JOINT BASE LEWIS-McCHORD, Wash. " She looked confident, even though she had no idea what the next task was going to be. After just completing a task that required her to climb over a 10-foot wall and cross a chain bridge with all her gear, she was right back to it pulling security in the prone position on the squad-sized perimeter. Only minutes later she was being briefed on the next task that needed to be accomplished.
Cadet Jessica Miller, Gonzaga University, performed a new task every 45 minutes for nearly 10 hours with her group of cadets to complete the Field Leader Reaction Coarse (FLRC) here during Operation Warrior Forge, June 23.
Operation Warrior Forge is a 29-day field exercise held every summer here that is a leadership evaluation and training tool required before cadets can be commissioned into the Army, National Guard, or Army Reserves.
“It’s a great time for us to come together as a unit and overcome these obstacles as everyone takes a turn in the leadership positions,” said Miller. “Being able to work with new people and hear their ideas is the best part for me.”
The cadets change squad and team leader positions for each new obstacle. They’re not graded on the completion of the obstacles but on their leadership techniques and how they’re able to relate to the other squad members. They will be given an E, S or U (Excellent, Satisfactory, or Unsatisfactory) by the evaluating officers.
“Some schools focus more on garrison operations while other schools focus on STX (Situational Training Exercise) lanes,” said 2nd lieutenant David Markiewicz, 1st regiment, A3 platoon lieutenant. “There’s a whole plethora of skills that cadets come with and each one has their own ideas on the right way to apply them, so it’s interesting to see how they incorporate their individual leadership styles.”
Markiewicz was recently commissioned and selected to return to Warrior Forge as a platoon lieutenant before reporting to his first duty station. While here he assists in the organization of the cadets as well as assessing them.
After their assessment at the FLRC and completion of Warrior Forge, the cadets with an “E” will have their choice of branch, affiliation, and duty station but most will receive an “S” and be directed by the needs of the Army.
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