By Sgt. Sidnie Smith
4th Combat Aviation Brigade Public Affairs Office, 4th Infantry Division
FORT CARSON, Colo. — Spc. Cornelius Minor, motor transport operator with Alpha Company, 404th Aviation Support Battalion, 4th Combat Aviation Brigade, 4th Infantry Division, answers a question from a board member through a video call during the first virtual board April 2, 2020, at Fort Carson, Colorado. (Photo by Sgt. Sidnie Smith)
FORT CARSON, Colo. — The 4th Combat Aviation Brigade, 4th Infantry Division, conducted its first virtual promotion board April 2, 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The board, which had 16 Soldiers come through to continue their career progression to the rank of sergeant and staff sergeant, had two senior NCOs in person and two first sergeants over a video call.
Present in the room were Command Sgt. Maj. Jon Trawick, senior enlisted leader, 404th Aviation Support Battalion, 4th CAB, who served as the president of the board, along with 1st Sgt. Ralph Zito, Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 4th CAB. Other leaders with 404th ASB, 4th CAB, included 1st Sgt. Tony Ginn Jr. and 1st Sgt. Thavone Phavivong, Alpha and Charlie companies, respectively, who were on the other end of the video call, for a total of four leaders on the virtual board.
Trawick said it’s important to conduct promotion boards during the pandemic as close as to how they are normally done.
“We don’t want to set a bad habit as these Soldiers continue to move through the ranks in the Army,” Trawick said. “We still need to teach Soldiers how boards are supposed to be conducted.”
The brigade experienced technological difficulties, but quickly found ways to adapt and overcome.
FORT CARSON, Colo. — Spc. Cornelius Minor, motor transport operator with Alpha Company, 404th Aviation Support Battalion, 4th Combat Aviation Brigade, 4th Infantry Division, salutes after being dismissed from the brigade’s first virtual board April 2, 2020, by Command Sgt. Major Jon Trawick, senior enlisted leader, 404th ASB, 4th CAB.
Spc. Cornelius Minor a motor transport operator with Alpha Company, 404th ASB, 4th CAB, said it was not what he was expecting, being his first board.
“I was worried about not having a sponsor with me, my paperwork not being correct or my uniform being messed up,” Minor said.
Despite the nervousness he felt, Minor said he felt the virtual board was still beneficial.
“It was nice to still … have my leadership there, even if my first sergeant was over the phone,” he said. “It helped me be more confident.”
During most conventional boards, all board members sit in front of the Soldier, Zito said. The decision to keep two of the board members in the room was made to add relevance to the Soldier’s experience, while maintaining social distancing.
“Soldiers are supposed to come in (and) to be nervous, but have that face-to-face interaction with the sergeant major,” Zito said. “I think Soldiers had a similar experience (that) previous Soldiers before them got.”
While Zito said he is not comfortable with the virtual board, he also feels this is something that will continue to happen in the near future.
“I think introducing anything new is a challenge, and with change comes un-comfortability,” he said. “It challenges our traditional ways (in the Army) of how we do things. I think that the Solders did get the feel of the face-to-face portion of the board, while still getting the virtual way of doing things. There is a benefit there of mixing the new and the old in this current situation that makes us have to overcome and adapt and start new traditions.”
FORT CARSON, Colo. — Command Sgt. Major Jon Trawick, left, senior enlisted leader, 404th Aviation Support Battalion, 4th Combat Aviation Brigade, 4th Infantry Division, and 1st Sgt. Ralph Zito, first sergeant of Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 4th CAB, prepare for the brigade’s first virtual board April 2, 2020.