Situational Questions Army Promotion Board

You receive a phone call at 0200 on Saturday morning/Friday night. It is one of your Soldiers who says that he has been out drinking and needs a ride home. How do you respond? Ans- Ask the Soldier if he is okay. If the Soldier is okay and functioning, see if anyone else is with him. Soldiers should always be out as battle buddies and he may have friends that need assistance as well. Find out the Soldier's location and ensure that he understands he must not drive in any circumstances if he drove there. Is the Soldier capable of calling an uber or taxi ride? This is the time for you to make a judgment call, if the Soldier can do this and you are confident in it, you may ask him to call himself an uber and inform you when it arrives and when he is safely home. If the Soldier does not seem capable of doing this, you may need to drive yourself to his location and get him safely home or call someone capable of doing so. After the Soldier is safe and secure, the following day you should prepare a counseling documenting what happened. The counseling should be an event-oriented counseling which summarizes the decisions made by that Soldier. Areas of emphasis should be on the Soldier developing a better plan when drinking, identifying if the Soldier has a drinking problem and referring him to the appropriate resources, if the Soldier is under 21 taking appropriate action, emphasizing the Soldier did the right thing by notifying you before he got into trouble, and serving as documentation that this Soldier had an incident should a pattern develop or a future incident occur. One of your Soldiers just failed an APFT. Describe the steps you would take beginning after the failure. Ans- The first thing that needs to be done is the Soldier needs to be counseled (Sample APFT Failure Counseling). During that counseling it is important to explain to the Soldier the consequences they are facing in terms of their flag, possible separation, and career limitations. The Army assigns physical fitness as an individual responsibility, and it is. My responsibility as a leader is not to put so much effort into a Soldier that they can only pass a PT test with me riding them and doing remedial PT, but to transform them into a self-sufficient Soldier. I need to find out why this Soldier failed (out of shape, poor diet, illness, home issue, or just THS) and develop a plan of action to fix it. For some Soldiers yelling at them to be better will be effective, for some just extra PT will fix their issue, but for others a different plan of action is needed and that will depend on the Soldier. Not everyone is Army material, and as the SMA has made clear, physical fitness is essential to what we do. As I said earlier, PT is an individual responsibility, and my role is to figure out how to motivate this Soldier to achieve the standard, give them the proper tools and information to succeed, and then ensure that they are following the plan of action. If they do not want to be better, then I will personally initiate separation. I do not want a Soldier, with an identified lack of motivation, to serve in this Army. This is your Army, this is my Army, but most importantly this is America's Army. I want to do everything in my power to preserve this Army and this nation for the next generation-whether that means staying late to do remedial PT, showing my Soldier to the library to check out a nutrition book, ensuring they have a proper rest plan, or separating them from the military. You're standing in line in uniform at a restaurant for lunch when someone approaches you and asks, "Aren't you glad that Trump is out of office?" How would you respond? Ans- Well it's important to remember that we always represent the Army and something larger than ourselves. Any answer I give here is going to be construed to be the "opinion" of Soldiers. I would simply say that, "We take an oath to protect the Constitution and defend the people of the United States. Regardless of who is President, that is what we're doing and will continue to do." If pressed further, I would politely respond that I don't feel comfortable discussing my personal political views while I'm representing the United States government because it would be unprofessional and inappropriate. What was the last book you read professionally? Ans- Self explanatory if you haven't read anything I have a muddy boots leadership book you can borrow or reference the professional development page on the portal Suppose you have a Soldier who refuses to get the COVID-19 vaccine. How would you handle this situation? Ans- While the COVID-19 vaccine is completely voluntary due to it being authorized under and emergency use by the FDA, all credible data suggests it is effective and safe. First, I would listen. Why does my Soldier not want to receive the vaccine? It is possible my Soldier has a medical history that makes him more unsure. Maybe he has read that it causes autism or some other serious side-effect? If the Soldier is unsure about its safety (most common concern), I would first direct him to the plethora of educational resources available online showing the vaccines are safe and effective. However, I know that sometimes reading journal articles just is not that exciting or convincing. I would say that I received the vaccine and why would I knowingly put something harmful in my body? Also, I would arrange an appointment for him to speak with the PA to discuss any concerns he may have. Now, if my Soldier says something like "it is a government tracking device" or something outlandish, I would ask him if he carries a cellphone? That is literally a tracking device. Does he have social media? You are literally volunteering personal information for EVERYONE. So, if you are that concerned about being tracked, lets get rid of your cellphone and social media. I, personally, would encourage my Soldier to think about the safety of himself and the team. By getting vaccinated he is preventing himself from getting sick and most importantly stopping himself from infecting others. Were all part of a team and we cant afford to lose Soldiers due to preventable things. If my Soldier flat out refuses to get the vaccine, that is his right at the moment, BUT I want it to be because he made an informed decision based on the facts. At the end of the day, Americans have the right to decide what is best for themselves, as long as doing so doesnt infringe upon the rights of others. You have Sergeant with over 6 years of service in your squad/platoon that comes up hot on a urinalysis. What are your actions? Ans- - Counsel the Soldier on the incident and the fact that separation action will be initiated- If the Soldier is in a leadership position, he temporarily removed from the position pending the investigation (if applicable)- Soldier is enrolled in ASAP- FLAG the Soldier- Start processing the Soldier for separation / depending on service and/or other factors, Soldier may be entitled to a separation board- Recommend the Soldier punishment under UCMJ A Soldier makes Suicidal Threats. What are your actions? Ans- - Immediately place the Soldier under watch- Notify the Chain of Command Recommend that the Soldier be seen by the appropriate medical authority (medical to ensure no immediate physical harm and a preliminary mental health exam for mental state of mind and/or mental health professionals)- At the same point in time the Soldier should be counseled concerning adverse effects of attempted suicide on their future and the military. The second, third and fourth order effects...It is more important to seek help first- Show concern for the Soldier- Should a soldier actually attempt suicide the command can recommend separation from the military based upon the incident and the findings of the appropriate medical authority? again, consider all factors to include: maturity, age, experience, duty performance, and past episodes (Chapters 5-17)- If a mental evaluation is determined to be appropriate the commander must initiate a written counseling for the non-emergency situation Your soldier has been sexually assaulted and wants to file a report who can you refer them to? Ans- Their chain of command Medical Treatment Facility Military Police/Criminal Investigation Chaplains Social Work Services Family Advocacy Legal Services What have you done to motivate or help develop your soldiers as a leader? Ans- ex: I helped train and mentor the new soldier who inprocessed our shop i You have a new to the Army transgender soldier joining your unit. Male intact transitioning to female. Soldier does not want to live with a male room mate. No female wants to room with the soldier. It makes the transgender soldier feel uncomfortable. Several soldiers disapprove of the new soldiers life style and feel they get special treatment. How do you resolve conflict without isolating the transgender soldier or show preferential treatment? Ans- You can speak with the barracks manager and see if that soldier can get their own room if any are available, If a room is not available you can look into the regulation about if they can share a room with the gender they identify with and find a soldier who is responsible and trustworthy who is okay with rooming with the new soldier. a soldier in your squad asks to speak to you in private, they then reveal they're being sexually harassed by another NCO, however they wish to remain anonymous and doesn't want to make an official report, this soldier has claimed Sexual assault and Harassment before with investigations that led to proving them wrong, what do you do? Ans- You can refer them to the unit SHARP as well as give them the official SHARP hotline number (410) 322-7154 after talking with the soldier you can take them to the company commander who is in charge of all unit programs including sharp or take them to the SHARP representative.