Photo By Lt. Col. Annmarie Daneker | Capt. Michael Angeli, left, commander of Delta Company, 486th Civil Affairs Battalion,...... read more read more
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NAS PENSACOLA, Fla. – These were the opening words of Brig. Gen. Mark McQueen, commanding general of the 350th Civil Affairs Command, to the soldiers attending a Company Commanders and First Sergeants Workshop held here recently.
The command group of the 350th CACOM hosted three-day workshop and in attendance were all of the commanders and first sergeants down to the company level.
“It’s imperative that we operate as a team,” said McQueen. “That extends not only to our company commanders and first sergeants, but to every soldier within the command,” he said.
Both general sessions and breakout sessions were scheduled on topics that are relevant to the success of a command, from logistics and inventories to medical readiness and an understanding of how Southern Command fits into the command’s mission. There were also sessions on suicide prevention, understanding the Uniform Code of Military Justice, the new Officer Evaluation Reports, and training rotations.
Some of the officers in attendance are first-time commanders and the workshop was an opportunity to understand what is expected of them during their command time.
“I think this information is very helpful and lets us know what level the CACOM wants us at and what standard to maintain,” said Capt. Michael Angeli, commander of Delta Company, 486th Civil Affairs Battalion.
“The one main thing I’m going to take back is the vision of the [350th] CACOM,” he added.
Sitting beside their commanders were the first sergeants, also looking for official guidance on the expectations of the 350th.
“I think everyone walking away from this conference will have a consensus of how they want us to operate at the company level,” said 1st Sgt. Wayne Hattaway, first sergeant of Alpha Company, 426th Civil Affairs Battalion.
“If we don’t know what the mission is then we’ll never know how to function at our company,” he said.
One topic stood out above the rest with Hattaway, one that he firmly believes in.
“I hope the point is driven home about accountability,” he said.
“It’s beaten up over and over again…and suicide prevention is a good example. If we don’t keep in touch with our soldiers between battle assemblies, this is how we lose them to suicide or unsatisfactory participation,” Hattaway added.
Keeping soldiers trained and ready is in the forefront of commanders’ plans, but with expected cuts, keeping soldiers trained will become more difficult.
“I will remain very creative,” said Angeli.
“I am already talking with my first sergeant and the local authorities and I’m going to get things set up, such as incident command teams and try to tie in with fire departments … and that’s all free,” he said.
McQueen reinforced the “more with less” thought process.
“My intent for this conference is to help our first line leaders be successful. We are not going to waste a moment throughout the next three days. We operate in a resource-constrained environment. I’m not worried about how many dollars are sent to the command … I’m worried about how we execute the dollars that are given to us. And with that, that’s where I’ve given clear priority in training,” said McQueen.
“Soldiers need to be able to ‘shoot, move, and communicate’ and be able to operate in their Civil Affairs operations,” he said.
As commanders and first sergeants moved through the different sessions, the emphasis always came back to the original idea.
“Within the 350th we are emphasizing the Army concept of ‘Team’,” said McQueen.
“We are moving together in one direction, and that direction is to ensure that we have fully-trained and ready soldiers answer the call,” he said.
| Date Taken: | 02.01.2013 |
| Date Posted: | 02.05.2013 14:11 |
| Story ID: | 101496 |
| Location: | NAS PENSACOLA, FLORIDA, US |
| Hometown: | PENSACOLA, FLORIDA, US |
| Web Views: | 337 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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