Photo By Sgt. Maj. Chris Seaton | Capt. Karin Meindl (left), and Capt. Brian Schapker discuss topics covered in a...... read more read more
By Sgt. Brandon Little
Task Force XII
CAMP TAJI, Iraq – Any young officer who has taken his first command can tell you it can be a little intimidating. Taking over a company in garrison is tough enough – even without the added pressures of a combat zone. Senior leaders of Task Force XII decided to help ease the transition with a forward-deployed version of a Pre-Command Course held May 31 - June 1.
The course gave captains who have recently taken command, or will take command in the near future, training in areas that ranged from taking care of Soldiers and their families to property book management.
"When you switch company commanders in a deployed environment, the officers who are taking charge don't get to attend a pre-command course," said Lt. Col. Charles Bowery, the Task Force XII executive officer. "We designed a model of that course to give them information about the types of things they'll deal with when they take command."
Those attending the course said they found it to be beneficial.
"The training was very informative," said Capt. Brian Schapker, the assistant operations officer for Task Force Storm. "It gave a broad-stroke view of the challenges we'll face when we take command."
Schapker, a native of Enterprise, Ala., is scheduled to take command of Company A, 3rd Battalion, 158th Aviation Regiment. The course itself was not limited to officers taking command of flight companies.
"I'm a multi-function logistician, but I was commissioned as a transportation officer," said Capt. Karin Meindl, the commander of Troop R, 4th Squadron, 3d Armored Cavalry Regiment. "It was an eye opening experience for someone (like me) who never worked with aviation before. I didn't really understand aviation as far as capabilities and support requirements."
The course was taught by several subject matter experts throughout the brigade's staff, and it took several weeks to put the two-day course together, said Bowery, who hails from Quinton, Va.
"None of the folks I've talked to here have ever seen this done before, so we're kind of proud of that, and we made the decision to take people's time away from the mission because this was something we knew was important," he said.
Although this is the first class of its kind Task Force XII has conducted at Camp Taji, it's actually the second company commander course the leaders performed in Iraq.
"There was a (pre-command course) given in November when were in Balad, and all of the participants in that class have already become company commanders," said Bowery. "They've all signed their property books; they're accountable for their equipment, and their Soldiers continue to function with no degradation in capabilities. I think that speaks for the quality of the course."
A portion of the course was also dedicated to teaching the new leaders about the roles that warrant officers and non-commissioned officers will play in their command.
Flight warrant officers definitely play a large role in aviation operation, and it was beneficial to learn about the different things they do, said Meindl.
Taking the course in Iraq means the officers will not have to complete the course when they redeploy. Perhaps more importantly, it provides them the opportunity to ask questions and garner guidance from experienced leaders.
"My biggest challenge is that the company I'm taking over has a great commander so I've got some big shoes to fill," said Schapker. "(Like any new commander), I'll be the most inexperienced person at my job when I take over, so this course got me thinking about what I want to do and how I want to do it."
| Date Taken: | 06.04.2008 |
| Date Posted: | 06.04.2008 10:19 |
| Story ID: | 20100 |
| Location: | TAJI, IQ |
| Web Views: | 121 |
| Downloads: | 43 |
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