Replacement

SFC B was due to PCS and go back to the states and thus DA (Department of the Army) sent us his replacement.  I don't even recall his name so I'll just refer to him as Replacement.

Now Replacement came from his home state of Michigan where he had been for 10 years or more.  What Army post is in Michigan you say?  None.  He had a family member (his wife or daughter, can't remember) that had a disability and thus he got a compassionate assignment near his home town and he was attached to a reserve unit there.  Basically, he got over on the Army.  I mean, there's no doubt his family member had some type of disability but I doubt it was to the extent he couldn't move --ever.  He just didn't want to.

So Replacement shows up to Germany and he is one unhappy soldier.  DA forced him to move and he wasn't having any of that.  When I tried to help him with things in the office he'd say, "There's no need for you to tell me this stuff, I'm not staying."  Every day he was on the phone fighting with DA to get back home.

And back home he went --he didn't even wait for orders.  I believe he was in Germany no more than 2 weeks and one day he just came in and said he was going back home and would sign into his old unit.  How legal and legit is that?  I have no idea, often wondered the same myself but no one seemed to really care.

Except for the JAG NCOIC and Colonel because they needed an NCOIC to run Crim Law.  So they asked of DA to send them one --but after a few phones calls back and forth and la-di-da --we didn't get a new NCOIC.  DA kept claiming they already sent us one, Replacement and they weren't sending us another one because Replacement was to report back to duty.

Now the way things work in the Army is ---so you know where this is going?  The way things work in the Army is RANK STRUCTURE.  Its all about the rank, whose got it and who does not.  And guess what?  SSG W was the highest ranking soldier in Crim Law and thus, he was put in charge.  Now it was supposed to only be a temporary thing--until they straightened out the whole mess with Replacement.

Nonethelss, SSG W was now my first line supervisor.  He was the Crim Law NCOIC and he was my boss. 

I wasn't too happy but I was hoping in our newly developed professional relationship we would be able to build a good rappert.