lot of veterinarian stuff and preventive medicine stuff."

"Brigade units may be called up to support that mission," said Sienko, "If you are in your available year, you may get tagged to fill other missions like in Kazakhstan or Jordan and address white space missions in the middle east... It may be for a year, but it may be for only a month or two."

"3d MDSC commands around 8,000 Soldiers and I'm hearing great things from down trace that we are meeting their issues," said Sienko, "But it's a two-way directional — I need to hear from you...

"We are committed to a service organization," said Sienko, "How can we help you?"

• Date Taken: 05.08.2009
• Date Posted: 05.12.2009 00:00
• Story ID: 33494
• Location: NASHVILLE, TN, US