Photo By Capt. Derek Cobb | 1st Lt. Keida Young, human resources officer assigned to the HHC, 451st Expeditionary...... read more read more
FORT RILEY, Kansas – 1st Lt. Keida Young, plans officer for the G1 section of the 451st Expeditionary Sustainment Command (ESC), supported the senior Army Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) Gorilla Battalion of Pittsburg State University during their Joint Field Training Exercise (JFTX) in Fort Riley, Kansas, by working as a range safety and coaching senior cadets in marksmanship, March 21.
The Gorilla Battalion oversaw running the M4 qualification range for the senior cadets. Over 100 cadets worked on their grouping, zeroing their weapons, and qualification. Master Sgt. Michael York, senior military science instructor for the Army ROTC program at Pittsburg State University invited 1st Lt. Young out to help coach cadets through the grouping and zeroing process. He also invited her to educate cadets about opportunities in the Army Reserve. He said the cadets do not get enough exposure to the opportunities in the Army Reserve and believed having a junior officer to talk to could help them engage in some relevant conversations.
1st Lt. Young has spent seven years in the Army Reserve to date. She enlisted as a 91C, utilities equipment repairer in March 2017 and commissioned as a 42B, human resources officer in May 2021. She was happy to share her experiences with cadets and educate them on opportunities she discovered in the Army Reserve.
“One thing that I would have liked to know before commissioning about the reserves,” said 1st Lt. Young, “is about all the opportunities you can get within the reserves. We can get so many active-duty opportunities. You can even go Active Guard Reserve (AGR) or Active-Duty Operational Support (ADOS) just to live the active life and if you don’t like it, it’s not permanent. You can always go back to being a reservist.”
1st Lt. Young is on AGR orders with the 451st ESC. She engaged about 30 cadets directly about these opportunities and her experience as a junior officer in the Army Reserve. It was fun to be on the other side of the cadet JFTX experience coaching proper sight picture, trigger squeeze, and how to adjust iron sights to achieve a properly zeroed weapon. She looks forward to more opportunities to interact with cadets.
The JFTX helps prepare senior cadets for Cadet Summer Training (CST) at Fort Knox, Kentucky. CST is the largest annual training event in the Army. It is designated to lay the foundation of Army future leaders in the Active force, Army Reserve and National Guard. Each year approximately 10,000 cadets from around the country attend training in Basic or Advanced Camp. Approximately 1,500 other cadets participate in professional development opportunities such as internships and the Nurse Summer Training Program (NSTP).
1st Lt. Young interacted with cadets that were preparing for Advanced Camp, which is a 35-day training event designed to develop a cadet’s critical thinking and problem-solving skills, and to forge them into tough, adaptable leaders who can thrive in ambiguous and complex environments.
To learn more about Advanced Camp, Basic Camp and the Army ROTC program follow the link provided here:
https://futurearmyofficers.army.mil/aboutadvancedcamp/
| Date Taken: | 04.23.2024 |
| Date Posted: | 04.23.2024 17:08 |
| Story ID: | 469292 |
| Location: | FORT RILEY, KS, US |
| Web Views: | 21 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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