Major Jack Eric Case Summary

Superior Essays
Major Jack Eric recently graduated from the Command and General Staff College and was assigned to 1st Armored Division at Fort Bliss, Texas. There were no available key development jobs, so he would spend the next six to eight months in the division G3 shop. He did not mind the time on division staff. He thought it would be a good opportunity to prepare for an S3 or XO job when one opened in the subordinate brigades. The division was scheduled to deploy to Afghanistan in January and that would give him four months to get prepared on the staff. After two months in the division, the G-3 notified Major Eric about the possibility of moving down to a brigade combat team. The 1st Brigade had just finished a rotation at the National Training Center (NTC) and things were not going well for several majors on the 1st Brigade staff. The 1st Brigade Commander, Colonel Nathan Brown, had just fired four majors after the NTC rotation. However, he really did not fire them; he administratively removed them because they had not lasted 90 days in their key-development (KD) positions. The division G-3 told Major Eric to report to Colonel Brown on Monday morning. Colonel Brown was a tough, no-nonsense infantry officer, an “old-school screamer” with a quick temper. He was a year group 1984 officer and commanded an infantry company during Desert Storm and an infantry battalion during Operation Iraqi Freedom I. Prior to assuming command he served a 15-month combat tour in Afghanistan working on a four-star general staff. He had commanded the brigade for five months and would soon take 1st Brigade to Afghanistan for a 12-month deployment. On Monday morning Major Eric waited outside Colonel Brown’s office for the office call. Colonel Brown walked up the stairs and passed Major Eric outside his office. COL Brown asked “Who the hell are you and why are you waiting to see me?” Major Eric explained that the G3 sent him down to the brigade to replace a major that Colonel Brown had recently fired. No one notified Colonel Brown that division assigned Major Eric to the brigade. He saw Major Eric as a target of opportunity to vent his displeasure. Just as Colonel Brown started his rant, LTC Jeff Allen, the brigade S-3, came up the stairs and noticed the situation. He intervened and calmed Colonel Brown down by explaining he needed an additional major in the S3 shop. He mentioned Major Eric was going to work in the brigade S3 shop as the new plans officer. This seemed to satisfy Colonel Brown and he disappeared into his office. As Major Eric prepared to report to the commander, he wondered why the brigade commander did not know he was coming to 1st Brigade or why Colonel Brown did not know the S-3 needed more majors. Major Eric gained his first glimpse of 1st Brigade’s organizational climate. New Job; New Staff Culture After the office call with Colonel Brown, Major Eric visited LTC Allen for his initial counseling. …show more content…
LTC Allen explained his expectations and discussed Major Eric’s new responsibilities. During the first counseling LTC Allen described how Colonel Brown operated, his personality, and his challenged interpersonal skills. LTC Allen also explained there would be times when COL Brown made hasty, emotional decisions and did not always use his better judgment. COL Brown always knew his brigade’s vision, but had difficulty explaining his vision and commander’s intent to the staff and subordinate battalion commanders. According to LTC Allen, the brigade staff’s duty was to always support the brigade Soldiers. He saw the major challenge for the staff as adapting and improvising to stay on course with the brigade commander’s intent and never let the brigade fail. LTC Allen impressed Major Eric as an aspiring and motivated professional field grade officer. It was during this first meeting that Major Eric heard LTC Allen reiterate one of his major themes; the overall purpose of the staff’s work was to ensure the success of the subordinate battalion and company commanders. Major Eric would later reflect on this meeting when he would hear LTC Allen consistently remind his officers of the purpose of the brigade

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