Grissom hosts first for Airman Leadership School

Published Aug. 3, 2013
By Staff Sgt. Carl Berry
434th ARW Public Affairs

GRISSOM AIR RESERVE BASE, Ind. -- Airman Leadership School is considered a milestone for most enlisted Air Force members as it serves as a preparatory transition from airmen to noncommissioned officer ranks, but the course hit a milestone of its own recently.

As students and faculty descended upon Grissom July 8 to help facilitate that transition for Airmen, it was the first time the Air Force Reserve Command had deployed instructors to conduct an ALS class outside one of the command's permanent ALS school houses.

Because the in-residence program is five weeks long, traditional reservists have gravitated toward a correspondence option for the course, said Tech. Sgt. Debra Wilson-Strong, 434th Air Refueling Wing education and training assistant chief. However, she added, hosting the class on base and drawing from other bases afforded those reservists with the ability to get the training in the classroom environment.

"This is the first time AFRC has sent instructors to facilitate a class where 100 percent of the students are traditional reservists," Wilson-Strong continued. "We requested that AFRC provide the course to help Grissom Airmen better prepare for the ALS test."

AFRC accepted Grissom's request and took it a step further by offering the class to reservists from other bases.

"In order for the class to be held, we needed a minimum of 32 senior airmen, so AFRC offered the course to other reserve units," explained Wilson-Strong.

Reservists participating in the course came from Grissom, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio; Pope Air Force Base, N.C., Joint-Base Andrews, Va.; Youngstown Air Reserve Station, Ohio; and Minneapolis-St. Paul Air Reserve Station, Minn.

"The five week long course aims to prepare students for a life-long learning experience in the Air Force and to provide them with the tools to be future leaders," shared Master Sgt. Keith Cavanaugh, Paul H. Lankford Enlisted Professional Military Education Center superintendent. "The students learn about the various roles they will assume as military supervisors, such as being communicators, managers, team members, military citizens and followers; all areas help with executing the most important role of being leaders and effective, first-line supervisors."

To prepare the Airmen for those responsibilities, instructors used scenarios designed to foster thought and discussion.

"As facilitators we think it's vitally important to get the class to interact and embrace the concepts being taught, so we encourage them to resolve issues as a group," shared Tech. Sgt. Jenny Sanchez, Lankford Center EPME instructor. "It allows the students an opportunity to apply some of the principles they've learned and foster that outside relationship with the community."

The instructors said they have a mission focus as they educate their students in leadership and organizing or influencing a group of people to accomplish a specific goal or mission.

"In ALS, the foundation to every lesson is mission accomplishment," said Tech. Sgt. D.J. Westfall, Lanford Center EPME instructor. "Airmen will learn much more during the course than necessary to successfully pass the exam given at the end of ALS."

Depending upon the success of the current class, AFRC plans on having a deployed ALS class at least once a year, but it will be at different locations, Wilson-Strong added.

The 434th ARW is the largest KC-135R Stratotanker unit in AFRC. Airmen and aircraft from the 434th ARW routinely deploy around the globe in support of the Air Force mission and U.S. strategic objectives.

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Grissom hosts first for Airman Leadership School

Public Affairs Staff