Photo By Danielle ODonnell | Nader Abdul Khalek of Lebanon (left) presented a memento on the behalf of all the...... read more read more
The international military students of Sergeants Major Course Class 69 embarked on a Field Studies Program of a lifetime, April 24, when the group made their way to historic Baltimore, Maryland and Washington, D.C. The group was led on the excursion by members of the International Military Student Office of the NCO Leadership Center of Excellence.
“The purpose of the FSP is to ensure the international military students of USASMA return to their homelands with a favorable impression of the United States by understanding the responsibilities of the United States governments, militaries, and citizens,” FSP Specialist, Jesse Herrera said. “We designed the timelines and events of the FSP to create a shared understanding of how our nation protects, preserves, and respects the rights of every individual.”
The 10-day trip started with students spending five days in and around Baltimore where they learned about the early beginnings of American history to present day.
The students learned about adaptive reuse during a visit to famed Camden Yards, Baltimore Oriole’s ballpark.
“Baltimore brought new life to the economy through adaptive reuse by utilizing what we had in place”, Chris Riehl, Baltimore docent said. “A great example of adaptive reuse is at Camden Yards. This is where the old Baltimore and Ohio warehouse used to be and now houses the Orioles Ballpark.”
The students also toured the historic battlefield at Gettysburg and learned how America is now unified after years of conflict during the Civil war.
“The IMS look at America as the world leader for everything,” Sgt. Maj. Wallace Doss, IMSO director said. “The U.S. had internal conflicts too, we had our own Civil War with American verse American but we have unified and prospered since.”
On the fourth day in Baltimore the students were set on an urban orienteering excursion utilizing information they were given, and applying it to find certain points of interest across Baltimore.
“We wanted to this trip to be engaging and interactive. We gave them a way to learn our history by immersing them into every lesson,” Herrera said.
Throughout the FSP docents were provided with a memento from the students to commemorate their time and to show their appreciation for the information they received.
At the Star Spangled Banner House, Jean-Paul Van Oostrum of the Netherlands presented the docent with an IMSO coin.
“The house is small, but has a large impact on your country and what it represents,” he said. “This coin is small too, but it represents 41 countries and 57 IMS. Thank you for your time and teaching us about your history.”
The final day of the FSP in Baltimore concluded with a reflection run and team building exercises.
“It starts with you,” Doss said. “As a leader you must have presence and that starts at first formation at 6 a.m. Leadership, mentorship and coaching all starts with you.”
The Baltimore portion of the FSP was packed full of information. Not only did the students tour historical sites, they also boarded a guided lunch cruise where they learned information about the Patapsco River; went into the Baltimore World Trade Center; visited the Star Spangled Banner House, and finally toured Fort McHenry where the Star Spangled Banner of Francis Scott Key waved.
The second half of the FSP took the group in and around Washington DC. Here the IMS learned the facets of American society from its inception to date.
The first day took the group to the Pentagon. Later, they met with Sgt. Maj. of the Army Daniel A. Dailey, had lunch and participated in a wreath-laying ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Arlington National Cemetery.
Day two took the students to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum for a tour and an open discussion on the risk factors of crimes against humanity.
The students then made their way to Ford’s Theatre where to receive a presentation on the assassination of Abraham Lincoln.
On their third day, the group visited an interactive museum on communication, the Newseum, where they went to learn about the differences in media and censorship worldwide, ending their day visiting the Smithsonian National Museum of American History.
On the final day in the nation’s capital, the students received a guided tour through the National Mall and the Capital building to learn the various aspects of government and the meaning behind the original U.S motto, "E Pluribus Unum,” or “From Many, One."
“I believe it was all so interesting, educational and also well planned,” Arogundade Fadahunsi, IMS from Nigeria said. “The journey from El Paso to Baltimore through Washington DC was well coordinated. The IMSO staff were all responsible in making sure the schedule was followed accordingly.”
The IMSO celebrated their time, and lessons learned of the American society and way of life with a final dinner and words of appreciation from the IMSO sergeant major and military students.
"Thank you for your professionalism during our trip and learning about our American society and our way of life.-To the families, thank you for your support because behind every successful soldier is a family supporting them," Doss said.
If you are interested in more information about IMSO or would like to become a community sponsor visit the NCOL CoE website at: https://ncolcoe.armylive.dodlive.mil/imso/
| Date Taken: | 05.23.2019 |
| Date Posted: | 05.23.2019 12:30 |
| Story ID: | 323692 |
| Location: | US |
| Web Views: | 289 |
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