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This is a mission performed by selected NCOs 24 hours a day, seven days a week. On any given day, a leader holding this position might work until late at night, run information from the top levels of the Army to his or her Soldiers and even bring aid or counsel to a Soldier in need.
This is the life of a platoon sergeant.
The platoon sergeants of Headquarters and Headquarters Company, Special Troops Battalion, 21st Theater Sustainment Command, have a unique mission they perform in addition to their normal duties.
A platoon sergeant’s duty day officially begins with the first accountability formation held right before physical readiness training. The NCO must have 100 percent visibility of all Soldiers, NCOs and officers within their platoon and report by a number list to the company first sergeant. The platoon sergeant then conducts morning PRT with the company or platoon.
“My morning starts at 5 a.m. when I do early physical readiness training with some of the members of my platoon,” said Sgt. 1st Class Raymond M. Jones, HHC, STB platoon sergeant and the 21st TSC senior supply sergeant. “When I report to the first sergeant before I do physical readiness training with the rest of the platoon, I have to be able to report all medical appointments, status or meetings for every Soldier.”
Every day it is the platoon sergeant’s mission to take care of all Soldiers in their platoon no matter what the need. Their duties include administering the Army physical fitness test, handling personnel and pay issues, providing professional counsel, conducting inventories, assigning details and taskings, coordinating basic Soldier training, and monitoring Soldier physical fitness development. They perform all of these duties in addition to their primary mission within the command.
“The platoon sergeants here come from all sections and military occupational specialties within this command including legal, logistics, personnel management, supply and maintenance,” said 1st Sgt. Oscar Castellon, the HHC, STB first sergeant. “Some of their greatest challenges stem from having to balance their daily mission within this command and taking care of the Soldiers within their platoon.”
Unlike platoon sergeants working in combat arms companies, being a platoon sergeant in the “First in Support” command is an additional duty performed by selected NCOs. In combat arms units, the platoon sergeant coordinates all training, missions and daily life for the Soldiers under their charge. The 21st TSC platoon sergeants face the final challenge of coordinating training and mission requirements around each of the command’s individual section training.
“Every section within this command is working on a different schedule with different appointments, meetings and deadlines,” Jones said. “It is our mission to make sure that these sections take care of their basic Soldier needs while working around their schedules.”
With the high operational tempo and mission requirements within the command, platoon sergeants continue to set the example and take care of their Soldiers. They display a professional attitude and ability every day while accomplishing the many missions with which they are tasked.
“Being a platoon sergeant is a difficult but very rewarding job,” said Sgt. 1st Class Erica Stenson, an HHC, STB platoon sergeant, and operations NCO with the 266th Financial Management Support Center. “Watching Soldiers grow and develop into leaders is one of the best aspects of being a platoon sergeant.”
