Junior leaders get certified at Korea's 'Warrior Base'

By Sgt. Scott KimApril 6, 2009

Junior leaders get certified at 'Warrior Base'
1 / 2 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Lieutenants from 1st Battalion, 72nd Armored Regiment negotiate an obstacle while taking part in the Leader Certification Program at Warrior Base in South Korea. The training was designed to help teach young leaders some of the necessary skills to he... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
Junior leaders get certified at 'Warrior Base'
2 / 2 Show Caption + Hide Caption – A Soldier from from 1st Battalion, 72nd Armored Regiment engages targets on a rifle range while taking part in the Leader Certification Program at Warrior Base in South Korea. The training was designed to help teach young leaders some of the necessar... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL

WARRIOR BASE, Korea -- Receiving proper training is crucial to officers in the U.S. Army as they will be expected to prepare their Soldiers for combat. That's why Lieutenants from 1st Battalion, 72 Armored Regiment went through the Leader Certification Program here, March 31 through April 3.

The purpose of the training is to give junior leaders the experience necessary to train Soldiers efficiently in order to get the job done.

"The Leader Certification Program is where we take all the Lieutenants in the battalion and get them qualified on the machine guns, squad live fire maneuvers and other types of training so when they go out and they teach their Soldiers they can say that they've seen it, done it and executed it," said Lt. Col. Patrick Walsh, commander for 1-72 Armor.

One of the reasons for conducting the training at Warrior Base is to take the officers away from distractions and place them in an environment that will help them grow as leaders.

"There are very few interruptions out here because we're away from base and other training sites," Walsh said. "When we're here, I can have my lieutenants focused just on the training."

A better understanding of range operations was one of the lessons taught during LCP and an integral part of an officer's job as knowing the proper procedures could help avoid mishaps in the future.

"We had senior noncommissioned officers out here showing them what right looks like," said 1st Sgt. Jason Skeen, Headquarters Company, 1-72 Armor. "Watching these ranges over three days gives them a better understanding of how to run a range, how to put the range together and the set up for overall safety."

Exercises such as these are an important part of an officer's growth and are necessary in order to be able to instruct Soldiers properly.

"You're able to develop a base of experience in order to figure what we can and can't do in order to effectively and safely conduct training," said 1st Lt. Paul Kim, executive officer for B Co., 1-72 Armor.

Soldiers will also benefit from the course as they now will receive experienced leaders that will be able to help them from the lessons they've learned.

"Once we get the junior leaders doing the right thing then the individual soldiers start to perform better," said Walsh.

While issues arose during the exercise, officers were able to overcome the obstacles and come through the other side all the stronger.

"Overall, the lieutenants did very well. There were some trouble at times but that's why we come out and do this so that we're better prepared for tomorrow," Skeen said. "I think they had a lot of fun and learned a lot."