Program gives cadets in-depth experience

By Capt. Charlie Dietz, 214th Fires Brigade PAOJuly 25, 2013

Cadet Troop Leadership Training Program
Cadet Danielle Ullman, a senior at West Point, gives a convoy briefing to Soldiers assigned to B Company, 168 Brigade Support Battalion July 9 here. The Army Cadet Troop Leadership Training Program gives cadets three and a half weeks to work side-by-... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL

FORT SILL, Okla. -- The very first challenge an officer has is standing up in front of their platoon and taking charge. With little to no experience in a true Army environment, a small age gap with their Soldiers, and a tremendous amount of responsibility on their shoulders, the Soldiers of the platoon look to this officer as their leader.

To prepare these officers for this moment and the years following it, the United States Military Academy at West Point and the Reserve Officer Training Corps have paired select cadets with active-duty lieutenants to shadow, giving them an up close and personal experience and showing them what to expect when they join their first unit following graduation.

The 214th Fires Brigade is fortunate to host more than 40 of these cadets over the summer and give them a taste of what to expect in the future.

The Army's Cadet Troop Leadership Training Program gives cadets three and a half weeks to work side-by-side with the lieutenants, and it is a requirement to graduate from USMA.

This is done following their junior year so they can return to their school and share their experiences during their final year with classmates and underclassmen. While cadets do not need it to finish the ROTC program, CTLT is a valuable opportunity they are chosen for.

Cadets that have been assigned to the 214th FiB have had the opportunity to delve into platoon leader scenarios, essentially acting as a platoon leader with the actual platoon leader in the background for assurance. They also saw how field artillery weapons systems work, getting up close and personal with some of the military's biggest guns and rockets.

Lieutenant mentors have been training the first wave of cadets who arrived three weeks ago, along with the new set who arrived July 15 on officer scenarios, such as: writing operations orders, counseling subordinates, leading formation and instructing basic soldiering skills.

"Planning a convoy operation has been the most exciting thing so far," said Cadet Robert Schrack, assigned to 168th Brigade Support Battalion. "The attention to detail while planning was something that I will remember when it's my turn to do this as a lieutenant," he said.

Cadet Danielle Ullman, a senior from USMA, had the experience of being not only the platoon leader, but also executive officer.

"This has been an amazing opportunity to lead Soldiers and really learn how the Army works as well. I was able to learn what it takes to be a platoon leader in the 168th Brigade Support Battalion and hope that I branch quartermaster so I can continue to work in that same field," she said.

Life at USMA and ROTC give the opportunity to experience Soldier life to an extent, but the ability to see it up close and personal is what the CTLT program offers to cadets. Being prepared for the life of a lieutenant will assist in reducing the amount of stress the officer has when they take the lead of their first platoon, and the 214th FiB commander wanted it that way.

"The goal with this program is for these young cadets to experience leadership challenges, especially those associated with leading Soldiers in this kind of environment because this is very similar to what they will be experiencing in a year as newly commissioned second lieutenants," said Col. Andrew Preston, 214th FiB commander.

Preston also stated that while the primary mission is to ensure all cadets have a challenging leadership opportunity, he hopes the exposure to the field artillery encourages them to request field artillery as their assigned branch. Previous training met this goal as more than half the cadets who completed the training from the first iteration stated they were planning on listing field artillery as their top branch choice.

"I really hope to be selected into field artillery. I find what artillery does to be fascinating and important in today's Army," said Cadet Matthew Isben.

Preston met with the cadets and plans to continue to do so with each group that comes throughout the next two months.

"Meeting with the brigade commander was valuable because I was given a brief lesson on military life and career planning for not only myself, but my future family members as well. This is not something that many college students are already thinking about, but it will be very helpful for planning my future," said Cadet Andrew Cansler.

"This training so far has given me a good idea of what I can expect from working as a second lieutenant and a chance to interact with noncommissioned officers," Cansler said. "It also taught me the dos and don'ts of how I should perform when I first arrive at my unit. There are numerous things I would not have known without this experience and it will be very valuable as there is only one chance to make a good first impression."

At West Point the cadets are put into leadership positions, but they are not in charge of actual Soldiers, generally leading underclassmen. While the instructors are active-duty Soldiers, exposing the cadets to Soldiers who they don't attend school with was one of the main goals of the CTLT program.

"Cadet Ullman handled platoon leadership very well. She started off nervous when she first arrived to our platoon because she didn't have firsthand experience; however, by the end of her three-week rotation she was much more confident with her interactions with junior- enlisted Soldiers and noncommissioned officers," said 1st Lt. Kurt Wolford, sponsor of Ullman.

"I learned during my time here that caring for Soldiers doesn't mean releasing them at three o' clock so they can go play video games. It means training them to standard and preparing them properly for combat, even if it takes keeping them after hours and ensuring they will succeed," said Isben.

Isben also said the thing he looks forward to most about being a lieutenant is leading Soldiers.

Another important challenge of a young lieutenant's career is building a relationship with their platoon sergeant. The platoon sergeant usually brings more than 10 years experience to the table and the lieutenant relies heavily on the sergeant to guide them on the best way to lead the platoon.

"The most important thing I learned during my time here is the importance of the noncommissioned officers in the unit and how a good platoon sergeant and platoon leader- relationship is necessary. Without that bond, the platoon will be lead in two different directions," said Cadet Justin Godes, who plays football for West Point.

"I also learned that we always need to be honest when performing counselings for our noncommissioned officers, which will ensure that only the best Soldiers are kept in the Army to lead," said Godes.

The commander of B Battery, 2nd Battalion, 5th Field Artillery, Capt. Minoru Sorensen, was no stranger to the CTLT program. He too had gone through it more than five years ago. His experience has helped him plan how to handle the multiple cadets he will be hosting throughout the summer.

"CTLT gave me insight into what the Army was actually like in comparison to West Point. I was slotted as a battery executive officer during my training. I heavily relied upon the senior NCOs to ensure that what Iwas doing was right, something I found useful upon entering the Army as a lieutenant," said Sorensen.

B Battery was quick to have their cadets get into the mix of things, putting them in front of the platoon as soon as they arrived.

"The cadets were given leadership roles as if they were already lieutenants. As a result of being placed in these positions they gave safety briefs, convoy briefs, conducted training meetings, reviews and counselings, and even did inventories," said 1st Lt. Jeshurun Plumb, executive officer for B/2-5th FA.

"The sponsors were encouraged to give the cadets small missions they could take charge of. The cadets not only excelled at these missions, but also led Soldiers well in each mission that they were given, especially maintenance missions. Because they were given a clear view on what to expect, I would call the program a success," said Plumb.

At the end of the experience, the battalion commanders write the cadets their first evaluation report. While this report will not reflect in their official Army file, it gives the instructors at their respective schools the chance to see what the cadets excelled at and what leadership challenges they endured.

"Our cadet: conducted a sensitive items inventory; a training meeting; did vehicle checks alongside Soldiers; led a convoy conducting a site recon; conducted weekend and convoy safety briefs, and learned how to write her evaluation support form, a noncommissioned officer evaluation report and an award," said Wolford. "The program was wrapped up with her receiving an OER from our battalion commander, and hopefully her leaving here more confident and with much more personal experience," he said.