More than a dozen senior-enlisted Soldiers in the Army's 91 and 94 military occupational specialties built their leadership and technical skills during the Career Management Field 91/94 Ordnance Senior Leader Course at Regional Training Site (RTS)-Maintenance in December at Fort McCoy.
The 80-hour course is in-residence training with an emphasis on Army ordnance leadership, logistics management, and more, according to Course Manager Sgt. 1st Class James Payne with RTS-Maintenance. The 91 specialty is for field mechanical maintenance and the 94 specialty is for electronic and missile maintenance.
The course, which is spread over 20 days, also provides selected noncommissioned officers (NCOs) with the capability to perform critical tasks and builds supporting skills and knowledge required to perform duties of their current skill level, and more.
"The course has two phases with 10 days of training for each phase," Payne said. "The first phase focuses on logistics and tactical operations. The second phase incorporates more leadership training as well as an emphasis on the Army's Global Combat Support System (GCSS)."
Phase one of the course is likely the most crucial for the students, Payne said. It helps build the foundation for everything that follows. This phase also includes teaching additional verbal and written skills. Phase two also focuses on training management, common military skills, staff duties and responsibilities, and senior maintenance management knowledge and skills.
Staff Sgt. Clarence Powell Jr. with Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 777th Support Battalion of Camp Robinson, Ark., was one of 13 students in the course. He said he "loved the course" and "it was very informational."
Powell said the training in leadership was especially helpful. "I'll be able to bring better training to my Soldiers," he said.
Those leadership lessons, which are highlighted in phase two of the course, included teaching students how to conduct a physical-readiness test and in-ranks inspections as well as the various regulations and rules needed to be a senior leader in their career field.
"I especially liked learning about what systems to use to track my Soldier's readiness," said Sgt. 1st Class Ashton Girdley with the 38th Sustainment Brigade of Kokomo, Ind.
Girdley, as well as many other students, appreciated what the instructors brought to the class environment. In addition to Payne, other instructors included Sgts. 1st Class Jason Boyles, Jorge Gonzalez, and Timothy Bruno.
"All of the instructors are very knowledgeable and bring valuable personal experience to the classroom," Girdley said.
"The instructors were very helpful at every stage of the course," said student Staff Sgt. Jackie Thompson with 2nd Battalion, 290th Regiment at Mustang, Okla. "The best parts of this training were the instructors interacting with the students."
Payne said overall the students leave the course with a better sense of what they need to do as senior NCOs in their career field.
"They become leaders," Payne said. "This course broadens their scope and their horizons, which in turn helps the Soldiers and others they work with."
The Career Management Field 91/94 Ordnance Senior Leader Course is held at RTS-Maintenance several times each year. RTS-Maintenance at Fort McCoy trains Soldiers from active- and reserve-component forces.
Fort McCoy has supported America's armed forces since 1909. The installation's motto is to be the "Total Force Training Center." The post's varied terrain, state-of-the-art ranges, new as well as renovated facilities, and extensive support infrastructure combine to provide military personnel with an environment in which to develop and sustain the skills necessary for mission success.
Today, Fort McCoy has become the Army's premier Total Force Training Center for Army Early Response Force early deployers to meet the Army's operational demand requirements. Learn more about Fort McCoy online at www.mccoy.army.mil, on Facebook by searching "ftmccoy," and on Twitter by searching "usagmccoy."
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