Non-shocking fact: most of these guys did other jobs before to get to the rank that I would be getting promoted to (which is hard to obtain in my job), before they reclassified to my job. This is why my points for E6 are so high. All the E6s are reclasses. And what do you know, I’m far more knowledgable than they are at this job! This is another way the Army is fucked on promotions that I didn’t even consider. It’s easier to jump the ranks in a different job and reclass to computers than to come up the ranks, gain the skills and knowledge, and then get promoted to E6 in a timely manner. I just took my first test and a lot of what this first week is covered in AIT, which even reclasses have to go through, and it’s almost surprising how many of them struggled with it. It may not be stuff we do every day but it is a perishable skill that needs periodic refreshment and these are the guys who’ve come out of training much later than I did.

I don’t want to bash these guys though, they’ve done their time in other jobs and fulfilled the requirements to be where they are today. The system that put them here is inherently flawed. Some of them toted a rifle for most of their Army career, and now they’re punching buttons. To put them in the same position of responsibility as someone like me, who’s done the job for four plus years, says to me that the job is interchangable and that all that matters is the rank you wear. That’s insane. If I were to be swapped with an infantryman at my rank I would absolutely lost, because I don’t have the experience of doing that job that the responsibilities I’d inherit requires.

This wasn’t supposed to turn into a rant, I swear.

I’m getting promoted. Finally. After missing it once for not having my points turned in and missing it by nine stupid points last month, I’ve got it this month. Not without some work first though! Even though I had the points and my points were all in the system, my name wasn’t on the promotions roster. After lots of what the fucks and oh my gods I talked to the supervisor in the personnel section. He said everything checked out and I must’ve just slipped through the cracks because the Army is in the middle of changing the way promotions are done (for the worse but that’s another rant later) so he put in some paperwork and now I’m good to get promoted on June 1st. Finally. After 18 months of waiting.

Almost-better news! I’m going on leave in thirty days! Well, almost, in thirty days I should be leaving Iraq and on my way home for leave. As I told Katie earlier this week, it might be weird for me, spending time with people I more than barely tolerate. I’m currently working on a human hairstyle so when I get home I look more like I belong there rather than belonging here.

June and July will be good months. Then August will be shit again.