FORT BELVOIR, Va. (APRIL 5) -- The Rocks, INC. hosted their 8th bi-annual National Leadership and Training conference March 29-31 at the Fort Belvoir Officer's Club.
The conference covered several topics from the importance of medics in today's Army to how servicemembers in the Warrior Transition Brigade can learn resiliency and overcome their injuries.
Retired Brig. Gen. Clara L. Adams-Ender, who was the Chief of the Army Nurse Corps from September 1987-August 1991 and is currently a The ROCKS, Inc. board member, said the importance of nurses to the mission of the Army is higher now then it has ever been.
"They have been taking care of a force that has been deployed, along with the medics themselves, for ten years," Adams-Ender said. "That is one thing that is different about the force serving now, they have been at war longer than any force we had previously."
Chief of Staff of the Army, Gen. Raymond Odierno spoke on the second day of the conference.
Odierno spoke on many topics, most notably creating better programs for servicemembers to be able to transition into civilian life.
"The unemployment rate for civilians is 8.3 percent, but the unemployment rate for veterans is 17 percent," Odierno said. "We need to have better training programs for Soldiers leaving their (Army) career fields to step in to the same career in the civilian world."
One example is the difficulty transitioning servicemembers have when their military occupational specialty requires state certification to work in that field back home as a civilian. Army medics and truck driver's are primary examples of the difficulty Soldiers face in overcoming state certification barriers.
Each state has different licensing standards which have made it difficult for medics and truck drivers to attain state certifications, since the Army's licensing criteria is not recognized.
"An Army transporter gets a license to operate an Army vehicle, but that's not helping them get their Commercial Drivers License, because it's not a commercial vehicle," said Claude McMullen, Directorate of Logistics, Director. "Veterans are competing with a civilian that has gone through some truck driver training in the civilian world that allowed them to use the vehicle they will be operating during the program. The military doesn't have that."
Odierno also addressed the need for servicemembers to understand that it's OK to admit they might be suffering from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and need counseling.
"Soldiers need to get over the stigma associated with seeking help for a mental health issue," Odierno said. "There are services in place for Soldiers to utilize. Don't be afraid to ask for help if you don't know where to go to get assistance. Our leaders will make sure you get the treatment you need."
The United States has not dealt well with the issue of mental health throughout its history. Adams-Ender feels it's important today's Soldiers know it's ok to step forward and admit you need counseling of some kind.
Sometimes, people mistakenly believe that a person diagnosed with a mental illness is permanently damaged and labeled as such, and that is not necessarily the case, said Adams-Ender. "That's something that's very important for our Soldiers to know," she added.
Odierno also mentioned how diversity is one of the reason's the U.S. is the most profitable country in the world. He said that continuing to have diversity in the Army, and even increasing that diversity, is vital to the continued success of the United States Army.
Adams-Ender shared her views.
"I think one of the things we can do is to make sure the amount of minorities getting in front of promotional boards gets larger," she said. "The reality of the whole situation is many times minorities don't get selected because there aren't enough people in the pool. You've got to have more folks in the pool than there are positions to be selected for."
The ROCKS, Inc. can do its part in making sure that increase takes place by continuing to have conferences that teach leadership skills. She also said minority servicemembers who have achieved success need to share their stories with young minority servicemembers.
"We have a lot more minorities going through the ranks and being assigned to special assignments then we did in the past," said Adams-Ender. "Those people can tell others who want to accomplish those kinds of things how they did it."
The ROCKS, Inc. is a tax-exempt non-profit organization under Section 501(c)(3) comprised of active duty, Reserve, retired, former commissioned and warrant officers of the U.S. Armed Forces, ROTC Cadets, widows and widowers of deceased members, and other uniformed services. The organization was formed to provide mentorship, professional development and social interaction to strengthen the officer corps.
To find out more about the club, visit www.therocksdc.org, or call (301) 856-9319.
Social Sharing