Stepson joined the Army just over a year ago. Graduated Basic and completed MLRS AIT at Ft. Sill.

Since finishing AIT, he was assigned some job, seemingly in the motor pool, I forget what it was. His mom just texted me that he is now going to a 24hr on - 24hr off schedule selling fishing licenses??

What the actual fuck is really going on? To hear him tell it, it's all perfectly normal.

There used to be a job in the Army called "Duty Soldier". It was for people like him that could do nothing else. They would cut grass one day, work in a meat locker the next day, sign out equipment at the service club.

Selling fishing licenses?? Sounds like he volunteered or was voluntold to work in the MWR?? They are not usually 24hrs though.

I'll ask him if he's familiar with the term.

I told his mom it sounded like MWR that we had in the USAF, wasn't sure it was called the same in the Army.

Thank him for his service and buy him a beer.

I know the coast guard was overmanned in some rates,  with 1-2 year waits for school.  So lots of them worked handung out towels in they gym or something.

Maybe the same thing?

Could be. Sounds like a management problem.

We would always have a tasking for lifeguard, gym I'd card guy etc.

It wasn't 24 on 24 off but...

Back in the day at Fort Campbell, we worked through three cycles, each denoted by a different color. As there were three brigades within the division at the time, one brigade would be in a different cycle at the same time. Each cycle usually lasted about 6 weeks or so.

One cycle would be a training cycle, when we'd be in the field-whether it was the Back 40 on post, JRTC at Fort Polk, or up at Fort Knox. The major focus was building from squad/section level up to brigade level operations.

Another cycle was spent as the Division ready brigade. During that time, we were the first ones who would get the call to deploy, should the SHTF. We were on a 2-4 hour recall, passes were limited in number and scope, and our day-to-day work involved training around unit area. Our vehicles and connexes were loaded, weighed, and stored in a secure site near the airfield, so that we could be ready to load onto aircraft as soon as they began arriving. (My brigade was in the midst of this cycle when 9/11 occurred.)

The third cycle was for post support and block leave. During that cycle, we were given the opportunity to take a couple weeks leave, if we had any saved up. It was also the time to enroll in college classes. If you weren't on leave or in class, you were available for post support tasks. (And those taking classes were usually only excused from post support taskings if they had reenlisted and gotten the commander to agree to let them have time off for school.) Post support tasks could include a wide range of details. They included, but weren't limited to, funeral details, police call / litter pick up around post, working the desk at the post museum, providing an NCO for the GuardFIST (where we artillery guys practiced and taught call for fire on a projection screen), supporting Range Control, and even sending soldiers out to work at the place which sold hunting and fishing licenses for on post.

It sounds like your son might be in the middle of a similar cycle and happens to be the Joe tasked with working at the Rod and Gun Club facility or something.

Completed AIT but not yet assigned to a unit?
Then he's probably just doing whatever task comes up for that day since permanent party soldiers all have regular duty assignments.
It's not so unusual - I did the same thing at Ft. Monmouth after finishing AIT but not assigned to report to my duty station until January. I spent almost a month doing odd jobs until going on Christmas leave.