lessons learned
Phoning It In
A young signal platoon leader in the Army thinks he has a simple stateside mission in the bag, but his usually well-performing unit’s complacency has bred failure.
As a young signal platoon leader, I deployed to Fort McClellan, Ala., during an exercise with a special forces (SF) battalion. My platoon was ordered to provide computer and telephone services, allowing the SF unit to communicate with other units. My soldiers had numerous prior operations under their belts and functioned like a well-oiled machine. Although we never downplayed the importance of this mission, we thought it much simpler overall. By comparison, earlier missions to South Korea and Kuwait appeared more difficult and presented more opportunities for problems. This time, all we had to do was load our communication equipment into military containers, put a couple of vehicles on a flatbed, throw on civilian clothes, and drive in rented vans from North Carolina to Alabama.
The trip to Alabama went smoothly, and our equipment arrived as scheduled. The SF battalion welcomed us. My soldiers immediately went into action running telephone lines and installing computers. Another successful mission in the bag — or so I thought. A couple of hours later, one of my NCOs came to me with a worried expression. “Lieutenant,” he said, “we have a problem. I left the telephone switch back at Fort Bragg, N.C. We can’t provide phone service without it.” I breathed deep and asked the good sergeant to look again. Certainly we could not have left such a critical item behind.
Hat in hand, I went to the SF battalion commander and explained our dilemma. He listened patiently and asked for my recommendations. Expecting the commander to reduce me to a pile of ash, I was floored by his reaction. Obviously, this was a teaching moment. “Sir, I will call back to Fort Bragg, have the equipment sent here by FedEx, and provide you an update on when the phones will be hot,” I said. He nodded his concurrence. Back at my platoon command post, I hastily arranged a plan to ship the missing equipment. A month later, we returned to Bragg with our heads high and a sizeable FedEx bill in hand.
I learned several lessons on that mission. First, I had allowed my platoon to grow complacent, and that complacency bred failure. Second, I realized the importance of checklists and packing lists. Most important, I saw the value of allowing soldiers to learn from their mistakes. The SF commander saw an opportunity for me to grow as a leader. I like to think I made the most of that opportunity.
MO
— Chris Heatherly is an active duty Army major. He resides in Fort Leavenworth, Kan. For submission information, see page 6.
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82 MILITARY OFFICER APRIL 2013
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