Officer's of the AotM,
Good morning! I had an Officer approach me asking about what the process is for becoming a Division or Corps Cmdr within the Army of the Mississippi. I thought that was an exceptional question and I wanted to take the time to answer that question and put it here in our HQ for future reference. What I've done below is described the basic responsibilities of a Division Cmdr. A Corps and even an Army Cmdrs duties are very similar to these but I think this will get us started. There are always opportunities for leadership within the AotM... at any level... so if you are interested... regardless of your rank or experience... please let myself, your Corps or Division Cmdrs know.
The basic responsibility of the Division Cmdr is to promote the activity of the Officer's within your Division and to report regularly to your Corps Cmdr.
I have designed Division Reporting forms for all of the AotM Divisions. They are located here:
http://www.rogerhulinsky.com/reports/DivReporting.html
For example, you can click on the link for 1st Division, I Corps:
http://www.rogerhulinsky.com/reports/DivReport1D1C.html
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I've copied a portion of the form above. It shows the basic information that the Corps and Army Cmdrs want to know about each of your Officers each month.
First, Has this Officer Mustered this month? If yes... you check this box.
You would determine that they have mustered by checking the AotM Muster site:
http://www.acwgc.org/AotM/Muster.cfm
Division Cmdrs have special access to this page... which I would show you later if you accepted the position. If they have not Mustered... you would email them and remind them to do so. We want all our Officers to Muster every month as it is a Club requirement.
Second, Has been in Email Contact this month? If yes... you check this box.
As a Division Cmdr you should be sending out an email to each of the Officers in your Division about once a week. Basically, you are supposed to be a friend to each Officer in your Division and get to know them. The purpose of your emails is to see if they are playing games, if they need any help in learning to play better (as it's more enjoyable to win than to lose) and just generally keep them interested in the Club.
Third, Has games In Progress. If yes... you check this box. It's a Club requirement to have at least one game going on at all times.
If they don't, then assist them in finding an opponent and a game to play. Also it's great as a Division Cmdr to play maneuver games with your newer Officer's to help them learn how to play better and also as your Division Officer's become more experienced it's often great fun to see if you can get all or a bunch of your Division Officer's to play in a multiplayer game together. It's great for building esprit de corps and for building the reputation of your Division as a veteran fighting force.
Fourth, Has posted at AotM HQ at MDT this month. If yes... you check this box.
The AotM HQ is here:
http://www.wargame.ch/board/acw/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=14088
Every Officer should check in and post in the Forum at least once a month. If they are not... they are missing out on a lot of whats happening in the AotM. I'll list the information for registering for the Mason Dixon Tavern below.
<i><font size="1">Send an Email to
acwgc@wargame.ch stating a Username and a Password you want to use as well as your ACWGC unit.
Request will be reviewed and eligible member will be created. You will be notified when your registration is complete. You will be able to update your profile and change your password once registered.
Note: All posts require your signature to include your Rank, full Name, (Unit) Bde/Div/Army and side.
-If you forget your password you can go to the
http://www.wargame.ch/board/acw/ page and use the 'forgot your password' section.
-Anyone can view the boards without registering
Questions:
acwgc@wargame.ch</font id="size1"></i>
Fifth, Has Requested Leave of Absense this month. If yes, check this box and then type a message in the Additional comments regarding this Officer box.
Let us know why they are going on a Leave of Absense and when they expect to return. Some exapmles, might be in cases of military deployment, extended vacation, sickness, hospitalization, moving or having your computer die and it will taking awhile to replace it. Generally anything that would have a Officer away from the Club for 4 weeks or more should be reported as a Leave of Absense so that Officer isn't thought to have suddenly disappeared from the Club.
Sixth, we have I am requesting 0-4 conduct points for this Officer this month. These are conduct points that can be awarded to Brigade Officers who are fully meeting all the above listed requirements.
The range of conduct points that can be requested are from 0-4 points. These have to be approved by higher as the Army of the Mississippi has around 80 Conduct points to award it's Officer's each month. Sometimes you'll have an exceptional Officer who is doing all the above and more... maybe helping out with web pages, organizing battles, etc. You'd definitely want to request 4 conduct points for them each month. Your average Officer is generally going to earn from 1-2 conduct points a month if he meets all the requirements above.
Lastly, we have Additional comments regarding this Officer, where you can make specific comments about that Officer. It could be Leave of Absense info, comments that you are engaged in a maneuver game with them and that their gaming skills are improving, that this Officer is asking questions about something in the club and you don't know the answer to it... just any sort of comments about this fellow that you want higher command to know about or that we might be able to assist you with.
These are the basic responsibilities of a Division Cmdr. At first, it may seem like a lot of work... which in a sense it is but after awhile it just becomes second nature and you can do it in your sleep. Not everyone is cut out to be a Division Cmdr... you have to enjoy interacting with the folks in your Division and you have to enjoy the Club, the gaming, the history and the roleplaying aspect of things... but if you do like these things... I believe you'll find being a Division Cmdr the most rewarding administrative position in the Club.
Division Cmdrs are also eligible for Conduct Points and these are recommended by your Corps Cmdr on a monthly basis. As a Division Cmdr... you are also eligible for 5 Administrative Points each month for the successful completion of all your Divisional duties. The idea of admin points is that it pays you for the work you do as a Division Cmdr and makes up for some of the points you might have gained if you would have been spending that same time in fighting your own personal battles instead. That's an extra 60 OBD points a year... which is a great bonus if you enjoy being a Division Cmdr.
If anyone has any questions... please let me know. If it's something that you think you would like to do... let me know and we'll make it happen.
Warmest Regards,
General Roger Hulinsky
Cmdg, AotM
Confederate States of America
