FORWARD OPERATING BASE ARIAN, Afghanistan (July 22, 2012) -- When U.S. Army Lt. Col. Paul Narowski learned that he would be commanding a support battalion in the 82nd Airborne Division's 1st Brigade Combat Team, he set out to codify his command philosophy in a language familiar to paratroopers.
That effort resulted in what he calls his "five points of performance," a rhapsody on a theme taught in airborne school that instructs paratroopers how to exit an aircraft, descend in a safe manner and land.
"I think it's awesome," said U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Edwin Wilks, non-commissioned officer in charge of operations for Narowski's battalion, the 307th Brigade Support Battalion.
"We hear the standards and regulations, but when we can relate them to everyday living, to our jobs, our battle buddies and families, it's a pretty neat thing," said Wilks, a 12-year veteran and a native of Conway, S.C., who worked with disadvantaged youth before joining the Army at age 25.
Narowksi's five points of performance work particularly well in a deployed environment, such as the unit is experiencing now in Afghanistan, according to Wilks.
The 307th BSB provides transportation, mechanical and medical support to several thousand paratroopers of 1/82 that are spread across the arid, rural landscape of southern Ghazni Province in eastern Afghanistan.
Narowski's five points say that 1) everybody is a paratrooper first, capable of rapid deployment and fighting, 2) soldiers will focus on the basics of soldiering, 3) everyone has a sergeant and battle buddy to watch his back, 4) the unit is a values-based organization, and 5) mission first does not mean that families are last.
Within weeks of arriving in Ghazni, Narowski's support paratroopers learned just how accurate the first point was. They were the first in the brigade to be hit by a roadside bomb.
"The enemy doesn't distinguish between us and the infantry guys," said Narowski. "Everybody fights."
The newest officer to arrive at 307th BSB is U.S. Army 2nd Lt. Amy Bouret, who has been serving as a company executive officer for the last two months.
A recent graduate from college and then Basic Officer Leaders Course, Bouret was briefed on the five points of performance within a few days of arriving at Forward Operating Base Arian where 307th is based.
Prior to arrival, what she was hearing about the airborne -- fast workpace, long hours, high standards and lots of running -- made her anxious, but she has embraced life as a paratrooper, she said.
"Even though they were a tight-knit family, I was very welcomed here," she said. "I've had lots of good mentorship and advice."
"I like the tie-in work ethic of the five points of performance into the airborne heritage," said Bouret, an ordnance officer who would like to become a veterinarian for the Army someday.
The five points of performance are something she will consider incorporating into her own command philosophy someday, she said.
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