One Army School System brings active, Guard, Reserve together for training

By Staff Sgt. Emily AndersonJanuary 10, 2014

One Army School System epitomizes component cohesiveness
1 / 3 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Sgt. Tania Reyes, an active-duty Soldier attending an Army Medical Department Non-commissioned Officer Academy Advanced Leader Course, works with teammates to plot points during a training exercise. Reyes is one of 56 Soldiers who participated in the... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
One Army School System epitomizes component cohesiveness
2 / 3 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Sgt. Angel Malone, a National Guard Soldier attending an Army Medical Department Non-commissioned Officer Academy Advanced Leader Course, points out the direction to fellow Soldiers during a training exercise at Camp Bullis, Texas. Malone is one of 5... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
One Army School System epitomizes component cohesiveness
3 / 3 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Master Sgt. Goliath Singletary finalizes documentation for an upcoming Advanced Leader Course, at the 100th Training Division headquarters at Fort Knox, Ky. Singletary serves as the liaison between 4th Brigade, 100th Training Division and the Army Me... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL

SAN ANTONIO (Jan. 9, 2014) -- The One Army School System standardizes education for Army schools regardless of component, so once the transition is complete, active-duty and Reserve Soldiers, as well as National Guardsmen, will be able to train at 80th Training Command facilities.

After 31 years of service as a warrior citizen, Master Sgt. Goliath Singletary is not ready to retire because he is waiting for one thing -- the 80th Training Command's transition from the Total Army School System to the One Army School System, or OASS.

Singletary said the transition gives him an opportunity to be part of something bigger, even though thoughts of retirement have crossed his mind.

"I'm not ready to get out until I can help solidify this type of training," said Singletary, who serves as the liaison between 4th Brigade, 100th Training Division, and the Army Medical Department Non-commissioned Officer Academy, at Joint Base San Antonio.

The 100th Training Division, subordinate to the 80th Training Command, recently conducted an Advanced Leader Course consistent with the OASS, at Joint Base San Antonio. Medical Soldiers from all three components attended the course, which was administered by 4th Brigade instructors, with operational guidance from the Army Medical Department NCO Academy.

With the 80th Training Command's OASS concept plan currently pending approval, Karen Archondidis, the Army Medical Department NCO Academy deputy commandant, suggested the class solidify the idea of the Army Medical Department and the 80th Training Command synchronizing their efforts to graduate a group of students from all three components.

"I already believed that we could do it," Archondidis said. "It was kinda like a real-time business case analysis. It was a tremendous way for us to see how well we could coordinate and get the additional resources that we needed."

Prior to the students' arrival, Archondidis said the two organizations ironed out logistical issues that stemmed from procedural differences to include coordinating classroom space, billeting, transortation, and access to training areas for the field training exercise. Active component instructors assisted their Reserve counterparts with the Program of Instruction, and Archondidis said she was pleased to see how the 80th Training Command instructors had settled into their roles as OASS trainers. She noticed how prepared they were while they took the students on their initial tour of the academy.

"[The Reserve instructors] took the time prior to the class getting here to learn about the alma mater. I was really excited to see that they knew this place, [how] they knew this building," Archondidis said. "In the classrooms everything was transparent. The active-duty Soldiers received the same instruction as the [reserve-course] Soldiers. I couldn't see a difference from a Reserve course to an active-duty course."

Sgt. 1st Class Mario Pratcher, a course manager with the 100th Training Division, said initially the process was challenging, but now it's gratifying to be operating on the same level as the active component.

"It used to be that the active duty was always a year ahead of us," Pratcher said. "Now when they get updates, we get the same updates."

Staff Sgt. Angel Malone, a National Guard Soldier from Oklahoma, said she gained a lot of knowledge from the active-duty Soldiers, and they in turn learned from the Reserve and National Guard Soldiers.

"Active duty are doing this job everyday and National Guard isn't, so I'm learning a lot of different tips and learning more about different types of leaders," Malone said. "Besides a lot of active-duty Soldiers are asking about National Guard and the Reserve."

While Singletary realizes that retirement is inevitable, it's obvious that he's placed his seal of approval on the OASS.

"The classroom is geared toward creating leaders, and [it] really sets the tone for what happens out in the world," Singletary said. "I have nothing but positive things to say after seeing this because it's good training."

Related Links:

Army.mil: Inside the Army News

STAND TO!: The One Army School System