WLC students take the challenge of teamwork at the NCOA obstacle course

Courtesy Photo | A U.S. Army Soldier attempts to cross an obstacle with the assistance of his team members during the Leader Reaction Course as part of the Warrior Leader Course (WLC), Aug. 15, 2012, at Grafenwoehr Training Area in Grafenwoehr, Germany. The team had to get all its members across the obstacle without falling in the water below to successfully complete the exercise. The WLC is conducted by the 7th U.S. Army's Noncommissioned Officer (NCO) Academy, the U.S. Army's oldest NCO academy, which trains U.S. and multi-national junior enlisted soldiers for leadership. (U.S. Army photos by Staff Sgt. Christopher Bryant/Released)  

GRAFENWOEHR, BY, GERMANY

08.15.2012

Courtesy Story

U.S. Army Europe and Africa     

By Staff Sgt. Christopher Bryant
340th Public Affairs Detachment

GRAFENWOEHR, Germany - Warrior Leader Course students take the challenge of teamwork at the Non-commissioned Officers Academy obstacle course.

The Warrior Leader Course, or WLC, is conducted by the 7th Army Non-commissioned Officers Academy, the U.S. Army's oldest non-commissioned officer academy, established in 1951. The academy, located in Europe, currently trains U.S. and multinational junior enlisted soldiers for leadership.

“The course is designed to test the soldiers’ leadership skills by completing several different tasks throughout each obstacle,” said Sgt. 1st Class Tracy Jones, the class senior group leader. “They receive the objectives from their instructor and then must work as a team to come up with a plan.”

According to Jones, the goal is to successfully get each member of the squad across the obstacle without touching the ground or making any noise.

After a plan is developed, the soldiers are allowed 10 minutes to successfully negotiate one of the five obstacles.

“We want to see these young NCOs make on-the-spot decisions and enhance their decision making skills,” said Jones.

At any point, junior leaders may be required to make decisions and react quickly, Jones said.

“You cannot negotiate these obstacles by yourself,” said Spc. Bradley Duck, a soldier with the 172nd Infantry Brigade at Grafenwoehr. “You need cohesion with your team to complete the objective.”

First Sgt. Aaron Whitham says the academy encourages the participation of international military students. Non-commissioned officers from nearby European nations often participate.

In this current class there are three Bulgarian and five Slovenian students.

“Between the American and foreign forces, they can learn so much more from each other,” explained Whitham. “The foreign forces do things a little different that can broaden the knowledge of our soldiers.”

• Date Taken: 08.15.2012
• Date Posted: 08.21.2012 07:47
• Story ID: 93560
• Location: GRAFENWOEHR, BY, DE