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GUANTANAMO BAY, Cuba - “Our main objective is to make sure future command team leaders understand the ramifications of a joint branch environment,” said Billy Hargrove, retired Marine of 21 years and the Keystone program manager. “It’s not a required course for promotion, but if you are going into a joint environment, it’s highly recommended because your experience won’t give you the impact you need to be effective.”
Similar to Warrior Leader Courses throughout the Army (and other branch equivalents) for young noncommissioned officers, a jovial camaraderie could be seen among the various E-9s Sunday, as stories of mutual acquaintances and past experiences were traded back and forth on a boat transporting the diverse selection of senior enlisted leaders to the windward side of GTMO. Students in the program had a myriad of experiences to offer each other, and while purposes for enrollment in keystone vary from person to person the learning goals remained the same.
Marine Sgt. Maj. Juan Hidalgo, who already serves as the senior enlisted leader at a division level joint environment here at Joint Task Force Guantanamo, explains that most sergeants major will rarely have the chance to work for a flag officer with approximately 43 individuals across the entire Marine Corps currently doing so; even fewer at the 3-star level or higher. For him personally, this course has served as a unique tool as he continues his path as a sergeant major.
“It really is a great course because you need to understand command at a tactical, operational and strategic level,” said Hidalgo. “Capstone is a similar course for flag officers, so if you’re going to be working with them at the same level, it’s good to have the same type of educational experience for a leadership position such as this.”
The program provided a brief glimpse of the unique operations going on at JTF, with tours of the operational side of the JTF GTMO’s detention facility, as well as the Northeast Gate and the Expeditionary Legal Complex. Students had the opportunity to garner first-hand viewings of the joint environment and determine what aspects would need to be taken into consideration when utilizing their own experiences.
Chief Master Sgt. Phillip Easton, currently serving as the command chief for the 341st Missile Wing at Malmstrom Air Force Base, Montana, says that the training provided him a unique learning experience as he has just started his new path as a command chief.
“The Air Force doesn’t usually have many joint billets, and in my 24 years this is my first time seeing a joint working environment,” said Phillips. “A lot of my peers in this course have already had some experience working with flag officers. I’m just starting my time as a command chief master sergeant and I’ve already been able to hear from those who are a little more experienced in this particular area of leadership; what worked best for them and what I could do better by learning from their experiences when integrating into a new position with a new boss.”
Following the visit to JTF GTMO, the Keystone students would make stops at Key West, Florida, and Texas before heading back to Washington D.C. to conclude the leadership class.
| Date Taken: | 06.26.2014 |
| Date Posted: | 06.26.2014 14:19 |
| Story ID: | 134529 |
| Location: | GUANTANAMO BAY , CU |
| Web Views: | 108 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Keystone: Senior enlisted leaders visit Naval Station Guantanamo Bay, by SGT Spencer Rhodes, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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