FORT CARSON, Colo. - Getting promoted comes with a responsibility which is being taught to aviation noncommissioned officers attending the Advanced Leader Course on Fort Carson, Feb. 24 to Wednesday.
Fort Carson soldiers from 4th Combat Aviation Brigade, 4th Infantry Division, and 1st Battalion, 25th Aviation Regiment, 25th Infantry Division, are attending phase two of aviation ALC taught by a mobile training team from Fort Eustis, Va.
“Usually, NCOs have to travel to Fort Eustis for one to three months,” said Sgt. 1st Class John Chervinski, MTT small group leader, Fort Eustis NCO Academy. “We teach phase two in 16 days at the NCOs’ home station, which is accelerated, but the Soldier gets the same amount of training. There are three phases for ALC. Phase one is online training, phase two is common core training for the entire aviation career management field, and phase three is military occupational specialty specific training.”
Chervinski said this will be the final MTT ALC teaches at Fort Carson for aviation NCOs.
“Our MTT has four more installations to visit this year,” he said. “The Army is scheduled to discontinue sending out MTTs at the end of this year. In 2015, all aviation MOSs will have to attend ALC at Fort Eustis.”
The aviation soldiers said they find great benefits in attending ALC at their home station.
“ALC enhances our knowledge of our jobs and makes us subject matter experts of our particular occupational fields,” said Staff Sgt. Jeremy Ganz, CH-47 Chinook flight engineer, Company B, 2nd General Support Aviation Battalion, 4th Aviation Regiment, 4th CAB. “Most soldiers have to go away for months at a time for school. It was nice having the MTT team come here, so we can go home to our families after the school day is done.”
Going through ALC at home station makes it easier for soldiers to concentrate, but they also find some difficulties with the course, said Sgt. Felicia Daily, AH-64 Apache helicopter mechanic, Company B, 1-25 ARB.
“Familiar surroundings make me more comfortable, which helps me excel in the course,” said Daily. “I believe it is cheaper for us to train here, and I like that I know the area. But the course is equally hard because they fit all the learning criteria into 16 days as opposed to the longer course at Fort Eustis.”
The MTT instructors said they enjoy teaching the aviation soldiers and find it professionally beneficial to be at Fort Carson.
“We have a great job,” said Chervinski. “We get to travel to different parts of the country and teach NCOs. This allows us to meet people in the aviation community we know and network with others we don’t. This job allows us to have a positive influence (on) all the aviation NCOs we encounter, which is an awesome thing.”