The Army has issued a "help wanted" call for two special duty assignments that can result in junior officers attending White House social functions, and NCOs in the ranks of promotable sergeant through master sergeant serving as aides to general officers.
Applicants for the White House Social Aide program must be unmarried lieutenants (not on first duty assignment), captains and majors who are assigned to the National Capital Region or who are pending assignment to the NCR, which includes such locations as the Pentagon, Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, Washington Navy Yard, Fort Belvoir and Fort Myer.
The application deadline for this program is Sept. 10. Officers who pass an initial screening will be slated for an Army selection panel interview at the Pentagon on Sept. 17. A final screening will be conducted by the White House staff.
Selections for the Enlisted Aide Program will be made by a panel that meets Sept. 14 at Human Resources Command. The application deadline is Aug. 28. Selected soldiers will be placed in a personnel management ready pool that is overseen by the Quartermaster Corps enlisted career management branch of Human Resources Command.
Once placed in the pool, NCOs can be selected for assignment as an enlisted aide to a general officer in the rank of major general through general at the tactical, operational or strategic level. Utilization tours are for two years, but can be extended by up to one year.
White House aides
The rank and marital status requirements for this program cannot be waived are not waiverable. Officers with two or more years remaining on their NCR assignment and who hold a top secret security clearance with access to sensitive compartmented information are preferred for these duties.
Because this is a volunteer additional duty, applicants must be endorsed by their chain of command before being considered for the program. On average, selected officers will devote six to 15 hours per month during duty days, evenings and weekends for social aide activities.
Aides, who are drawn from all the U.S. military services, typically help manage the guests who attend White House social functions that may range from an afternoon tea to a formal dinner for a visiting head of state.
The social aide program is a well-established White House tradition, dating to the early 1900s and the administration of President Theodore Roosevelt.
Interested officers should consult MilPer Message 15-227, dated July 16, for additional information and application procedures.
Enlisted aides
This program is open to all soldiers who meet the rank requirements, regardless of their military occupational specialty. Visit the Quartermaster Corps' website for detailed information.
Soldiers who are selected by the Sept. 14 panel who have not attended the Enlisted Aide Course or the Advanced Culinary Skills Course at Fort Lee, Virginia, will be scheduled for training. Soldiers who do not hold MOS 92G (food service specialist) also will attend the Basic Culinary Course. Upon completion of all training, soldiers will be awarded additional skill identifier Z5 (enlisted aide).
While enlisted aide duties vary from one general officer to another, they usually include:
- Maintaining the general’s uniforms.
- Planning and executing official military social events.
- Daily meal preparation, to include menu development, shopping and storing of rations.
- Administrative requirements and financial record keeping.
- Household management, to include the upkeep of a general’s assigned quarters.
For program details and application procedures, consult MilPer Message 15-225, dated July 16.
