Photo By Sgt. Aaron Ellerman | Spc. Brianna Falzone, a paralegal specialist with the 143d Sustainment Command...... read more read more
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CAMP BUEHRING, Kuwait -The sound of explosions and gunfire pierces the air, muddling with the scent of gunpowder which lingers in the mid-November dawn. Beams of sunlight shine over the sandy berms, illuminating a squad of soldiers maneuvering through the situational training exercise lanes as a boisterous voice barks commands that cut through the chaotic atmosphere in a desperate struggle to be heard.
Four soldiers with the 143d Sustainment Command (Expeditionary) attended a Warrior Leadership Course that began here in mid-October. WLC is the first course of study in the Army Noncommissioned Officer Education System. The month-long course trains specialists, corporals and sergeants in the fundamentals of leadership.
WLC is usually taken at the soldiers' home station or a nearby Army training facility. Having the course offered in an operational environment provides a unique and beneficial opportunity for the soldiers who attend.
“Being able to offer the course to soldiers throughout this area enables us to alleviate some of the backlog of soldiers who need this course to meet promotion requirements,” said Sgt. 1st Class Dean Lee, WLC instructor with the mobile training team out of Fort Bragg, N.C.
“I think it’s a great opportunity to train here where we are immersed in the environment and climate of the battlefield,” said Sgt. Wilfredo Ramos-Prado, a WLC student and transportation management coordinator for the 143d ESC.
Soldiers with experience in a variety of career fields came to WLC from units spread throughout the region.
“I feel taking WLC here is more serious,” said Spc. Christina Moore, a financial management technician with the 336th Financial Management Command. “When my husband took the course this May, he came home every day and got to drive his car. I think you become more immersed here having to march everywhere and having to be around your fellow soldiers 24/7. It forces you to get to know new people and build lasting military friendships.”
The course curriculum is broken into three segments that include instruction in leadership, training, and warfighting skills.
“The course has been a great learning experience that has taught me what areas of leadership I am strong and weak in allowing me to focus my leadership development accordingly,” said WLC student Sgt. Nathaniel Perez, an ammunition stock control and accounting specialist for the 143d ESC.
“The course was a great; it taught me how to lead soldiers the right way. During the course I was responsible for several soldiers which forced me to put away my shy personality,” said Moore.
The mobile training team of instructors arrived here in April and leaves Nov. 21. During their time here the team trained nearly 1000 future Army leaders. The team was the first in the theater of operations to establish a land navigation course for its students and built the entire scenario training exercise lanes area from scratch.
“Our team developed all of the training scenarios based on our own combat experiences,” said Lee. We try to keep the training current with the contemporary operational environment. Not everything a soldier does out on the battlefield is going to be a kinetic operation, so we include a variety of scenarios in our instruction to include everything from key leader engagements to recovering a downed unmanned aerial vehicle.”
The different training scenarios give soldiers from different backgrounds a chance to experience something new.
“The hands-on combat training here was invaluable because we usually don’t receive that type of training unless it directly relates to our job,” said Ramos-Prado.
With the mobile training team ending its tour in November, the next WLC offered here is postponed until next spring when another team will deploy here to train future Army leaders.
| Date Taken: | 11.25.2013 |
| Date Posted: | 11.25.2013 09:27 |
| Story ID: | 117330 |
| Location: | CAMP BUEHRING, KW |
| Web Views: | 252 |
| Downloads: | 1 |
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