Question:
Why study a promotion board guide when you learn it in WLC (PLDC) anyhow?

I believe there would be stellar scores on the promotion board after going through WLC first.

Now here's my poll,

Should WLC be done before the board?

Choices:
YES
NO

 

Ok, I voted no, but only because I don't think the Army woudl do it right if it were a requirement to be boarded. If they made it a requirement to go before being boarded, then they should make you go as soon as you get or are close to getting your Specialist. Otherwise, if you are a high-speed Soldier, waiting for a slot in the class could be the only thing holding you back.

Also, it brings back the question of "what if you are deployed?" They you may not have the chance to go. I don't think it's fair to hold a good Soldier from getting promoted if they go to Iraq and don't get the chance to go to school.

I will admit, I haven't been to WLC yet, but it's because of a scheduling problem (my office is extremely short staffed and wouldn't be able to accomplish the mission if even one person had to leave for a month). I don't think it would've been fair to prevent me from being boarded for circumstances beyond my control when I've been a good soldier and work hard at what I do.

I'd love to hear some other opinions.

Well here is my take on the idea.

NCOs become leaders after completing WLC (PLDC). In the promotion board the board members decide if you have leader potential.

Having a Soldier with WLC already done would give board members a first hand account of an individual's potential.

Imagine what an account of stellar performance in a squad/platoon position would do to someone's chance at promotion.

I'd see it playing out like this...

"So it says you performed excellent despite being up for 19 hours and losing five individuals in the previous scenario. How was that like?"

You then would tell the board member your successes/difficulties and experiences and they could then verify the facts with the cadre at WLC and decide better if you should become an NCO.

A first hand account of leadership potential combined with knowledge gained in the course would also bring Soldiers to the board better prepared of NCO duties/responsibilities.

Honestly though, would you make someone an NCO you "think" is good with someone who performed well first in WLC?

I see it as a no-brainer.

Although I'm not a sergeant yet (because I'm studying) a sergeant brought the idea out one day while quizzing me.

But soldiers don't just show they are a good leader in WLC and your command doesn't see how you perform at WLC, so they really can't use that as a testiment to a soldier's leadership skills. And completing WLC doesn't make a soldier into a leader. Mentoring and teaching that soldier is what will make him a leader. And that soldier's NCOs should be doing that everyday, not just leave it up to the WLC instructors.

A soldier, any soldier, is a leader. Regardless of rank, a soldier should realize that anyone rankng below them is going to look to them as an example. As a specialist, it is possible to show you are a good leader and don' just have potential.

When a soldier's NCO is considering sending him to the board, the NCO should be giving him responsibility so that soldier can prove himself.

quote:

I'd see it playing out like this...

"So it says you performed excellent despite being up for 19 hours and losing five individuals in the previous scenario. How was that like?"

You then would tell the board member your successes/difficulties and experiences and they could then verify the facts with the cadre at WLC and decide better if you should become an NCO.

The reality is, no matter how a soldier performs at WLC, the members of the board, as well as his NCO and his command, are going to use their impressions of the soldier and if they think someone is a good soldier. Not what some instructor they don't know tells them.

While I think that WLC is an important tool to created good leaders, it's not the only one. I don't even think it's the most important one. A soldier is only there for 4 weeks. But that soldier spends all of his career learning from the NCOs he works with from day to day, actually experiencing their leadership methods firsthand.

Frosty1 -- Keep in mind this is only an observation of how it might be benefical for WLC first. I know it would never happen because the Army has had processes ingraned a specific way for years.

I just hear that much of the material studied on the board is appplied directly in WLC (PLDC), which would make sense to offer the class first with the board appearance as a kind of end test.

Soldiers would still need the specific points in their MOS prior to the board appearance.

I agree that WLC is beneficial, but I just don't agree with making it a requirement to go to the board. I will say that having not been to WLC yet, it makes my job a little harder. But this mainly applies to counselings and other admin / paperwork type stuff becuase I have had to teach myself how to do it (with the help of my NCO).

And Ricky, I was just having fun debating with you.

Frosty

My bad! I just had to throw a clause out there in case you got uberpissed or something.



LOL, Besides you out rank me, and I wouldn't want to incure your wrath and be smoked in the future.

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Frosty1 -- "Branch start pushing"

RBranch -- "Doh! Stupid topic idea!"

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Well, you do already have points against you for hanging out with Briskey.

But the help you gave me before pretty much cancels that out.

As you said once, always out to help a fellow 46Q.

You'll just have to pay me cash next time.

Remember, I'm just a poor soldier. I'm definately not making big bucks.

If you need help with counselings you can always shoot me a message.

WLC should granted when the soldier is available to attend regardless of the SGT board date.

My unit was proactive in sending soldiers to PLDC soon after they were promoted to SPC. So, in my unit, a soldier appears before the SGT board after WLC by default.

Some soldiers in my unit attended WLC six months after promotion to SGT because they promoted during a transition to the unit.

In closing, it doesn't matter when a soldier attends WLC. They just need to attend sometime before they appear before the SSG board.

quote:

Originally posted by SGT_Babysitter:
In closing, it doesn't matter when a soldier attends WLC. They just need to attend sometime before they appear before the SSG board.

I think it actually does matter when a Soldier attends WLC.

Sure, the policy states in order to attend the SSG Promotion Board you must first complete WLC (unless you have a waiver), but as soon as a Soldier makes SPC, he/she should start to considering WLC.

The chain of command should already have some sort of "pre-WLC" course set up to get Soldiers in the right mindset.

While I agree that any soldier that makes SPC should begin to get ready for both the board as well as WLC the final decision rests on their NCOs I for one will not consider sending one of my soldiers to WLC until after they prove to me that they can take on responsibility and do it well.

I have 4 SPCs in my squad and the two with the most time in grade both over 3 years are my last choices to go. Why? One is the worse soldier I have ever met. He's a good guy tries hard, but doesn't have the common sense enough to pour piss out of a boot with the directions on the heel. The other just doesn't want it. I have two others that need seasoning before they will be ready. They step up and take on the challenges I give them and want to grow. I won't set them up for failure by sending them to early, and that should be the reason someone goes to WLC your ready for that next step not to prove that you are.

I disagree somewhat, in that I do not think WLC prepares a soldier for a "promotion board".

I do think that WLC prepares a soldier to be a non-commissioned officer, as that the intent of the course.

However I believe that the "promotion board" prepares a soldier very little to none to be an NCO.

As long as you can look sharp in your class A's, sound verbally confident, and memorize some creeds and various Army facts you can SMOKE a promotion board. However, that has almost zero equivelency to what kinda NCO that soldier will be.

I just disagree that WLC will increase a board score. When I think of WLC, I think of a course to prepare a soldier to be an NCO! When I think of the promotion board, I think of a formality, that shows how good of a robot one can be for 20 minutes. That's just me tho.

It was only about 4-5 yrs ago that soldiers had to COMPLETE PLDC before they could pin on SGT/E5. That was even if they had their (P) and met the cut off already. Now the rules are more lax, and rightfully so....b/c of deplyments and alot more Up-Tempo Army.