1LT Dwayne Hodges, Commander
1. My command philosophies and
visions are within the spirits of The Adjutant General and the 57th Troop
Commander for the NJARNG. They further are within my personal endeavors as a
commander committed to commanding a unit and making decisions that are within
the best interest of soldiers, families, and the unit mission. In part of my
visions as commander is to command a company of stellar reputation exercising
standards, Army values and completing missions with the highest integrity and
morale standards leaving the 57t Troop CDR no choice to allow the 253rd to serve
as a plum line for success, and leading the way for the 57th Troop Command. The
paramount of my goals is to unselfishly pave the way for success for the
incoming commander upon completion of my command tour. Striving on ways for the
253rd Transportation Company to improve our role and participate in the
advancement in training, readiness, and strength, Homeland Security/Defense,
Mobilization/demobilization, and Joint Operating capabilities for the 57th Troop
Command and NJARNG. I will continue to maintain areas of “Command Excellence.”
2. As soldiers and leaders of the NJARNG we must protect and defend our force by
placing an emphasis on recruiting and retention. As leaders we do this by
creating opportunities for training and advancement, meanwhile being innovative
with the way we remain rapid, ready and reliable for any mission(s) that are
placed before us. We must actively get in the community and make ourselves
visible and identifiable in the mainstream of society by celebrating the 253rd
Transportation Company’s long and breathtaking history of unselfish, devoted,
loyal service to our beloved America, and our country’s ongoing defense in the
global war on terrorism. Our ongoing participation and answering the “call of
duty” in recent wars and conflicts only adds to our already stellar reputation
that was demonstrated in our service, and qualifies the definition of the 253rd:
“Soldiers of the highest caliber with a burning desire and heart of fire to
serve our country and make America a safe place for our children and families.”
As leaders our efforts to improve retention and to maximize advancement
opportunities is to ensure soldiers are aware of the standards for success, and
know that as soldiers we do not compete against each other for advancement, but
compete against the standards, eliminating competition between soldiers and
improving the cohesive bond that is needed in the battle field.
3. As leaders, it is my belief that our younger soldiers are forced to have an
unqualified belief in the chain of command and that they rely on what we do and
say to be the answer. As such, we must be fair and honest with our soldiers and
never leave them in the dark. We must exercise our integrity within the
parameters of fundamental values we wear on our dog tags. It is my belief that
being a hypocrite as a leader is an injustice. Sacrificing our integrity as
leaders, we forfeit our right to lead troops. Under my command, leaders will
keep their soldiers and mission in front of them, and never lose sight of “Doing
the right thing.” As leaders and soldiers we will make mistakes, learn as
soldiers that 75% of our learning comes from and after action review, which is
acceptable; however, we should always strive to have more ups than downs to
avoid making the same mistakes twice. I challenge all leaders to keep in mind
that decisions we make affect not only soldiers, but the soldier’s families.
Recruiting and retaining families is as paramount as the recruiting and
retaining the soldier.
4. The mentoring of soldiers and providing positive feedback to soldiers is
absolutely necessary for retention. This serves as an excellent training tool to
identify areas where more training is needed, which allows soldiers to maximize
career opportunities for advancement. Quarterly counseling is mandatory for all
leaders and all soldiers to identify soldier’s weaknesses, strength, and
accomplishments in training, which are reasons for soldiers to advance and to be
rewarded. As a commander I place a high emphasis on positive feedback,
recognizing soldiers for good work via advancement and awards. In short, I
believe that we reward good performance, and persuade negative performance. As a
commander I will inspect leadership books from time to time to see the progress
of soldiers under my command. I challenge the leaders to likewise inspect
soldiers. As a rule for leaders we should not expect what we do not inspect.
Inspections do not serve as a tool in finding weaknesses in a soldier; it serves
as a tool to ensure readiness for combat.
5. The 253rd Transportation Company is critical with the current transformation
of the Army. Our role in providing transportation support for Forward Support
Maneuver Combat units makes us a vital organ for the NJARNG and the United
States Army. As a direct asset to the 18th Airborne Corps, we are soldiers
before we are drivers. As we trained throughout the year on METL correlated with
our unit MTOE, we must keep a healthy fighting mind and place a great emphasis
on basic combat infantry skills that will certainly bring us home, meanwhile
maintaining proficiency of our DMOSQ. As civilian soldiers we are busy, and
expectations are high of us. The ongoing presence of the 253rd on the battle
fields over the years does not escape us from the fact that we still need to be
prepared to defend the great state of New Jersey, where the Army National Guard
also serves as the last level of defense for the state, while defending America.
As leaders our job in this fight is to constantly ensure readiness and
preparation for missions. We will always be ready for a solider readiness
process, and my NCOs will always “inspect” soldiers, to expect readiness.
6. As the commander for the 253rd Transportation Company I have an open-door
policy for any issues that exercises the chain of command in a professional
manner. I am committed to helping and serving soldiers. It is my expectation
that my leaders exercise the same devotion. Whenever soldiers do not feel a
resolution within their chain of command, I will welcome the opportunity for it
to be brought to my attention, and I guarantee fairness and protection from
retaliation. As the commander I will not have all the answers or solutions, but
will do my best to fix them. A problem or concern not brought forward is a
problem or concern without relevance. I mock my commander when I say ‘Nothing is
more important than taking care of soldiers.”
7. I believe in being professional at all times and performing our duty as
soldiers in a manner that is fitting of a “true professional” within the best
tradition, highest reflection of honesty, integrity, loyalty, and duty. As a
professional organization, the United States Army is governed by regulations. As
a commander I reserve the authority to deploy polices based on the expectations
of my commander, Army Regulations, and policies. Policies serve to keep soldiers
informed and prepare them for success; they do not serve as a tool to identify
problems or weaknesses within the company. It is my expectation that soldiers
and leaders under my command are intelligent to my policy letters and ask
questions where there is ambiguity. It is my belief and best guidance as your
commander that you believe that it is easier to ask for permission than it is
for forgiveness. I have learned over the years, both as an enlisted soldier and
officer, that the expectation of a soldier is a specific task that is three
fold; “Be where you’re supposed to be, when you’re suppose to be there, and do
what you’re suppose to do when you get there.” Everything else is implied!
Dwayne Gary Hodges
253rd Transportation Company
Commanding
