Training and education: Time for growth

  • Published
  • By Lt. Col. Liza Struck
  • 30th Operations Support Squadron commander
Every decision or complicated situation we face brings to bear all of our beliefs, attitudes, values, experiences and education. The fewer the experiences, the easier the decision, right?

Unfortunately, with the ever-changing, increasingly complex military environment facing us, inexperience is a luxury we cannot have if we want to stay ahead of the game. How do we gain this broad experience while assigned in our current jobs? Through training and education --January's "Year of Leadership" focus areas.

Most people understand the importance of training, especially as it relates to the mission at hand. Initial qualification training, recurring training, the various beloved CDCs and pre-deployment skills training are just some of the ways we prepare personnel for various tasks with the expectation of some immediate job-related payoff. Training for new procedures mandated by the Air Force or Air Force Space Command (Sharepoint, anyone?) is also important. Then there is ancillary training ... and I can almost feel the eyes rolling further back. There are all sorts of readily-available, job-related training requirements that exist to keep us current in our skills and compliant with higher headquarters requirements. And while time-consuming and often inconvenient, we generally accept these training requirements as part of our military way of life.

If training yields the fruit of experience on the job, then education is the fiber -- we know it's good for us but we don't always look for or get enough of it in our diets, despite the great benefits it boasts. We tend to associate "education" with the pursuit of an undergraduate/advanced degree or professional military education, but education spans a much broader aspect of learning that often does not take place in a classroom and from which we may not experience immediate benefits. Finding these pockets of learning opportunities can be in a variety of places.

During one of the prep exercises for this past Operational Readiness Inspection, I was given an "opportunity to excel" (one of my personal favorites). A member of the wing was simulated shot by a rogue gunman and I was tasked to provide casualty notification to the family. At the time I was initially notified of the exercise tasking, I was at a medical appointment and admittedly, was slightly annoyed at being tracked down to rearrange my day to play in this particular reindeer game. But as I dashed home to change into my service dress, I thought, "This might not be such a bad experience." By the time I reported in service dress to the appointed room and faced the waiting chaplain and medical corpsman, my palms were a little sweaty and my heart rate elevated -- it was game time. I was given a file that contained the simulated deceased member's simulated family information, along with the conditions of the fake death, a briefing by the casualty affairs officer on what to expect and a training video to view. Even though I knew this was just an exercise, the reality of what I was about to do (that thousands of others had done for real) hit me. Even as we approached the fake family's front door and passed the orange-vested observers inside the house, I clung to the crash-course training I had just received to get me through the seemingly real casualty notification. After what seemed like ages, our small group was headed back outside to the waiting vehicle and I was thankful I'd gone through the experience. What did I learn? There are several resources through the chaplaincy and the 30th Force Support Squadron to aid family members faced with this situation; flight med docs do make house calls on behalf of the president; confirmation that the chaplain is a great source of calming strength; and even though it was a training scenario, I have confidence to execute the task from having that single experience. Chalk that one up to both training and educational victories I might have missed out on, had I originally been given the choice.

How many opportunities for learning and education have we bypassed by not volunteering ourselves or our Airmen? As we go about the daily grind, over-tasked and undermanned, it's all too easy to shy away from good opportunities to grow as Airmen because it takes time away from accomplishing our core missions. But sometimes, we need to weigh the benefits of suffering through a mission with further-stressed resources to allow folks to get better educated -- whether it's a short-term opportunity to excel, PME in residence or a deployment. Wing units recently reviewed their deployment posturing, taking honest, hard looks at what it takes to accomplish the home station missions. I made the decision to slightly increase the number of deployable billets within our squadron not because we're overmanned (we're not) or even adequately manned, but because deployers will return with a wealth of knowledge and immeasurable experience that will ultimately benefit the Air Force and this great nation. Most deployers return with a fresh perspective on the Air Force, our joint brethren, an enhanced sense of national objectives and a renewed vigor to make a difference. If we can give Airmen opportunities to deploy, it will pay dividends not only today, but in years down the road.

There are also several growth opportunities on much smaller scales and in shorter timeframes. How well do we know what our sister units do? We're "One Team, One Fight," but we could all probably do better at our positions if we knew a little more about what positions and how our teammates played. Done with formal PME? Grab a book off the CSAF's reading list and expand your knowledge in the comfort of your own home. How about volunteering to assist with a competitive board -- either at the local or higher headquarters level? You can learn a lot about what other members do for a living through these award packages, and gain insight into senior leaders' thought processes during the discussions. Overall, take the opportunity to step out of your comfort zone -- the learning curve may be steep, but the rewards are great.

Our military culture embraces the commitment to learn and while it often disrupts our daily routine, it ensures we are prepared to face future challenges -- whether it's a decision in combat or in a conference room. We are expected to continue learning and to step outside our comfort zones in order to grow into future, broadly-experienced leaders. We shouldn't shy away from training and education opportunities for the future leaders of our Air Force. And sometimes, we need to give a little push for our Airmen in need of those good ol' opportunities to excel.