We are from a small town in East Texas and the Army has been a VERY eye opening exp. for my son. The Army could not wait to sign him because he tested so high. He went in as a computer geek. Did excellent in basic and shipped to Ft.Gordon. He mentioned that paperwork was not the sgts strong point, but he could deal with it because he knew it was only for a short time for AIT. They kept loosing his paperwork and he retested numerous time for PT. His group shipped out LAST JUNE 2008 and still he was there with SS# wrong or paperwork lost. Then he hurt his knee playing football. No big deal, but now it has become a huge deal. We had master therapists look at in when he was home for Christmas and they were upset that it not being dealt with more than it was. They wanted him to see a surgeon before he went back, but we ran out of time. The sgts kept telling him because of his knee they were moving him from computers to medical and sending him to San Antonio. That was 6 months ago. He is an expert at computers and now they switched his careers. Then he text me this morning and said the sgts again messed up and changed the paperwork and ar forcing him to reclass as a 13b cannon crew!! HE wants to fight it and stated the sgt who messed up is now lying about it. IS THERE ANYTHING HE CAN DO. Can we hire an attorney or what. He will not get the bonuses he was promised when he signed on, but worse this is NOT the career he discussed and was promised when he signed up. From Computer hacker to cannon crew----GIVE ME A BREAK. PLEASE any help out there.

you as a parent can do NOTHING. this is HIS fight and his ALONE. a Lawyer will be a waste of money as you CANNOT SUE( as in forbidden by law) the US military.

but to answer your question yes they CAN decide he is no longer able to do what he orginially signed up for and can move him to ANY other MOS.

my own Stespon was on hold for nearly a year before he was given a New A school and sent to a compeltely different Rating that what he originally signed up for..and yes he lost a bonus because of it.

Yes I realize it is my son's battle since he is 19 and a man now. But some sgts get on power trips when it comes to the young guys and enjoy pushing them around and force them to do things. In other words they could NOT make it in the real world, so they join the Army to push people around. In my world they would have harrassment suits against them for doing they are doing. The Army seems to be really good at wasting good money and brain power. My son did not test or sign up to be a 13b cannon crew. Yes they can stick you any where they need you, but his training and testing is computers. This is a lower pay grade and he delayed college for this. His cousin who he had spoken to about signing up will NOT sign up now and is going straight to college. Another smart kid who will not join.
I spoke with my Army connections and told him to go to the commander and to the army retention office to see what OTHER positions are open and NOT to settle for a b13 cannon crew.

I'm confused on the timeline. He went to basic in Sept 2007. Then you said his AIT was short. Was it at Fort Gordon? What group shipped out? Do you mean his AIT class ended and everyone else PCS'd. And then he was permanently stationed at Fort Gordon? And is this all one sgt you are talking about or several sgts? During the year he has been having problems has he taken any of this up the chain of command? He should not go straight to the commander if he has not gone up the chain of command.

If AIT was six or seven months then the timeline works. I think OP is saying that his class graduated and left a year ago except for him because the SS# was messed up. The screwy part of this is that nothing happened for six months and then he is told he is being reclassed to 68W (assumption on actual MOS) but six months later still nothing has happened and now he is being reclassed to 13B.

Other than play football and mess up his knee, what proactive actions did he take during that first six months? Since he was told he was being reclassed and sent to San Antonio, what proactive actions did he take to make that happen? I can understand dragging your heels a little bit (very little bit) during AIT but the rest of the time he should have been camped on somebody's desk to get this squared away.

On the issue of bonus, if he completed his training then I think his contract will probably state that he gets the bonus. That will be the big argument. I think the bonus is for successful completion of the training and all requirements associated therewith (such as a security clearance if one is required). The bonus isn't paid until the first PDS but everything else has been fulfilled. If the original MOS required a security clearance then that could be a sticking point as it would not be possible to get a clearance with the SS# messed up.

I'm sorry but it sounds like he has waited too long to start taking action (if he is even doing anything now, or whether you are doing everything about it). In another post you had stated that your husband is based in Korea. If he is Army then he might be able to exert some influence on this. Otherwise, it sounds like cannon fodder school for your son. I certainly understand a young soldier not doing anything proactive as my own son is very bad about this himself. I have just come to the realization that he has to live with whatever consequences the Army gives him when he won't do what I tell him to do.

If I were to hazard a guess. his Clearance was denied or yanked for something..and that's why he's being reclassed against his will.

any number of things can and will derail the Clearance being approved. eevnafter schoolstarts or ends.

Regardless do NOT go around making blanket statements about Sgts on Power trips or not being able to make it in the real world. your son Knows very well what his options are/were and how to go about resolving any issues with his chain of command..and there is always IG if he does everything he is supposed to and stil feels he has been mistreated.

1) Different MOSs aren't different paygrades. He will make the same as whatever he's being reclassed as that he was going to as part of the 25 series. The only time people get different pay is if they're deployed or on special duty (or know a foreign language, etc). So he is NOT on a different paygrade now.

2) His testing was not specifically for computers, and the only training he's gotten for computers (from what I understand) has been provided for by the Army. His testing was for overall skill sets, and the Army can send him to any AIT location for any MOS that they want to - it's their money, their workforce, their decisions.

3) Agree with mturnb that I'm not sure why your son was playing football at all (Unless it was mandatory fun) instead of constantly darkening the doorway of every soul at Fort Gordon until something got done or fixed.

4) Agree with Mrsjvb. The ONLY people that need to be contacted at this point are folks @ IG (Inspector General) - and that needs to be done by your son. Your "connections", you hiring a lawyer, whatever, are all useless and the military "connections" could just make some folks angry and it would be taken out on your son. Let him handle his business, he obviously needs the practice.

quote:

and he retested numerous time for PT.

So basically, he failed the PT portion of his schooling and couldn't advance because of it. And it's possible that his reclass to 13B is not because of any powertrip, but because there may not have been any slots available in the other fields he qualified for.

Honestly, I think there's a LOT more to this story than you're being told. A heckuva lot more.

But if after talking to his CoC he feels that he has been wronged, he can call IG. Or even his Congressional rep. But I have a feeling that if you mentioned those options to him, that you'd hear the immediate sound of backpedaling...

No my son passed PT with flying colors each time and was even trying to set speed records. Due to records being lost, misplaced, (I am told by others who were at Ft Gordon this is VERY common there) etc they had him working in the gym to keep him busy when his group shipped out. He kept asking about shipping out and was givn the run around by the sgt. Then last June he hurt his knee playing football. This took him off for several months. Then they told him he might get a medical discharge, which he did not want. Still excited about the Army. Everything drags on due to the knee. He kept asking and was told they were still deciding what to do. Then they said he was going to San Antonio and do medical AIT. He did not care as long as he was out of Ft.Gordon. That was 2 months ago. Then the sgt tells him and a few other guys that they are going to cannon. Lied and said the guys wanted to switch to cannon. Jared went and talked to the First Sgt and he said he would take care of it. First sgt then went on leave and so my son went and talked to the comad sgt major and he is going to talk to operations about the mix up. Hopefully someone higher up the ladder will figure out what the sgt did. Apparent sgt was trying to fill a quote? If what my son said is true, the sgt should be busted.
I DID not make a blanket statement, I said SOME sgts.could not make it in the real world and would be facing lawsuits for their action. They would not be as protected as they are in the Army with young recruits who are trained to follow and do as they as they are told. Yes you do have to be tough on the new guys to get them to learn and compile with the rules, but not to the extend I have seen some sgt.
Thanks for the comments. I am hopefully that my son has taken the advice that was given to him by those serving overseas and will get this situation resolved.

It sounds like he has finally started taking the appropriate actions. That is exactly what the chain of command is for.

Boy, what a mess they've made of your son's record and his service time. I have to agree with you that Fort Gordon sargents do not honor all they say and someone doesn't get paperwork in order. My son was there for months though not as long as your's. I was very frustrated as my son is the type who will not follow up when and as he needs to and he's much older than your son. I was either angry or upset a great deal of the time my son was there. He had injuries and they seemed to really hesitate to make sure the medical aspect was taken care of.

To make a long story shorter, he survived and eventually got out of there and the real army is a whole nother world. I hope your son has success and finds someone who will walk his stuff through and get some action. Keep hanging in there and things will be better.
Melanie

Yes He keeps being told once he can get away from Ft Gordon life will be so much easier, more like a real job. I find it interesting that each base, while Army, is like a family. Each is different, each has it's good point and problems. Just sorry he got stuck in Ft Gordon since so many have said it is so known for it lost paperwork, but it has a good AIT for computers.
Glad to hear everything worked out for your son. My husband (step-dad) is overseas now and is giving him guidance on how the Army works. He is an adult and we want him to make it own his own (with some guidance) without us sticking our noses in his business. Since the last names are not the same, they do not know who his step dad is. If it gets too bad, he may stick more than nose in one sgts face. Ha

SwedishTexan,

If it's true that misery loves company, my son has had it own issues with lost paperwork but with the Marine Corps. Pay, promotions, etc.

Heck, last year he was sent from Camp Lejeuene, NC to 29 Palms, CA for a 7 month detail. He was a qualified mechanic/crewman on the Amphibious Assault Vehicles, had just completed an "Urban Assault" school and shot "Expert" with his M-16 (now he has the M-4).

So what did the brass at 29 Palms see as the best use of his training....yard detail. Just so you know, he was not be punished for anything other than being foolish enough to volunteer for the temp assignment to 29 Palms. He thought he'd either be there working on AAV's or tanks or possibly assisting in the "Urban Assault" training they do out there.

Nope..."Grab rake and a trash bag Lance Corporal and go serve your country."

I just told him to keep him mouth shut, do what he was told and it would all be over soon enough. Now he's back doing what he was trained to do...working on the AAV's.

"Needs of the Service" are what you have to keep reminding yourself.

Don