MTIs and cadet cadre form partnership

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Veronica Ward
  • U.S. Air Force Academy Public Affairs
U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. (AFNS) --  A group of military training instructors from Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland, Texas, joined cadet cadre in Jacks Valley toward the end of July as part of an Air Education and Training Command and U.S. Air Force Academy training partnership.

According to Lt. Col. Adam Larson, the 322nd Training Squadron commander, the goal of the partnership is to make basic cadet training as successful as possible.

“We provide intense, challenging and respectful training to produce great Airmen,” Larson said. “We hold people accountable without degrading or demeaning them.”

Earlier this year, 30 cadets embedded with MTIs for basic military training at Lackland to learn how to motivate and develop new members of the military. In May, MTIs visited the Academy to talk to cadre and develop their leadership skills.

“We’re here this week to follow up, offer tools to motivate the cadet trainees and get feedback,” said Tech. Sgt. Giselle Janousek, an MTI. “We teach the importance of holding each other accountable and empowering trainees with some kind of task that they are responsible for.”

Although the concepts are simple, MTIs are able to offer big-picture concepts to the cadre.

“We help the cadre see the light at the end of the tunnel regarding where (unaddressed) attitudes and issues can lead,” said Master Sgt. James Correll, an MTI.

The instructors have carried over lessons learned from changes made to BMT over the last four years that are now strengthening cadre leadership and BCT at the Academy.

“Our goal for BCT courses was to motivate the cadet trainees to take ownership of their experience and feel a tangible sense of accomplishment every time they complete a course,” said Cadet 1st Class Haji Dunn, the BCT Jacks Valley courses commander. “The timely feedback the MTIs gave us allowed us to better meet this goal. They truly respected the work we put in and the way we executed.”