JOINT BASE MCGUIRE-DIX-LAKEHURST, N.J. -- Imagine leaving your comfort zone to take on challenges from a different culture. This is what four service-members from the U.S. Marine Corps, Navy and Coast Guard underwent when they attended the Kish Airman Leadership School here, Sept. 18, 2018.
The Kish ALS provides newly-minted NCOs with the tools needed to be a leader, offering instruction on communication and different methods of leadership.
“The program prepares the students to be leaders, instructing them on the counseling procedures and leadership styles and the different situations such as suicide, sexual assault and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder,” said U.S. Air Force Master Sgt. Lora Pogue, Kish ALS commandant.
The Kish ALS course is conducted seven times a fiscal year, providing 192 hours of instructional and classroom training during a 24-day period, with 68 similar schools located across the Air Force.
“The two requirements for attending the course are the students must be E-4 or E-5 and have six months retainability,” said Pogue. “We teach that it’s not about you, it’s about all the people you supervise.”
U.S. Marine Corps Cpl. Joe Kotara, administrative chief with Marine Aviation Group 49, was the first member of the Marine Corps to complete the ALS course here.
“I came into this class with an open mind,” said Kotara. “I gained a lot of knowledge from the class and met a lot of good people.”
Attending a new course with another service can sometimes be challenging but according to Kotara this was not the case.
“They really looked out for me, making sure I understood all the lingo, terms and abbreviations,” said Kotara. “All-in-all, they had my back from the beginning and definitely guided me during the course to make sure I was successful.”
Regarding the course, Kotara added, “We have a lot of things in common as far as the general mindset, it is just how we execute that is different and so I did my best to vocalize that throughout the course and they were very receptive to what I was saying and I was receptive to what they were saying.”
For U.S. Navy Aviation Boatswain Mate Fuels 3rd Class Seth Barnes, the course at ALS was a memorable experience.
“I was uncomfortable before attending, sheltered and accustomed to the Navy way,” said Barnes. “The school did a very good job preparing you for your step, they break down leadership to a science and let you see the big picture of being a leader. It helped me communicate better and think before acting. I learned more about my leadership style and how to use it better and make me more approachable when talking to others.”
One of the key things, whether for the military or civilian life, can be communication and motivational skills with others and the course at ALS offers that in abundance.
“The school offered a different perspective of things,” said U.S. Coast Guard Boatswain Mate 3rd Class Edgar Soriano. “The course provided me with the opportunity of developing and mentoring skills and gave more understanding of people and what motivates them. The Air Force knows how to develop leaders.”
“Being a leader is not for you, but for others, the future leaders of tomorrow,” added Soriano.
For those at the ALS the learning factor goes both ways.
“What I like to stress to students is that ALS is more curriculum, that it is a blank canvas in terms of whatever they make of it,” said U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Corey Lafay, ALS instructor.
According to Lafay, it is one of the goals of the Air Force chief of staff to strengthen its leadership and teams.
“I learn more and more per class and sometimes feel selfish because I take away more as an instructor than the students do because it is such a mutually beneficial environment,” said Lafay. “I love the opportunity to get cross-service members and cannot stress that starting that conversation of joint integration is essential.”