thedrifter
01-10-06, 11:40 AM
Schools of Infantry short on instructors
By John Hoellwarth
Times staff writer
Looking for a B-billet but aren't sure recruiting duty is right for you? Then now's a good time to consider becoming a combat instructor at one of the two Schools of Infantry.
Why? Because too many potential instructors are gone. Heavy deployment schedules that alternate between the East and West coasts are making ghost towns out of the bases that feed the pool of instructors.
Leaders at the Schools of Infantry - one at Camp Lejeune, N.C., the other at Camp Pendleton, Calif. - are trying to get the word out on the special-duty assignment, hoping to attract applicants for duty on both coasts to offset those rotating back to the fleet on permanent-change-of-station orders.
Unlike Recruiting Command, which requires that Marines be screened for recruiting duty if chosen, combat instructor duty is voluntary.
Each SOI must recruit its own combat instructors from the Corps' operating forces. For SOI-East, most instructors are recruited from II Marine Expeditionary Force units. For the West Coast school, I MEF is the source of most instructors.
Finding enough qualified candidates for the B-billet is much more difficult when the MEFs are deployed, said Sgt. Maj. Kenneth Jones, the senior enlisted Marine at SOI-West.
He says he struggled to keep the school staffed after I MEF deployed to Iraq in 2003. Ditto for Sgt. Maj. Michael Johnston, of SOI-East, since II MEF is mostly in Iraq.
"We're pretty short on personnel - not to the point where we are not mission-capable, but significantly less than we had this time last year," he said.
The ideal candidate for combat instructor duty is an experienced and mature Marine of either gender or military occupational specialty, but about 75 percent of the school's instructors have infantry backgrounds, according to Sgt. Maj. Frank Knox, senior enlisted Marine at Training and Education Command at Quantico, Va. Female applicants can serve at either school, but are typically referred to SOI-East, where all female Marines undergo the combat training.
The sergeants major are quick to remind potential applicants that the duty is as demanding as other special-duty assignments.
Combat instructors regularly put in the long hours typically associated with B-billets, supervising literally millions of live rounds fired on the schools' training ranges each year, according to Jones.
But the duty comes with some special perks. Combat instructors receive the same special-duty pay, just like recruiters, drill instructors and Marine Security Guard personnel. They also get a leg up on the competition for promotion.
Corporals receive 100 points toward their cutting score.
Sergeants and above boast the B-billet on their fitness reports, which gains them special consideration during promotion boards.
The evidence: Jones said 94 percent of his school's sergeants who were in the promotion zone last year were selected for promotion to staff sergeant.
He added that 11 meritorious promotions to staff sergeant and two to gunnery sergeant were allocated to the schools for the current fiscal year.
Marines interested in combat instructor duty are encouraged to contact their special-duty assignment monitor at the Corps' Manpower and Enlisted Assignments branch.
As of press time, officials were unable to say how many instructors were needed
Ellie
By John Hoellwarth
Times staff writer
Looking for a B-billet but aren't sure recruiting duty is right for you? Then now's a good time to consider becoming a combat instructor at one of the two Schools of Infantry.
Why? Because too many potential instructors are gone. Heavy deployment schedules that alternate between the East and West coasts are making ghost towns out of the bases that feed the pool of instructors.
Leaders at the Schools of Infantry - one at Camp Lejeune, N.C., the other at Camp Pendleton, Calif. - are trying to get the word out on the special-duty assignment, hoping to attract applicants for duty on both coasts to offset those rotating back to the fleet on permanent-change-of-station orders.
Unlike Recruiting Command, which requires that Marines be screened for recruiting duty if chosen, combat instructor duty is voluntary.
Each SOI must recruit its own combat instructors from the Corps' operating forces. For SOI-East, most instructors are recruited from II Marine Expeditionary Force units. For the West Coast school, I MEF is the source of most instructors.
Finding enough qualified candidates for the B-billet is much more difficult when the MEFs are deployed, said Sgt. Maj. Kenneth Jones, the senior enlisted Marine at SOI-West.
He says he struggled to keep the school staffed after I MEF deployed to Iraq in 2003. Ditto for Sgt. Maj. Michael Johnston, of SOI-East, since II MEF is mostly in Iraq.
"We're pretty short on personnel - not to the point where we are not mission-capable, but significantly less than we had this time last year," he said.
The ideal candidate for combat instructor duty is an experienced and mature Marine of either gender or military occupational specialty, but about 75 percent of the school's instructors have infantry backgrounds, according to Sgt. Maj. Frank Knox, senior enlisted Marine at Training and Education Command at Quantico, Va. Female applicants can serve at either school, but are typically referred to SOI-East, where all female Marines undergo the combat training.
The sergeants major are quick to remind potential applicants that the duty is as demanding as other special-duty assignments.
Combat instructors regularly put in the long hours typically associated with B-billets, supervising literally millions of live rounds fired on the schools' training ranges each year, according to Jones.
But the duty comes with some special perks. Combat instructors receive the same special-duty pay, just like recruiters, drill instructors and Marine Security Guard personnel. They also get a leg up on the competition for promotion.
Corporals receive 100 points toward their cutting score.
Sergeants and above boast the B-billet on their fitness reports, which gains them special consideration during promotion boards.
The evidence: Jones said 94 percent of his school's sergeants who were in the promotion zone last year were selected for promotion to staff sergeant.
He added that 11 meritorious promotions to staff sergeant and two to gunnery sergeant were allocated to the schools for the current fiscal year.
Marines interested in combat instructor duty are encouraged to contact their special-duty assignment monitor at the Corps' Manpower and Enlisted Assignments branch.
As of press time, officials were unable to say how many instructors were needed
Ellie