When asked by the President of the Board, "Why do you want to be the SOM"

would being honest and stating "I don't want to be the SOM, I am only here because I was told that this is my place of duty by my first line supervisor." be a bad thing or what?

Now I know that I will more than likely get in trouble, but I also know, that my 1st line supervisor will also get into trouble for wasting the 1SG's time by sending me to this board.

Does anyone have any advice other than the typical Army answer of suck it up and drive on? Its not that I a nervous about going to the board, or that I don't know the topics to go, becuase given my competetion, I would very easlily win, it more that I don't want to waste time on a Board that is not for my promotion. There is nothing that is worth going to this board that has been brought to my attention...oh a four day weekend to the winner, but I already have five of those in my records that I am not using. so why bother...no real benefits...i am not one of those soldiers who worries about appearances, so winning it again does nothing for me. i have also seen soldier who win these things loose the promotion board, more times than not at least here anyway.....

any advice will be helpfull thanks.

think of boards as presenting yourself. it may feel tough to fire off a witty response like that, but it won't impress them, many others have already done it, and you WILL be remembered for being a smart guy when promo time comes.
just tell them you want the board experience, and another notch in your belt.
my two cents

unfortuantly, i don't bend over for people like that ---- no offense intended ---- so since i feel this board is a waste of time, and everyone in the company agrees, mentally i am ready for promotion, the only thing holding me back , is pt is my week point i guess i will tactfully speak my mind.

Stop crying, you are probably going to be told to do worst things if you stay in. They make you do pt right, do you protest that.

The way I see it, you have 2 choices:

1. Tell the board you are "looking to improve your board performance in preparation for the promotion board."

2. Tell the truth, and tactfully state "I have no desire to be SOM. I am here because I was told this is my place of duty for today."

Either one is OK. Granted the second one will probably get you in some hot water, but remind the 1SG that you're only being honest and you want to maintain your integrity.

My other idea is to inform your 1st line leader that you don't want to go to the board, if he/she doesn't concur, then inform him/her you're going to the next higher leader. And so on, until you get to the 1SG. You have that right. This option may still get you in hot water with your chain, but you'll stay in the 1SG's good graces this way, instead of making a fool out of everyone at the board.

I agree with above. You either fight to win the damn thing or don't waste their time and be honest.

"I was told I had to be here" is a valid response. You may even not have to answer any questions. :?

74B,

I have sat on a variety of enlisted boards, to include the "mother of all boards," the Sergeant Audie Murphy Board. It does not matter that you believe that the SOM Board is a waste of your time, nor does it matter that you found a host of other soldiers in your unit who feel the same way. Your supervisor is sending you, not to make you miserable, but to ensure that you are prepared for the promotion board. Based on your sample "truthful response" that you have formatted as to why should you be selected as the soldier of the month, I have made a decision already. You ARE NOT YET READY TO BE A NONCOMMISSIONED OFFICER. Why? Because contrary to what you may now think, YOU DO NOT KNOW EVERYTHING. Even the most junior buck sergeant whom you may or may not respect, may have a knowledge base that you do not, presuming they have already appeared before a promotion board. Some soldiers do exceptionally well in mock boards held by NCOs within their squad or Plt. Some even do well at the company level, in front of their own chain of command. Some of the same soldiers, however, end up looking like soup sandwhich when they are expected to perform in front of others whom they don't have daily interaction with. The bottom line is, you have to trust that your first line supervisor, with the support of the PLT SGT and 1SG, know what is best for you in this area. I assure you, even in hiding your want to be a smart ass under the guise of integrity, it is a very bad move at the SOM Board, and I guarantee, your comment, or any similar comments will be remembered and taken into consideration before anyone on that board recommends you to appear before a promotion board and the BN CSM. No 1SG is going to take the chance that one of his/her soldiers is going to embarass him/her and themselves by making such an unprofessional statement at a board that is essentially a stepping stone to the promotion board. Trust me. PM me if you would like to discuss. I may be able to come up with a response that both you and your NCO spport chain can live with, and it is not "selling out" by any means.

DS2000

The SOM is for the Soldiers not just a soldier so your unit is jacked up and tell them that you have already proved to yourself your unit and the army that you can exceed the standards and that they need to give your soldiers in your battery/company a chance at the SOM.....

my question is this:

how many boards have you been to before?

then aks yourself this question: if you have never been to a board before, which is better - flubbing up on a SOM board because it's your first try, or flubbing up on a promotion board because it's your first try?

everything is done for a reason. Just because you don't know that reason, does not mean there isn't one.

Whats the problem with going to a board anyway? You learn more things about the army, you get some experience and its only a couple hours out of your life. There are very few shots to proves that you know more than just your mos. Take every shot you get...

74Bsoldier, if you have never been to a board, it is a good thing to go to a SOM board before going in front of that CSM for the first time in your military life and expect him to recommend you to become an NCO. I know from first hand experience how nervous it is to go to a promotion board, and your only board expeirence is an impromptu(sp?) board from top in the middle of the dessert. i was boarded and promoted in Iraq last year. I had never been to a board in my life cause i thought i knew everything i needed to. I scored a 144 on my promo board regardless. although i could have gotten a 150 if i knew what to expect (i.e., don't let your fingers twitch, learn the simple things cause when you forget them on the board you look stupid, and no matter how loud you think you are speaking that CSM and all those 1SG's are deaf). In my unit, you must go before our 1SGs' preboard, then the BN SOM board, and then the promotion board.

Quit being a pus-ass :twisted: GO TO THE BOARD ASSHOLE :twisted:

please be mindful of your language

You have to think posotive about the board. I won post SOM and i got about 700$ and about 400in savings bonds. and by winning the SOM it has put me in for those promotions..... ei got my CPL in 18 months. SO... the best advise is suckit up and drive on...........lol

CPL Smith

If you have been thru several boards and done well on all of them, I would leave it as a simple, I am not here to BE the SOM, I am here for the extra experience before I appear before the promotion board. That way you won't piss anyone off, you are telling them you are not there for the SOM, but you want to do a good job and get promoted. If you have not been to any kind of board before, then you don't know that you could easily win, because you don't know what appearing before a board is like in real life. My first board appearance was SOQ for my unit level (reservist at the time, didn't do a monthly one) and I won by default, but I remember they told me right face, and I had to stop for 30 seconds because my brain completely blanked out and I forgot left from right. I was also informed that not only was my uniform tight, it was noticebly too tight. I have my E5 board in one month, and I am wishing that my unit was doing a SOM board for me to get some practice. Oh, BTW, maybe your SOM board only gets you a four day pass, but if you keep winning, the rewards get bigger. My ex would have won a new class A uniform had he won BN soldier of the year, and new dress blues for post, as well as reserved parking spot at work. And winning SOM in and of itself gets you some more important stuff that is not materialistic, like pride, and people respecting you that little bit more for being that intelligent to win.