Soldier becomes first to gain gunsmith certification at small arms course graduation

By T. Anthony BellMay 27, 2015

Soldier first to earn credential
Command Sgt. Maj. Garrick Griffin and Lt. Col. Les Begley present a Gunsmith Credentialing Certificate in Military Conventional Weapons to Pvt. Allan V. Naj Del Cid, Bravo Company, 832nd Ordnance Battalion, May 19 in the battalion headquarters confer... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL

FORT LEE, Va. (May 27, 2015) -- A Virginia National Guardsman has become the first advanced individual training Soldier to earn gunsmith certification upon graduation from the Ordnance School's 91F10 Small Arms/Artillery Repairer Course.

Pvt. Allan V. Naj Del Cid, a resident of the Woodbridge area, completed the 13-week course on May 19, fulfilling the final requirement to earn the Gunsmith Credentialing Certificate in Military Conventional Weapons from the Penn Foster Career School of Scranton, Pa.

"It feels cool," said the 18-year-old following his graduation ceremony. "I feel proud of myself because a lot of my classmates started with me, but they dropped the additional course requirements. They didn't want to take the time to do it."

The online program is offered free to 91F10 AIT students. To earn the gunsmith certificate, they are required to complete in their personal time 19 online modules and two comprehensive exams covering everything from basic weapon functions to metal finishing, said Sunday Wright, the 91F course manager.

"Additionally, they have to maintain a 70-percent average in the 91F10 course itself," she added, "as well as with the lessons that are given through Penn Foster."

In consideration of the requirements, the course can be difficult for those who lack weapons knowledge or the proper work ethic. "On average, it would take someone without a technical background in weapons maybe five hours or more to complete one lesson," said Wright. "For students who are familiar with the weapons, it may take them an hour."

Another challenge for enrollees was an academic load that doesn't leave much free time to complete lessons, said Wright; a fact that affected enrollment numbers.

Although Penn Foster allows students up to three years to complete the self-paced certification program, the admittedly goal-oriented Naj Del Cid was intrigued by the challenge and desired to earn the certificate at graduation.

"They (cadre and instructors) kept saying this was 'the first' and 'no one else has done this before,'" he recalled. "I wanted to be a part of it."

This meant he would have virtually no free time, working during the lunch period at the school's computer lab and working until bed check at the barracks to prepare for exams, he said, noting his "hard-working mother" was a major motivation.

"I wanted to make her proud," he said, "being able to tell her I was the first."

In addition to Naj Del Cid, two other students have completed the certification work. Privates Ashley Davis and Katelyn Christman are scheduled to graduate as 91Fs this week and will subsequently receive their certifications upon graduation.

Those who complete the certification program can use it toward a degree program, said Damon Dean, who oversees the 91F course as chief of the Ord. School's Conventional Weapons Division, Armament Electronics Training Department.

"If students choose to continue on to an associate's degree at Penn Foster, they will have the core courses to complete it," he said.

The certification program began accepting applicants in March. Although some students have withdrawn due to the program's strenuous demands, Wright said there is still a lot of interest.

"There is a lot of word-of-mouth about the program," she said. "Students are asking me when I am coming to their class to sign them up for the program. I'm seeing students who are eager to participate."

Wright said she expects to see the same excitement in program participation with the addition of new computers in the computer lab and an effort to teach students how to better use free time.

As for Naj Del Cid, he expects his sacrifice to pay off in the very near future.

"This could help me in my Army career -- to get promoted or I can take more classes to gain a higher certification," he said.