CAMP DAWSON, WVa. –
The District of Columbia Army National Guard completed its first two inaugural Junior Leaders Courses at Camp Dawson, West Virginia. The first of its kind course led by Command Sgt. Maj. Octavia Williamson, senior enlisted leader for the D.C. Army National Guard’s Land Component Command, is purposed to develop forward leaning junior enlisted members and equip them to be the next generation of home-grown leaders.
“One of our challenges is within the enlisted ranks is we often see leaders come in from other organizations,” CSM Williamson said. “This course is meant to develop leaders from within the ranks, so they’re empowered to go back to their units and grow as Soldiers. We’re talking about teaching, coaching and mentoring.”
Designed to build the skill sets of specialists and sergeants, the week-long course included classroom training, map reading, troop leading procedures, medical evacuations, weapons training, land navigation, and a field training exercise (FTX) allowing members to hone their skills in tactical movement, communication, and building clearing.
“The goal is to influence Soldiers to have a leadership mindset and carry that mindset throughout their entire career,” said U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Timothy Hale. “We are shaping team leaders as E-4s and E-5s. Leaders aren’t just at the front of the ranks, we’re expecting there to be leaders within the ranks.”
Whereas, Spc. Cyree Bethea, with the D.C. Army National Guard’s Recruiting and Retention Battalion, shared that this course is the foundation of development and mentorship.
“This course provides us with knowing essential guidelines, regulations and the fundamentals of Army leadership,” Spc. Bethea said. “Everything within the Army has a regulation. If you can understand the regulations, you can understand the Army. We’re learning things like Army Leadership Requirements Model, the “Be Know Do” philosophy, and we’re learning the attributes and competencies of an Army leader — we’re learning how we fit as individuals within this structure.”
He expressed that one of the most useful lessons was learning how to lead with empathy and how it impacted his career.
Spc. Bethea's initial packet for promotion to sergeant was denied. A noncommissioned officer within his unit, Sgt. Monger, took personal interest in Bathea’s career progression and asked him about his results. Bethea realized, he didn’t know much about the process of being promoted. Monger walked Bathea through the promotion process and the Bethea is now promotable to sergeant.
“This is what we’re learning here,” Bethea said. “We’re learning how the Army works by regulations, SOPs, and best practices. We’ve learned to take that knowledge, combine it with empathy, and leadership values to develop ourselves and Soldiers within our ranks.”
The D.C. Army National Guard Junior Leader course at Camp Dawson coincided with the Pre-Command Course, designed to foster a shared understanding of policies and programs, and the expectations of strategic leadership for command teams at the tactical/operational levels March 23-29 and Sept. 21-27.