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Training instructors put boot on honorary commanders

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Sean M. Crowe
  • Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst Public Affairs
JOINT BASE MCGUIRE-DIX-LAKEHURST, N.J. --  Honorary commanders received brief treatment mimicking what military recruits experience when entering basic military training, or "boot camp", Oct. 28, 2014, at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, N.J.

The honorary commanders program is designed to familiarize local community leaders with the military members who live in and contribute to their communities through base events, meetings and special events, including the boot camp.

"MOVE, MOVE, MOVE!"

Former military training instructors vocalized phrases like this all day to get the honorary commanders in the spirit of basic military training. Instructors also ensured to fill the honorary commanders in on all things military and guide them through activities throughout the day.

"It will be interesting to see what my son went through when he joined the Coast Guard," said Kathy Halbing, Fleet Logistics Support Squadron 64 (VR-64) honorary commander, at the beginning of the day. "I'm hoping that by going through this I'll be able to better relate to our service members."

The instructors taught honorary commanders fundamentals that any basic military trainee could expect to learn, including fitness standards, special traditions and even some basic drill movements.

"The day started out very chaotic," said Air Force Staff Sgt. John Byrd, honorary boot camp instructor and JB MDL Chaplains Office assistant. "Things started to smooth out once we established a foundation, some discipline and core values. We were able to help our trainees at that point and show them what life in the military is all about and help them with some of the activities."

The first two stops for the honorary commanders showcased Army weapons, vehicles and virtual training simulators the National Guard uses to train mobilizing soldiers.

The honorary commanders got to handle the M249 and M2 machine guns and small arms including the M16 and M9, which most military branches initially train with. The hands-on experience intensified when they moved on to the Virtual Interactive Combat Experience simulation, allowing them to see what soldiers can expect when heading to a combat environment.

The boot camp also featured a stop at the JB MDL honor guard facility for a demonstration of colors posting and military funeral honors, displaying core values and discipline at work. The honor guard then expanded on the drill movements the instructors had taught throughout the day.

"I hope you all were able to experience a snippet of what we do here at the joint base," said Navy Capt. Christopher Fletcher, JB MDL deputy commander and Naval Support Activity Lakehurst commander, during the closing ceremony. "I can't thank our community leaders enough for participating and continuously supporting us."

Fletcher went on to individually thank the honorary commanders and present them all with certificates of completion. The participants also displayed gratitude to their instructors for teaching them so much about military culture throughout the day.

"I plan on taking what I learned today and using it to get our outside community more involved with the base," said Lisa Post, Burlington County Military Affairs Committee executive board member. "I want our service members, the young and single members especially, to know that there's a community and organizations out there that would like to get them involved and better serve them as they do for us."

To view all of the pictures from the Honorary Commanders Boot Camp, click here.