Photo By Staff Sgt. Ian Kummer | First Army Soldiers attending the Observer Coach/Trainer Course at Camp Shelby, Miss.,...... read more read more
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ROCK ISLAND ARSENAL, Ill. – Since the 9/11 attacks in 2001, First Army has partnered with Army National Guard and Reserve units to train more than 1.2 million Soldiers mobilizing to support missions overseas and within the United States.
First Army’s partnership effort is spearheaded by observer coach/trainers, experts in every Army career field who mentor leaders and Soldiers in the challenging task of preparing units for mobilizations.
But who trains these trainers? The OC/Ts themselves attend an eight-day certification course at the First Army Academy in Camp Shelby, Mississippi, where they are immersed in First Army’s entire OC/T program, from planning a partnership mission to conducting a final after action review with a partnered unit.
All First Army Academy instructors – currently about two dozen – have completed the Army Basic Instructor Course, the Small Group Instructor Training Course, and the First Army OC/T Certification. Even after taking charge of classrooms, instructors continue to distinguish themselves by earning Instructor Badges. Since November 2016, Sgt. 1st Class Eddie Fonoti and five other instructors at the First Army Academy have earned the Basic Army Instructor Badge, which requires them to teach at least 80 hours of instruction as the primary instructor.
“I like sharing knowledge with all these OC/Ts,” said Fonoti, an OC/T instructor from Waianae, Hawaii. “It’s something we need to do. If we don’t train Soldiers the right way, it could be catastrophic. This is where rubber hits the pavement.”
Fonoti became an instructor at the First Army Academy in October 2015. With more than 20 years of service and five deployments to Afghanistan and Iraq, Fonoti found little difficulty in assuming the role of instructor.
“I just fell right into this because I already know the material,” Fonoti said. “I’m not planning on getting out anytime soon. I get a sense of accomplishment out of this.”
Arguably one of the most important lessons taught at the academy is the concept of self-discovery. Rather than just telling partnered units how to do better, First Army OC/Ts assist leaders in self-identifying strengths and weaknesses in their standard operating procedures and their Soldiers’ training.
“The academy here teaches senior [leaders] to train units because that’s how we operate,” Fonoti said.
Sgt. 1st Class Valerie Carter, a Birmingham, Alabama native, has also earned her Basic Army Instructor Badge at the First Army Academy. She particularly appreciates the opportunity to train with Soldiers from a variety of backgrounds across First Army.
“This is a place you meet people you would never normally come across,” Carter said.
Not only does Carter have 24 years of service and four deployments to Afghanistan and Iraq, she is also the only female instructor at the academy.
“We expect the female Soldiers to pull the same weight as the male Soldiers,” Carter said. “Seeing female instructors here boosts their confidence.”
Carter emphasized the importance of an OC/T using tact and interpersonal skills when interacting with partnered Soldiers.
“You have to be able to understand different personalities and be flexible and patient,” Carter said.
As a Soldier who has served both in the Army Reserve and Active Component, Carter sees the value of First Army’s mission.
“I think it is very important to have a part of the Army that helps assist Guard and Reserve units train and meet the standard,” Carter said. “If you don’t train units properly, you let your brothers and sisters go overseas unprepared.”
At one point, First Army had 16 training brigades spread across the country and, regardless of location, OC/Ts had a requirement to train deploying units to the same standards. However, “in the past, things were being done differently,” said the First Army Academy’s commandant, Command Sgt. Maj. John Lambert Jr. “There was a need for standardization within the AAR process in First Army.”
In 2005, Lambert assisted in setting up the academy as a two-week course. Since then, the course has evolved to focus on the core competencies needed by an OC/T. Ninety percent of Soldiers assigned to First Army are OC/Ts, making certification crucial to complete.
This course gives a baseline on how to be an OC/T,” Lambert said. “When we first started out, we did a lot more hands-on training, like weapons and [searching vehicles].” Now we are more focused on after action reviews.”
The AAR is a guided discussion, following an event or operation that enables Soldiers to discover for themselves their team’s strengths and weaknesses based on Army doctrine and how to improve their training and performance for the future.
Today First Army has nine brigades instead of 16, but the requirement for training standardization continues. To that end, all OC/Ts are required to complete four phases of training. In the first phase, Soldiers will undergo unit training at their units. In the second phase, Soldiers attend the course at the First Army Academy. After graduating from the academy, the new OC/Ts receive a third phase (certification) of training with their units. The fourth phase is recertification annually or as needed.
“We train multi-component, multi-proponent, multi-skill-level Soldiers to be effective OC/Ts,” said Command Sgt. Maj. Richard Johnson, First Army command sergeant major. “We have sergeants, staff sergeants, sergeants first class, first lieutenants, warrant officers, company grade and field grade officers that come here as students. There is no other academy or learning institution I am aware of that does that.”
Earlier this month, 70 Soldiers became the first class to graduate the First Army Academy in 2017. Lt. Col. John Smalley, commander of First Army’s 2nd Training Support Battalion, 361st Engineer Regiment, 181st Infantry Brigade, based in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, was the highest-ranking student in the class.
Smalley first enlisted in the Army National Guard in 1986 and has also served in in the Army Reserve and active-duty Army.
“Last time I worked at the squad level was 25 years ago,” he said. “The OC/T course gives me legitimacy; I’ve been through the same thing as the Soldiers. I think it is absolutely necessary to set a standard Army-wide and enforce it equally.”
| Date Taken: | 01.19.2017 |
| Date Posted: | 01.19.2017 11:47 |
| Story ID: | 220675 |
| Location: | CAMP SHELBY, MS, US |
| Web Views: | 232 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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