Reserve officers hone leadership skills

  • Published
  • By Capt. Marnee A.C. Losurdo
  • 512th Airlift Wing Public Affairs
DOVER AIR FORCE BASE, Del. (AFNS) --  More than 60 Air Force Reserve officers from throughout the nation traveled here recently to hone their leadership skills during the Junior Officer Leadership Development course.

Hosted by officials with the Air Force Reserve Command's 512th Airlift Wing, the four-day course featured three general officers who shared their experiences and thoughts on leadership with the lieutenants and captains in a variety of settings.

During the icebreaker, Col. Randal L. Bright, 512th AW commander, welcomed the junior officers and encouraged them to make the most of the experience.

"JOLD is a great event," he said. "In addition to learning from the course activities, I also challenge you to share your experiences and learn from each other."

The purpose of JOLD is to develop junior officers' leadership skills, said Capt. Adria Hammond, JOLD director at the Air Force Reserve Command's Professional Development Center at Robins Air Force Base, Ga.

"It's a reminder of what it takes to be a good leader, because sometimes not all officers remember everything they learned during their commissioning courses," she said. "It's also an opportunity for these officers to network and hopefully develop some life-long friendships."

Capt. Jennifer Aasland, an Air Reserve Technician and medical service corps officer with the 934th Aeromedical Squadron at Minneapolis-St. Paul Air Reserve Station, Minn., said she made the trip to the East Coast to enhance her leadership skills.

Captain Aasland and her JOLD counterparts spent the first day of their training in southern Delaware at the U.S. Army National Guard Training facility in Bethany Beach. Members of the Delaware State Police gave the officers a ground fighting defense demonstration and then had the reservists practice what they learned on each other. The Citizen Airmen also interacted with Delaware U.S. Army National Guard Soldiers who educated them on land navigation and grenade-throwing techniques.

During the next two days, the company grade officers learned about one aspect of the 512th AW mission when they flew on a C-17 Globemaster III. They also received an Air Force Smart Operations for the 21st Century briefing and were educated on how the program could assist them in developing ways to improve their work processes.

Another highlight for some of the officers was the opportunity to interact with senior Air Force Reserve leaders. This was the case for Captain Aasland.

"It was great to have the one and two-star general perspective, because they answered some questions about why some things are the way they are in the Air Force and Air Force Reserve today," she said.

The generals also provided the JOLD participants with tips on how to lead, mentor, develop and inspire their Airmen. The briefings were given by Maj. Gen Mark W. Anderson, mobilization assistant to the commander of Air Mobility Command at Scott AFB, Ill.; Brig. Gen. Keith D. Kries, deputy assistant chief of staff for operations, U.S. Forces Korea and United Nations Command, Yongsan Army Garrison, South Korea; and Brig. Gen. Michael D. Kim, mobilization assistant to the director of operations at Headquarters AMC.

As the event came to a close and the officers received their certificates of completion, Captain Hammond said she hopes the participants left Dover recharged and motivated to apply what they learned during the course.

For Captain Aasland, it was a trip well worth taking.

"It was a really good course with a lot to offer," she said.

Air Force Reserve junior officers can participate in future events such as this by meeting the July 2010 Reserve School Selection Board. Officers can submit applications through v-PC-GR, which are approved by their chain of command and Headquarters Air Reserve Personnel Center. The "Invitation to Apply" lists upcoming courses, which can be viewed at the ARPC website.