FORT BENNING, Ga., (Nov.11 2015) -- For more than 40 years, the Henry Caro Noncommissioned Officer Academy - named after Command Sgt. Maj. Henry Caro, the first enlisted commandant of the academy - has trained and developed the Army's junior and senior NCOs.
Instructors at this academy are NCOs from around the force, who choose to teach there as a way to stay abreast of doctrine and educational standard to advance their careers, said Command Sgt. Maj. Michael Ames, Commandant of the Henry Caro NCOA.
"We try to seek out the finest NCOs from around the Maneuver Center of Excellence and the force to fill the positions we have here," Ames said. "And we want to get the word out and let the NCOs of the Fort Benning area know what we do here, what we offer, and how an assignment here can be enriching, as well as career enhancing."
The academy isn't a typical organization; there is little possibility of deployment while on assignment there, and instructors focus on delivering the doctrinal point of instruction, explained Ames.
"The NCOA is a very transparent organization, and that's how we get the force trained the way it needs to be," Ames said. "We are always taking input, always hearing from our students and the commanders in the force on how we need to shape the leaders who come through our courses."
Currently, the Henry Caro NCOA is looking for branch-developed, confident and driven NCOs to join their leadership team, to teach the next generation of NCOs how to be leaders.
"The organizations of the MCoE are really good in sending us quality instructors, but we just want to make sure everyone knows that this is a tremendous opportunity and assignment," explained Ames. "Not just for the ability to give back and mentor the junior NCO corps, but as a career enhancer. Assignment here is recognized as one of the stepping-stones for career progression."
One of the current NCOA instructors, Staff. Sgt. Mathieu Barber, Armor Advanced Leader Course, said working as an NCOA instructor has given him the opportunity to go back to the basics.
"Being an instructor gives you the opportunity to re-learn doctrine and then teach it to other Soldiers, who then take it back to their units. We provide them the tools to become the NCOs we need them to be, so when they go back into the force, we can count on their knowledge and training," Barber said.
Ames also discussed some of the advantages of being an instructor at the NCOA, chief among them are the opportunities to attend training schools or take college classes while stationed at Fort Benning.
"We believe heavily in leader development, and that is getting our cadre to as many schools as we can," Ames said. "We don't want to get into the rut of 'you're an instructor and that's all you have time for.'
"We strive to get our instructors out into career enhancing schools - that are going to make them better leaders. Our instructors aren't going to be here forever; they've got to be able to go back and be competitive in the big Army."
"I'm a mechanic, and there are not a lot of units willing to send a mechanic to the Ranger Course," said Staff Sgt. Allen Jones, Basic Leader Course instructor at the NCOA. "They won't pull you out for two to three months when they need you in a motor pool. But here, they encourage the training, and are in the process of getting me a Ranger Course slot. I wouldn't get that chance anywhere else."
Barber explained that working as a small group leader at the NCOA prepares the NCOs to become platoon sergeants at their next duty stations. There is a lot of organization and administration that NCOA instructors have to deal with - counseling packets, students packets, preparing equipment for the field, coordination between outside units where they need to get equipment and so forth - and a classroom is almost the size of a platoon, so the correlation and work is very similar.
For Soldiers interested in becoming an NCOA instructor, Ames said the first step is checking with their chain of command.
"Well first, we want potential interviewees to have the blessing of their chain of command prior to coming over here," Ames said. "Second, they need to be a branch-developed leader, meaning they need to have served in a position that correlates to their rank. You have to be at least a staff sergeant or sergeant first class, and we are occasionally looking for first sergeants. "
Past that, Ames said, the NCOA prepares and trains new instructors. They require a few courses - like the Army Basic Instructor Course, Small Group Instructor Course, Tactical Certification Course, and Combat Life Saver Course - and once those are completed, the new instructors go through boards and a ride-seat to ensure they "have the confidence to stand in front of students and deliver program of instruction."
"Getting quality instructors is paramount for us," Ames said. "We have a responsibility to the force, to train their troops to the best of our ability, for our cadre to be physically and mentally fit; the epitome of the standard of what an NCO needs to be, know and do."
For more information on the NCOA and how to become an instructor, call 706-545-2234 or visit www.benning.army.mil/mcoe/ncoa or visit the NCOA Facebook page.
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