FORT BLISS Aca,!" The ArmyAca,!a,,cs first students to study under the new 17-day Warrior Leader Course graduated from the Fort Bliss Noncommissioned Officer Academy at Soldier Hall on Monday, ready to take the leadership lessons they learned back to their units at Fort Bliss; Fort Irwin, Calif.; Fort Huachuca, Ariz.; and reserve units dotted across the country.
Aca,!A"This is really a first among firsts,Aca,!A? Command Sgt. Maj. Raymond Chandler, commandant of the United States Army Sergeants Major Academy, said in his commencement address to Team 15-09. Aca,!A"This is a pilot Aca,!" a test the Army has asked us to conduct on how it is we can better educate our noncommissioned officers and Soldiers to meet the needs of the Army.Aca,!A?
ChandlerAca,!a,,cs USASMA is not only the parent unit of the NCO Academy, but is also home to the team that wrote the new WLC program of instruction, a complete overhaul of the former 30-day Professional Leader Development Course and current 15-day WLC. The new course, which will be implemented Army-wide beginning in January, Aca,!A"is a completely new POI and probably has nothing in it that was in the previous course,Aca,!A? Chandler said. Aca,!A"But most importantly, weAca,!a,,cre providing to the field at the right place and the right time leaders with the rights skills to meet our nationAca,!a,,cs needs.Aca,!A?
Over the course of the previous 17 days, students Aca,!" from privates first class to staff sergeants Aca,!" spent much of their time in the classroom, demonstrating their knowledge through in-class presentations, written exams and a three-day situational training exercise. It was during the STX at the Tobin Wells training complex that the pilot course students received a visit from Sgt. Maj. of the Army Kenneth Preston, who thanked the Soldiers for blazing the trail for future WLC classes and explained the rationale for changing the course.
Aca,!A"We went back in and really took all the lessons and feedback from the field, from leaders out there who have watched first-line supervisors come out of the old PLDC or the old Warrior Leader Course and watched their performance out there as noncommissioned officers in their units,Aca,!A? Preston told the students Friday. Aca,!A"They said, Aca,!EoeThis is what we need noncommissioned officers to be able to do. These are the additional subjects we think they should get and are not getting.Aca,!a,,c Aca,!A?
At the graduation ceremony, Chandler reminded the Soldiers that their professional development as NCOs has just begun. Aca,!A"This course does not make you a leader,Aca,!A? he said. Aca,!A"This course provides you with the skills necessary for you to develop yourself along with your leaders into a better leader. We did not turn you into high-performing, skilled sergeants ready to lead squads from the time you cross this stage. But what we have given you is a set of tools you can take back to your unit, that you can use with your Soldiers so you can be better and they can be better, making your unit more effective.Aca,!A?
Of the 90 students who graduated the pilot course Monday, 15 made the CommandantAca,!a,,cs List, including Spc. Angel Wood, who received both the Distinguished Honor Graduate and CommandantAca,!a,,cs Leadership awards. Wood, a health care specialist with the 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment at Fort Irwin, Calif., achieved both the highest grade point average in the class and was selected by the team as the superlative Soldier who exhibited outstanding leadership skills, superior performance and devotion to duty.
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