I have several bosses.
In theater, I am administratively attached to a BTN and so fall under the BTN CDR, a LTC. But I also report directly to and take taskings from our BDE CDR, a COL. There is also a LTC(P) from my command in theater doing similar work to my own, and in many ways I fall under him as well, when my projects warrant his attention – though he is only tangentially involved with the functions of the BTN/BDE.
Then, too, there is my chain of command Stateside, who I deal with almost exclusively through email, but who nonetheless give me directives, rate me, and (very important) approve my hours and pay me.
My chain of command in theater extends from the BDE CDR to a BG (1-star general) who sits in Kuwait. He came to visit us this week, and I was invited to have dinner with him and 30 of his closest underlings.The dinner is held at the chow hall I usually eat at, in the same side room where we entertained the 4-star a few months ago. They serve the best food they can, which is the dry steaks we ‘enjoy’ every Friday night. Before chowing, we go around the room and introduce ourselves, the BG nodding along and only occasionally making a quip if he already knows the person.
I’d never met him, and so my introduction is quick, and I sit down to wait and watch as the circuit is completed. Soon enough, we eat, and then the BDE CDR presents awards and a BDE coin to a redeploying civilian, someone I’d had occasion to work with a bit and like a lot.
I’ve sat through a number of these award ceremonies, and stood up for one when I left Iraq in October of 2007. The only thing that changes is the CDR’s specific spiel about the departing. He has a lot to say about Dave tonight, all of it deserved, and it ends with a pinning of a medal for which we stand at attention.
The honor completed, the BG then stands up to take questions from the room. He receives only a few, but makes the most of them by answering in long, drawn-out responses most of which are at a level far above my concern and are therefore lost to me. It’s nice that he avails himself to us, as the 4-star did when he was here, but with our CDR’s in the room I get the distinct impression that we’d better have vetted our questions through them before broaching anything with the BG.
I have no questions for him.
The dinner ends, with some of my colleagues sticking around to get their picture taken with the BG, our transitory celebrity.
I was happy to be included, but quietly slip out the back door.
BTN = Battalion
CDR = Commander
LTC = Lieutenant Colonel
BDE = Brigade
COL = Colonel
LTC(P) = Lieutenant Colonel (Promotable)
BG = Brigadier General
