BEFORE The Article 15 Counseling

• Be professional
• A leader needs to ensure the soldier understands the importance of accepting responsibility for their actions, being honest, and not making excuses
• Properly prepare the soldier by having them get statements or ensure witnesses are on line.
• Let them think about a recommendation for punishment if found guilty (not that they will be found guilty but what if)?soldiers can be very hard on themselves and be very inventive with punishments that are meaningful
• Talk to the soldier about writing a statement, that makes sense, that is to the point
• Talk to the soldier about how to present matters of why punishment should be light or why they did what they did
• Be emotionally removed
• Look at the facts, impact on the unit and es sprit de corps
• Ensure the soldier talks to their spouse about the potential punishments and how they could effect the family life and family finances (less time with family, loss of pay, etc)?.have the soldier prepare the family just in case
• The soldier should fully know it's not personal
• Explain to the soldier possible actions that may be rendered after the article 15 process (positive/negative)

AFTER The Article 15 Counseling

After an Article 15, the soldier is typically down and not exactly feeling their chipper self.  What should you do as a leader?  Here are some thoughts to consider:

• Regardless of the situation Let the soldier know
  • You care
  • While life is hard now (especially if you lost a stripe, are being chaptered, or barred), it?s not the end of the world.
  • Build the soldier up if at all possible. In some situations this may be difficult depending on the demeanor of the soldier and the situation.
  • Ensure the soldier knows they can call you for guidance and support.
  • Provide contact information for the chain of command to the soldier.
  • You may not know everything that is going on with a soldier: there may be problems at home, on the job, or financial troubles.  The article 15 process completion (realization of punishment) may be the straw that pushes the soldier over the edge in terms of depression or suicidal thoughts/actions. Don?t be proud of punishing a soldier!
  • Tell them to put the experience behind them, learn from it, grow from it, and teach others to learn from their mistakes.
  • Let the soldier know you expect them to:
    • Maintain the standards
    • Complete extra duties as required
    • Be professional
  • Let them know you will not hold this incident against them if they correct the issue but that should they choose to continue substandard behavior/performance you will utilize the previous article 15 for actions like: bar to reenlistment or chapter actions.
  • Typically the soldier will feel bad enough already, don?t do anything to increase this. It's a good idea to show compassion rather than risk a possible suicide.
  • Tell the soldier to go home and talk to their spouse and explain the extra duty process, loss of money, longer hours (extra duty).
• Encourage soldiers that as they advance in grade to remember the Article 15 process.
  • How they felt about the process
  • Did they feel they were treated fairly
  • If they felt the chain of command showed compassion/empathy (doesn?t mean they did not show tough love)
  • Bottom-line: Remember the experience because one day you as a leader will have to make a hard decision about a soldier and it will affect one or all of the following his/her:
    • Life
    • Family
    • Finances
    • Career
    • Emotions (potential depression/suicide
  • The soldier should walk away from the process educated and understanding that the leadership cares but will enforce discipline