Photo By Staff Sgt. Tabitha Kuykendall | Master Sgt. Jen Anthony, 506th Expeditionary Communications Squadron first sergeant,...... read more read more
KIRKUK, Iraq -- The first sergeants of Kirkuk Regional Air Base have teamed up to implement a Combat Leadership Course here for enlisted Airmen, E-6 and below.
The course is intended to aid junior enlisted members in Air Force professional development.
"If you can fall back to the fundamental things you learned in basic training, you will have a successful attitude," said Master Sgt. Jen Anthony, 506th Expeditionary Communications Squadron first sergeant, during one classroom session.
Originally, the instructors intended to hold the course as a one time opportunity; however, the response was so overwhelming that they decided to hold it on a rotating basis.
Several first sergeants and one senior master sergeant have volunteered to teach different blocks of instruction for the course.
The blocks of instruction include leadership, writing (bullet writing, letters of evaluation and decorations), the enlisted force structure and progressive discipline.
During her block of instruction, Anthony emphasized the importance of learning the enlisted force structure as a way to have a successful career in the Air Force.
"The Air Force gives you the rules of the road - what you need to be successful," she said. "It's up to you to learn and follow those rules."
Senior Airman Kalila Mercer, 506th Expeditionary Force Support Squadron Persco office, attended the course to develop her professional proficiency.
"I chose to take this course to get ahead in my career, at least the leadership portion," she said. "It helped clarify main objectives in a deployed environment, such as writing effective bullet statements for an LOE and decorations."
"One thing the course does is gives you a chance to sit back and analyze the things we talk about," Anthony said. "Because things are so fast paced here, you never get a chance to reflect much, so for five hours you get to reflect on what you're doing really well, and what you can improve on and improve for the folks you supervise. It's really about developing the people in that room. The Air Force teaches us that if you're doing professional development for yourself that spectrum is going to grow and impact every life you touch. So it gives people a chance to do that for five hours, and that's pretty significant in a deployed environment."
Mercer agrees.
"I definitely would advise anyone to take this course to enhance their abilities to be great leaders," she said. "Some of us younger Airmen were never taught the proper way to lead, and this course outlined everything we need to know to succeed throughout our career."
At the end of the course, a senior enlisted panel is brought in and the enlisted members are given a chance to ask any questions on their minds for a period of 50 minutes.
"If we all paid it forward - what was given to us - how awesome would the Air Force be," Anthony said. "As senior NCO's, that's your job - to pay back what's been given to you. That's what I get personally from going in there and teaching. It's my responsibility to give back."
| Date Taken: | 04.06.2010 |
| Date Posted: | 04.06.2010 03:40 |
| Story ID: | 47722 |
| Location: | KIRKUK, IQ |
| Web Views: | 261 |
| Downloads: | 222 |
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