FORT KNOX, Ky. - Sgt. Michael Beck of B Company, 2nd Battalion, 399th Training Support Regiment is one of about 4,800 Army Reserve Soldiers spending their summer here training Army Reserve Officers' Training Corps (ROTC) cadets.
Fort Knox is hosting around 8,500 cadets coming from universities all over the country. Each one must go through the rappel tower and confidence course. Beck, of Texarkana, Arkansas, is one of the instructors teaching the cadets how to rappel down a 65-foot tower.
“This is nothing like any other assignment I’ve been on,” said Beck, a veteran of two tours in Afghanistan with the 101st Airborne Division’s 3rd Brigade Combat Team. “It’s a wonderful opportunity to instill the wisdom that I’ve learned.”
Most of the cadets are getting ready to begin their senior year of college. By participating in ROTC, they study military science in addition to their normal major and agree to serve for between four to eight years in the Army upon completion of their degree. In return, the government awards the cadets a scholarship to help pay for school. This summer training is a large part of how they learn to be commissioned officers in the Army.
“We’re real big on three things here,” said Beck. “Confidence, resilience and empathy.” He explained with the cadets’ newly gained confidence, they can do much more than they realized, allowing them to face new tasks head on. They also need the resilience to overcome adversity.
Beck emphasized empathy. “As a leader, you need to know what your Soldiers are feeling.” He said when leaders understand struggle from first-hand experience, they are better able to recognize it in those they lead and are then able to reassure them.
“The biggest thing that I want them to come away from this training with is the ability to look at every obstacle as an opportunity. To not only display confidence in their leadership ability, but to have confidence in their Soldiers.
Date Taken: | 06.23.2015 |
Date Posted: | 06.28.2015 15:47 |
Story ID: | 168430 |
Location: | FORT KNOX, KENTUCKY, US |
Web Views: | 100 |
Downloads: | 0 |
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