Photo By Sgt. Kerry Lawson | Col. John Reynolds III commander of 1st ABCT, 1st Inf., Div., led a leader...... read more read more
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MANHATTAN, Kan - Officers from 1st Armored Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division hosted a leadership conference on Dec. 3 at the Kansas State University campus with about 130 Army Reserve Officer Training Corps cadets. The conference focused on selfless service and mentorship of future Army leaders.
The Big Red One and K-State Army ROTC mentorship program is a venue for professional development that connects cadets with field and company grade officers.
Col. John Reynolds III, commander 1st ABCT, 1st Inf. Div., started the afternoon with a Leaders’ Professional Development seminar about the Profession of Arms and selfless service.
Col. Reynolds emphasized that success, as a platoon leader is largely dependent upon a strong relationship between an officer and their partnered sergeants.
“This is a phenomenal program that builds professional trust and confidence among current and future Army leaders,” Col. Reynolds said. “We have Artillery commanders talking to Artillery cadets and Engineer officers talking to Engineer cadets to pass on experience that cadets may not otherwise get; the more experience we can give the cadets the better.”
That evening K-State Army ROTC and the Devil brigade hosted a dinner social, which allowed cadets to talk with Army officers from their assigned branch of service.
The cadets asked questions about their newly assigned branches and learned what they could expect as newly commissioned second lieutenants.
“It is really nice to sit and talk with officers in the quartermaster branch about what to expect once I am commissioned as a second lieutenant in the Kansas Army National Guard,” Cadet Lauren Orr, from Wichita said. “It also allowed me an opportunity to have my questions answered and to mentally prepare myself for the challenges of being an Army officer and a civilian.”
This event provides cadets an invaluable experience, said Lt. Col. Robert Dixon, Professor of Military Science, Kansas State University. He indicated that the mentorship program allows the cadets to learn the expectations that their company and battalion commanders will have of them as new Army officers.
Five years ago, Theresa Piscal, the wife of former Fort Riley garrison commander Col. Richard Piscal, created this mentorship program. The Piscals two sons were cadets at K-State, and introduced the idea as a way to enhance the learning experience of the cadets.
K-State is one of the largest Army ROTC programs in the country with more than 160 Army cadets and produces officers for the active Army, Army Reserves, and the Army National Guard.
Col. Reynolds said he is proud that the bond between K-State Army ROTC and the Big Red One is as strong as it has ever been.
| Date Taken: | 12.04.2013 |
| Date Posted: | 08.10.2014 08:57 |
| Story ID: | 138905 |
| Location: | FORT RILEY, KANSAS, US |
| Web Views: | 93 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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