Expert: Aaron Shifferly - 8/6/2009

Question
My son is at Fort Leonard Wood and wrote to his friend and told them that he was a Platoon Guide. What does that mean? The last communication I had with him was a phone call stating that he was meeting with his liaison about coming home. An initial call weeks prior to that said that he "could not do this" and that he was coming home. I plan to call his recruiter but would love to hear what you have to say. I feel like this was a test he had to pass; lie about his success. Could he have changed his mind? Is a Platoon Leader a promotion?

Answer
A platoon guide is basically the trainee who tries to keep the other trainees in his platoon accounted for. Technically he's 'higher ranking' than others just on the basis of his duty position. Basic training is designed to be challenging and as such does create some doubt in the mind of the person as to their ability to complete it. Your son may simply be going through this cycle a couple times during his training process. He could also seriously be trying to leave basic, but it isn't as easy as saying you want to go home. Oftentimes the Army will hold your son to the contract he signed upon entry; especially if there is nothing physically or mentally wrong with him. So the best answer to your question is: yes, he could have changed his mind and Platoon Guide is something of a promotion but not in terms of rank or pay. If you have more questions please let me know. I'm happy to answer.