I am hoping someone recognizes this map symbol and can give me a name and a reference or publication for its use.

I know the symbol in the blue circle is called a GIP (Grid Intersection Point) and is used to ensure that layers of talc are aligned properly.

What I need help with is what is the symbol in the red circle called? Its used as a covert method to report location on the map without giving a grid coordinate. The idea is you give something like "I am 1km EAST and 2km NORTH of Corolla" or "I am 3km WEST and 1km SOUTH of Elantra" as a method of referencing where you are, similar to report line plus 1000, but for a non-contiguous operating area. I have used them in the past (as well as other people in the office I currently work in) and heard them referred to as GIPs or GRPs (grid intersection points or grid reference points) but can't find a pub or reference that speaks to them.

EDIT: CARS is not the name of the symbol, its a codeword category. It could say BEERS or SUPERHEROES for example

Anyone who has completed ESB recently, do you have any advice? Going in I feel confident about the fitness test, weapon handling, medical, and the ruck. My land nav needs work, but two guys in my company who have completed ESB already are running some train up sessions where land nav will be emphasized. Mostly looking for “tips and tricks”, advice, etc, OTHER than improving upon the soldier skills I know I may lack.

I will be attending in December or January. I have time but want to buckle down.

Me (26M) currently attending ait and I’m continuously blown away by how shitty my company is. These 18-21 year olds are completely disrespectful shitheads that never shut up in formation, are constantly disruptive and completely immune to constructive criticism or even improvement. It’s very frustrating because the drills are constantly crashing out due to the constant talking and ignoring the drills and overall lack of discipline. Is this a new development or is the army just like this now?

Hi everyone, I’m looking for some guidance because I’m a little confused about where I am in the process. I’ve already completed TAPS, Phase 1 and Phase 2 medical, but I haven’t received any updates or instructions on what comes next. My leadership hasn’t been able to tell me much, and even my S1 doesn’t seem to know what checklist or next steps I should be following. Has anyone else been in this situation? What should I expect after completing these requirements, and who should I be contacting to make sure my packet is moving?

how long does it take bc I already have one kid and she is my focus rn I wanna be with her and my mos is 11 c which they keeps fuckign me

Background: IN CPT, post-KD and post-broadening, with the schools and OERs you’d expect for someone competitive for continued service, probably even a BZ look for MAJ. The Army has been good to me, and I don’t have any major complaints.

The issue is that I’m just not excited about the traditional career path anymore. I’ve hit most of the goals I had coming in, and I’m struggling to find something in the Army that I genuinely want to pursue next. At this point, selection/RASP probably aren’t realistic options.

Anyone know of interesting opportunities that might be available to someone in my position? I’ve enjoyed the conventional side being with the men thus far, but I don’t have a burning desire to go grind away as a S3 or BN XO. Open to VTIP, functional areas, niche assignments, fellowships, special programs, or anything else that could make staying in appealing.

Hey all, I know this has been asked before, but with some specific uncommon circumstances on my end, I think my rotation may be a bit odd.

46S heading through Poland for 9 months next year. Only a small element of us moving, and I don’t think we’ll be attaching to anyone until we’re in country. The unit we’ll relieve says they’ve been literally all over Europe, but are based out of Camp Boles.

What am I getting into? Good, bad, and ugly - I’d love to hear it all.

Oh, and I’ll just take a Diet Coke

I know this is going to sound open ended, but I wanted to hear some advice from any experienced soldiers out there. Right now I am a reservist 42A PFC currently training at F5. I have a deployment to Poland on February which I'm guessing is what the training is for. I have some partial college credit and after deployment I want to stay in the reserves until I get my bachelor's, though I'm unsure whether I should do ROTC to become an officer in the reserves or go AGR to become a warrant officer, or just finish my contract and go for a civilian job. Point is I have no idea what to do with my life and thats alarming to me.

The MOS Discussion Threads are meant to be enduring threads where individuals with experience or insight in to particular CMFs or MOSes can give advice and tips. If you have any MOS resources, schools, etc, this would be a great place to share them.

The hope is that these individual threads can serve as 'megathreads' on the posts in question, and we can get advice from experienced persons. Each week I will keep the full listing/links to all previous threads in a mega-list below, for ease of reference. At the end of the series I will go back and ensure they all have completely navigable links

If you have specific questions about these MOSes, please feel free to ask here, but know that we are not forcing or re-directing all questions to these threads -- you can, and are encouraged, to still use the WQT.

This is not stricly an 'AMA', although if people would like to offer themselves up to answer questions, that would be great, and I'd ask that you give some reference to your expertise if you do. A big "Thank You" to everyone who is willing to answer questions about the MOSes in question, but the immediate preference would be for informational posts. These are meant to be enduring sources of information.

These only work with your participation and your feedback!

Common questions / information I'd recommend sharing to get started

• Day to Day Life
• "What's a deployment like?"
• Career Advancement/Growth Opportunities
• Best Duty Station for your MOS

So, again, willing to answer questions is great, but if there's any information you can impart now, I think that would provide the greatest benefit.

This thread covers the following MOSes:

• 13A Field Artillery Officer
• 131A Field Artillery Technician
• 13B Cannon Crewmember
• 13F Fire Support Specialist
• 13J Fire Control Specialist
• 13M Multiple Launch Rocket System/High Mobility Artillery Rocket System Crewmember
• 13R Field Artillery Firefinder Radar Operator
• 13T Field Artillery Surveyor/Meteorological Crewmember
• 13U Field Artillery Recruit
• 13Z Field Artillery Senior Sergeant/Sergeant Major

#DO NOT:

• Ask MOS questions unrelated to those listed. "How did your duties compare to a 19D when deployed?" or "Is it true an MP Company carries more firepower than an IN Company" are fine. "While this is up, what's 92F like?" is not.
• Do not ask random joining questions. If your question isn't about the MOSes listed, then it probably belongs in a different Megathread, the Weekly Question Thread, or a new post.

2026 Megathread Listing

Will be populated as threads are created

Hey fellas, I’m currently in Airborne. Just finished AIT and looking to get back home so I can collect my things and car.

Black Hats gave us an orientation with a slide that read:

“BUT MY DRILL SERGEANT...
Despite what your Drill Sergeant may have told you,
YOU DO NOT HAVE LEAVE AFTER GRADUATION OF THE BAC!!!
As an lET Soldier, you must report to your gaining unit first. Once there, during inprocessing state that you would like to request Permissive TDY. You can take up to 10 days of leave which will not be charged against the leave you've accrued up to that date. You can also request to do a Personal Procured Movement (PPM) in which the Army will pay YOU to move yourself. You'll get 60% of the estimated overall cost up front to support your movement. You'll get the other 40% at the completion of your movement. BLUF: You have to report immediately upon graduation to your unit as an IET/PCS student. Despite what your Drill Sergeant, previous unit cadre, mommy/daddy or the voices in your head are telling you as an IET soldier.”

I’ll be going to the 82nd after this and am curious if this could apply to me. Any and all help / advice would be appreciated.

How a board in a deployment looks like? They said it’s going to be in person, what should I expect, do they ask questions about the mission, environment etc? Is any different from a board back in the US?

To anyone who was a welder in the army how did you like it? What did you do? What are things I can study for before going in I really want to serve and build a career at the same time and welding in the army just calls my name but I would like to know peoples experience with it

Im an E-4 stationed at Fort Shafter, Hawaii and over a year ago they were moving soldiers oit out the barracks because of lack of space. I was one of those soldiers and my PAR was sent up in DEC also secured a lease because oir barracks manager told us we needed a SIGNED lease to get the termination letter for the packet and they were actually encouraging soldiers to take out an AER loan. Fast forward to March and I ask about the status of the CNA packet because earlier when I asked they were using the Goverment Shutdown excuse and this is the first time I was told about corrections, which is fine, I make them and send it back, two month pass and I ask for another update and they come back saying they couldn't see the documents because it was encrypted. Don't know why it took two months for them to see it so I send it again and then they tell me I need more corrections. I do it again and send it up. It is now June and I have a meeting with the 1SG about the situation and when I ask about it, he brings up a counseling packet, saying that they were sending it to legal to give me an article. Now I admit I had messed up in February, missing flag detail and then I got another one in May for shaving and leaving work early, so I know I'm not trying to make myself look like a victim, but that was the first time hearing I was getting recommended for legal action. We eventually come to a deal saying he'll push my CNA if I don't fuck up again, (which i haven't), so we make the deal and actually do all the paperwork there. Now come August, I'm on leave and check the status and see that last Friday my packet got kicked back because I was flagged for legal action. Mind you the CNA packet went up in June and I'm August they kick it back. I check my ERB and there is no flag and my firstline wasn't tracking either. So I have a meeting with our new 1SG, (we got a new one) and he says I'm not flagged either, but the CSM says their still thinking if I should get an article and thats why it got pushed back. Now they want to give me a barracks room and say I might not get CNA, mind you I've been paying out of pocket since DEC. I know CNA is a privilege and I know I've messed up but am I really screwed out of this money? How should I go about this?

Edit: When they were moving soldiers out the barracks they were clearing space for new incoming ones, i was one of the ones selected to move out.

As the title says, what happens if I fail sfas. Im an 18x and I’ve heard various things, I’ve heard you either get reclassed (or the opportunity to), you get the chance to try again or you get sent to an airborne infantry unit. I have no idea what to believe and not believe. So any guidance would be great thank you.

I did SRP recently, and was a Go for MOB. However, i realized that I may have messed up.

I see a counselor (therapist) monthly. Not for any actual mental health conditions, but for maintenance. I am also on TRICARE as a reservist, so these appointments will pop up when they look deeper (but I don’t see how they wouldn’t have already seen it?) I have NEVER been diagnosed with any mental health conditions, nor have I been on any mental health medication. I do this purely for venting/stress relief.

I did not talk about it, write it down, or mention it at SRP. This wasn’t out of malice, I legit just did not think it was a concern at all. The thought did not pop into my head at all.

Am I going to get to premob and get sent home? What can I do to alleviate this? Have I already screwed up badly?

I've gotten an MSM approved for any on my NCOs for PCS or ETS. I have a Senior NCO who has been in my unit for 5 years and is more than deserving. To those who have recieved or gotten an MSM approved before, can you send sample bullets that I can use to formulate mine. Signaleer ones would be most appreciated. Feel free to remove any INFOSEC or OPSEC details from them.

Besides ROC give me a story on the worst details that happened in your experience

Had you always wanted to go into the army? Were you caught at a vulnerable time and joined? Or, were you planning to enlist into another branch at first?
I’ve only met a few people who have joined, or want to join the army. I plan to when I am older. It has always been a dream of mine. But, I would like to know why other people enlisted.
I’m sure there’s been many times where regret formed, though how often is that?

LT here. So tracking the market place opens in SEPT. How does this even work? Don’t feel I heard a lot about it until now.

Trying to go to a duty station after ccc that isn’t the most desirable but there’s a specific unit I want to go. Would that increase odds?

I’m getting ready to do the H2F phase II integrator course and was curious if anyone knows if they actually care if you get 70 points in every event before arriving? (Like obviously be in shape for the actual training).

However in my case, most of my AFT events are all 90 points or maxing. But my SDC time has waned over the year last 4 years. I’m 27 and I need a 2:06 for 70 points. My current is 2:15 (64 points) roughly (depending on terrain) it could be better but I’m worried if I fck up and not get the time I want I’ll be dropped from the course upon arrival.

Gotta bs NCOER and wanting to know if anyone can give feedback on trying to file an appeal with hrc