This Is Section One
I was born in Lake Charles, Louisiana. I was not raised there because my father was in the military and we moved constantly. I currently have a brother who is retired from the Air Force, a sister who lives in Escondido, California. My sister has two children, I have four and my brother does not have any children. My father's travel took us around the world. We lived in many states and many foreign countries. When he retired in 1968, we moved to Brockwell, Arkansas. It was kind of like, Little House on the Prairie. My brother and I literally had to cut our way into the forest to get a clearing set up for the delivery of the Mobile Home, which would be where we lived until we departed for our own life experiences . During the wait for the home to arrive we stayed in an old shack that we had to remove bales of hay from that the previous owner, who was using it for storage, to feed the cattle grazing on my fathers land. Although I would not consider myself growing up on a farm, we still had a semi-farm life. We milked our own cows (What few we had) and churned our own butter from fresh cream gather off the top of the milk. In order for us not to get attached to the animals we were raising, he let us name them, but their names had to be something that reflected their future. Names like hamburger, cheese burger, sirloin, steak, roast, or the like. I am sure you got the picture of what he was trying to prevent. As usual from all the traveling, I had to make a name for myself. Not in the way Paris Hilton has portrayed the life in Arkansas. When I started to play basketball it gave me the avenue to establish the communication I needed to fit into the local populace. You guessed it; the local areas favorite sport was basketball, so if you did not have game, you did not fit in.
Click Here to Go to Section 3! This Is Section Three
When I graduated from Oxford High School, I immediately joined the Army. I spent 21 years with the military serving in positions that allowed me to operate the M-1 and M1A1 Abrams Tank, the M2/3 Bradley Fighting Vehicle, M-551 Sheridan Light Tank, M113A2 PC (Personnel Carrier) and other various military Armor and Non-armor vehicles. I served positions from a private to being the Commander of 7th AG Replacement Detachment for in and out processing of temporary or permanent personnel at Fort Ord, California. When the BRAC decision was final, I was placed in command of Company Alpha, Bravo, and Charlie Garrison during the base closure operations. While assigned to the 1st Infantry Division, I served in many capacities such as driver, gunner, loader, scout, sniper/counter sniper, tank commander, squad leader, section leader, team leader, machine gunner, master dragon gunner and master TOW gunner. Training I attended during this period were French Commando School, Battalion Training Management Course, Primary Leadership Development Course and Basic Noncommissioned Officers Academy. After much of my career working in the heavy department, I changed to the Light Infantry field of work.
Upon arrival to Fort Ord, California, I was informed of my promotion and was assigned to take the First Sergeant position for 7th AG Replacement Detachment. During this assignment I saved the Army several million dollars in renovation costs that was diverted to other more critical projects during the realignment of bases in California. Normally this would not be the case with monies that had been appropriated to improve an installations condition and human welfare, but the proposal that I submitted allowed the money to be better utilized to help the family members in their relocation to the Fort Lewis area. This is where the 7th Infantry Division (L) would take up permanent residence.
Since the installation was picked for closure, I was assigned to oversee the transition of personnel and unit equipment during the move to Fort Lewis, Washington. I was given command of three garrison companies. Each was to act as a separation tool for the command. Alpha company garrison was used to hold permanent party soldiers, Bravo company was to hold on to soldiers who were preparing to depart Fort Ord for another duty station, and Charlie company garrison was used to house the criminals that were left behind from the commands that did not finish the courts martial cases. Most of those cases were dropped and we had to reopen new cases when the soldiers committed new crimes within the local and nearby communities. While I was stationed at Fort Ord, I was able to complete my Associates Degree from the University of Vincennes, Indiana, during the evening hours.
We had finished the preliminary closure and realignment of the post, so I received orders to move to Fort Leonardwood again, but this time as an advisor for the Readiness Group, which was home based with 5th Army from Fort Sam Houston, Texas. During this period I continued my excellent performance as noted on all my evaluations. While working in the operations center for the Readiness Group, I handled all the processing of highly sensitive documents as the Security Manager, programmed, set up and organized all of the training files for of the Readiness Group as the Operations Officer and its attachments of Region three within the United States. We had the responsibility of assisting and training over 460 National Guard and Reserve units within our scope of training and evaluations. I provided key and essential guidance to the Commander when dealing with or briefing on personnel, training or equipment.
I knew it was time to end my career in the military and start a new one in some other field. With the next three years I mapped out a plan. I had looked into some specific jobs with possible contingency plans for redirection if my original plan failed. With my impending retirement coming quickly, I made many arrangements to get as much schooling as possible before departing the service. The word retirement does not hold the meaning that I once considered to be sacred. I only had my father as the example, but soon learned that nobody really retires at an early age, at least, no one in my family tree has been able to take the "Nestea Plunge." Our history would seem to be military bloodline since almost everyone in my family has served in the military and either be lucky enough to retire or have been subjected to Combat Events.
I thought that I could make an impact in the real estate business area. I took the schooling to qualify for real estate licensing of a sales person and as a broker. I also attended a multitude of continuing education programs that enhanced my knowledge of the real estate world. I soon realized that this was not my forte. I was not making enough money to live on. It seemed as though I was generating more money for everyone else, than for me and my family . The broker was getting the majority of the revenue, and many other well established agents who had been selling properties for over 20 years were getting their share of my profits as well. When they started to get my lunch money out of the commission, it was time to go. Understanding that this was not the way for me, I began to attend Columbia College in a satellite location here at Truman Education Center located at Fort Leonardwood, Missouri.
While I was attending evening courses at Columbia College, substitute teaching, selling real estate and providing part-time simulation technician services, I finally got a break with a full-time position working at the Battle Simulation Center.
The simulations we run are JANUS, BBS, JSIMS, JSTARS, JCATS, MCS light/heavy and more. Our simulations run from individual missions to collective Army and Theatre conflicts, which can be duplicated for initial and replay purpose. They can be demonstrated or conducted in an unclassified environment or in a highly classified atmosphere depending on the request for training. It gives the instructors and the trainers the ability to recapture training points that are identified as essential or important enough to make specific emphasis on developing the Military Decision Making Process. I have been recently promoted twice. First I was assigned as the Senior Training Manager and Coordinator for the site. Then an opportunity came along for several staff systems analysts. I submitted for one of the available positions and was given the opportunity to excel and grow with a new company. My first promotion had no pay incentive, but the later transition has been a good one. Not so much because of the Benjamin 's, rather the new zest for instruction and training in a newer system that I may just be on e of the individuals who helps make it a productive tool for the company and ultimately to help the soldier who is in harms way. All of these new adventures and responsibilities will give me additional bullets for my resume or my portfolio for the future.
This was the caption before I was picked up by my new company. I am sure you will notice that I was not real happy with the company or its performance with personnel interest.
I thought I had found the perfect job, however with time and growth for myself, came an awaking. The disappointment is not from the job itself, but from the change in operations and management. The management has seen fit to hire new personnel who have also been sent to the newer simulation training, which is so critical to the advancement of any little meager wage increase we might see. We have changed several times from one company to another causing us to loose valuable benefits in leave, pay and other compensations (Just got purch ased by Lockheed Martin).
Because we are contracted employees we fall under a system that is not as stable as the government employee. They have extended coffee breaks whereas we do not. We were just recent ly bought out again!!! This makes the fifth time I have been passed over to a new company. Like many others in the market, I am tired of playing second fiddle or being at the bottom of the food chain. We continue to get briefings about loyalty, dedication and all the other normal specialty words that have come to mean nothing to the employee at a company. The real issue is where have all the real companies gone to who use to take care of the employee that made them who they are in the corporate world. We are being told that this will be the last time we are bought out.
Now I am setting up the instructional program for the FBCB2 communications and internet system that the Department of Defense and Stricom have designated as the wave of the future Force XXI structure. I look forward to our class having an impact on my advances in this area and I feel that what I learn, I will be able to apply in many areas of the training and development of the system.
So, all these events in my life led me to make a personal decision to pursue my Masters Degree under the supervision of the University of Phoenix. With the Masters in Education I can apply for a position as a training specialist working in possibly the same department, but for a substantial increase in pay. The future would be so much brighter that I would have to wear shades and be more fulfilling if I am able to accomplish this. It really isn't all about the Benjamin's, but the bennies help the buttering up situation. It also puts the meals on the table as all of you may attest to.
Thank you for reading my boring and possibly too long life history, but I hope it entertained you enough to stay awake through the second part.
Roy Teal
Staff Systems Analyst
[email protected]
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