Good Morning,
"Room, Tench-hut!" says the person watching the door for an officer as he or she enters the room. There is an air of prestige and bearing among all cadets. Everyone who is not a commissioned officer stands up, rapidly, from their seats with their hands gently fisted, their shoulders back, and their eyes straight forward, parallel to the floor.
This is Leadership Laboratory. This is one of many events in which that infamous command is uttered from the mouth of a cadet, who is posted at the door. This is probably the one order or call that you are familiar with because of movies where there is a infuriatingly mad drill sergeant.
So, is Air Force ROTC really gruesome? Do cadets really have to deal with a drill sergeant up in your face barking orders at you everyday?
The answer is no, at least not in your first year as a cadet (it does get tougher your second semester during your second year as a cadet). Leadership Laboratory is a two-hour class on Tuesdays where cadets learn how to take orders and give commands. It is a learning opportunity. The people above me, especially the Wing Commander and the Commander of the Detachment, always stress that this is an opportunity to learn and make mistakes before you get into the real-world Air Force.
The Air Force is different to other branches. You're probably thinking all branches are different from each other. Well, the Air Force is different because unlike other branches they put stress on developing and caring for their Airman and their families. This is something different to other branches, for example, the Navy, stresses being on submarines, and getting the mission done, so they do not really care about the health of their land-ridden bases. The Air Force cares about their land-ridden bases and their planes because it has a widespread amount of jobs, of which most are on the ground, not in a plane. The Air Force recognizes that they need the people on the ground to fulfill their missions in the sky.
How does this idea of caring connect to Leadership Lab?
In Leadership Lab, if you do something wrong, like a drill movement, it is a comfortable environment. A higher-ranking cadet can pull you aside, in a very human-like way, and teach you what you are missing or need to know.
The Air Force, also, stresses the "Wingman Concept". Part of the Airman's Creed is " I am an American Airman: wingman, warrior, leader. I will never leave an Airman behind." It is basically what you would expect when you go to a party with your best friend and call them your wingman. The Air Force makes it a point that each Airman will never be alone during class. If you need to get a drink of water someone else goes to get a drink of water with you because you never know if the rest of your group (or flight, as they say in the Air Force) will be there when you get back.
You may have heard someone say, "lead, follow, or get out of the way". This is not the case in the Air Force and in ROTC. We stress the "Wingman Concept" and we will never leave an Airman behind. Cadets will learn how to lead, follow, and care, but never "get out of the way".
Welcome to the world of the United States Air Force!
Very Respectfully,
TIFFANY N. SEIBERT, C/4c, AFROTC
I'm happy you chose this as your topic, knew it would suit you best! Over all it is an insightful read into your world, however, the way it is set up for the reader is a bit confusing. If you create space between phrases that you wish to emphasis on such as
ReplyDelete"This is the leadership laboratory", "the Air Force is different to other branches", it would be a much easier transition on the eyes of the reader, but like i said over all its a good read!
This post was very informative and well-written. I feel like I understand a bit more about the Air Force and your experience after reading.
ReplyDeleteI loved the content, it is something that I am unfamiliar with but you wrote about it with such familiarity and comfort which is why I believe it was such an appealing blog submission. 2 tips: I would use a picture to compliment your great imagery and consider changing the title to something shorter and catchier.
ReplyDelete