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CAMP LEMONNIER, Djibouti — Soldiers of the 7th Warrior Training Brigade, 7th Civil Support Command, traveled to Camp Lemonnier, Djibouti, to conduct a Warrior Leader Course for 86 Kansas Army National Guard Soldiers of the Wichita-based 1st Battalion, 161st Field Artillery here Jan. 2 to Feb. 7.
The 7th WTB Soldiers, who fall under the command and control of the 7th CSC based in Kaiserslautern, deployed from their home station in Grafenwöhr, Germany, to Djibouti in order to conduct two iterations of the 17-day WLC program of instruction.
“Having our Soldiers complete WLC here in Djibouti is a huge opportunity,” said Command. Sgt. Maj. Rick A. Matticks, the command sergeant major of the 161st FA. “The 161st FA is one of the most heavily deployed units in the Kansas National Guard. Some guys are on their third, fourth, fifth or sixth deployment. Because of our high operational tempo and the availability of school slots, it is very difficult to get this high of a number of our Soldiers enrolled in school back in the U.S.”
The 7th WTB provides a means for members of Joint, Interagency, Intergovernmental and Multi-national Forces throughout the European Command to attain military education. The mission in Djibouti is not the first time the 7th WTB have taken the training to deployed Soldiers. They conducted the same course in Kosovo twice in recent years and plans are in the works for the 7th WTB to perform the same mission in Djibouti later this year.
The 7th WTB Soldiers who groomed the next generation of operationally-experienced Soldiers for leadership positions of greater responsibility were, Sgt. 1st Class Joaquin T. Rendon, Staff Sgts. Fidelis A. Oziegbe, Marcel J. Walker and Eli M. Williams, and Sgts. Tyler S. Indovina and Emily Bayer.
The WLC, attended primarily by Soldiers in the rank of E-4 and E-5, is the first course in the Noncommissioned Officer Education System. Specialists, corporals and sergeants learn the basic skills to lead small groups of Soldiers. The course curriculum includes instruction in leadership, training and war fighting skills. The importance of completing the course cannot be understated. A Soldier cannot be promoted to the rank of staff sergeant, or E-6, until they complete the course.
Conducting the training in Djibouti is a win-win for not only the Soldiers, but also the 161st FA and the Army. In addition to providing a large number of Soldiers the opportunity to continue their professional development, the WLC class provides several other advantages, the most significant of which is the cost savings advantages for the Army and the Kansas Army National Guard. For example, it is more cost effective to send 7th WTB’s six-person cadre team to Djibouti instead of accruing the cost of rotating 85 individuals to the 7th Army NCO Academy in Grafenwöehr, or sending them on temporary duty in the U.S.
Conducting the WLC courses here in Djibouti also provides unique opportunities not normally available to WLC courses conducted in the U.S. The unit leadership has greater visibility, interaction and control of the students.
“Having the course here gives us (the unit leadership) an opportunity to supervise and interact with the Soldiers on a daily basis,” Matticks said.
The students’ leadership also gets the opportunity to participate in the training by playing the role of the opposing force during the situational training scenarios. The WLC class is able to immediately apply what they learn in the classroom to their operational mission, which is to provide force protection at Camp Lemonnier and participate in joint military missions on the African continent. The WLC cadre also took advantage of aviation assets assigned to Combined Joint Task Force-Horn of Africa to enhance the overall training experience.
The training provided by the 7th WTB Soldiers exceeded Matticks’ expectations, he said.
“Everything fell into place beautifully, and we are very pleased with the quality of training our Soldiers received. We have a great relationship with the cadre, and they have great communication with the students, which enables them to keep the Soldiers on track,” Matticks said.
