Photo By Sgt. Emily Walter | Maj. Ben Dennis (from left), chief of personnel accountability, strength reporting,...... read more read more
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JOINT BASE BALAD, Iraq — Commonly, Soldiers must wait to be promoted until time-in-service or time-in-grade requirements are met, or a position with an accompanying higher rank becomes available. What some don’t know, however, is that getting promoted as a junior enlisted Soldier, in any component of the Army, can happen much quicker when deployed through the program called battlefield promotion.
“The purpose of the enlisted battlefield promotion program is to accelerate and expeditiously promote courageous and extraordinary Soldiers who willingly accept, and flawlessly perform at, levels of increased responsibility on the battlefield,” said Sgt. 1st Class Terry Reeves, noncommissioned officer-in-charge of the personnel strength and personnel services sections with the 103rd Sustainment Command (Expeditionary) and a Beaver Dam, Wis., native.
The program is meant to acknowledge the Soldiers who go above and beyond by performing tasks usually reserved for individuals in a higher pay grade, Reeves said.
“Battlefield promotion is an excellent program to reward Soldiers for their hard work,” said Staff Sgt. Michael Kellaris, strength management NCOIC with the 103rd ESC and a Des Moines, Iowa, native.
Both Reeves and Kellaris are part of the team from the 103rd ESC personnel and administration staff that helps process Soldiers’ promotion packets and battlefield promotion nominations.
Junior enlisted Soldiers can be nominated for the battlefield promotion program by their section NCOIC, who is responsible for sending the nomination to the unit’s first sergeant. The program is reserved for enlisted Soldiers in the rank of sergeant and below who are deployed to Iraq or Afghanistan.
“The battlefield promotion program is a great program to advance our stellar and most deserving junior leaders in a wartime environment,” said Maj. Ben Dennis, chief of personnel accountability, strength reporting, personnel readiness management and personnel information management with the 103rd ESC, and a Beverly Hills, Calif., native.
With the battlefield promotion program, Soldiers can bypass the regular promotion slotting system, regardless of vacancies in their units or placement on the permanent promotion recommendation list, which dictates the number of slots available for each rank.
“Some people are recommended for promotion for a whole year because too many people are in the slots,” Reeves said. “[The program] is a great opportunity to get promoted without having to go through the regular promotion system. It doesn’t matter if there are no slots. If you go above and beyond, you’ll get promoted.”
There are a few stipulations with the battlefield promotion program. First, a Soldier cannot be nominated for promotion if he or she is “flagged” for failing the Army Physical Fitness Test, not qualifying on their required weapon or misconduct. Soldiers must show exceptional behavior and responsibility to be nominated.
In addition, Soldiers can only be promoted one NCO grade with the program. For example, if a specialist gets promoted to sergeant, the Soldier cannot use the battlefield promotion program to get promoted to staff sergeant. Also, if a sergeant gets promoted to staff sergeant while deployed, the Soldier must complete Warrior Leader Course within 270 days after redeployment in order to maintain that rank.
It is even possible for a Soldier to be promoted twice under the battlefield promotion program. Since the process is conducted quarterly, a Soldier can be nominated in more than one quarter.
“The battlefield promotion program is a great tool the Army came up with,” said Master Sgt. Bobby Hall, personnel services NCOIC with the 103rd ESC and a Shreveport, La., native. “It provides recognition to all Soldiers who go above and beyond.”
| Date Taken: | 07.03.2010 |
| Date Posted: | 07.09.2010 07:32 |
| Story ID: | 52585 |
| Location: | JOINT BASE BALAD, IQ |
| Web Views: | 750 |
| Downloads: | 148 |
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