MARINE CORPS AIR STATION FUTENMA, Okinawa, Japan --
According to Marine
Corps University, the Corporals Leadership Program is designed to provide
instruction for tasks developed in accordance with Marine Corps Order 1510.90
Individual Training Standard.
As well, all commands
conducting a Corporal’s course program are requested to review the contents of
the online curriculum, evaluate the performance of their graduates against field
requirements and complete a course-statistics record.
Staff Sgt. Neil Foose
Jr., deputy director of Corporal’s Course aboard Marine Corps Air Station
Futenma, Okinawa, Japan, Marine Corps Installations Pacific, took the bull by
the horns and revamped the course, improving the station’s mission readiness.
“I came over in the
beginning of January, and realized that the course needed a complete overhaul,”
said Foose, the ground and electronics maintenance chief with Marine Air
Control Squadron 4, 1st Marine Wing Aircraft, III Marine Expeditionary Unit. “I
updated the entire curriculum and identified shortfalls where I thought
corporals could benefit a little bit more, such as the land navigation portion…
which was pretty much nonexistent.”
Construction of land
navigation took approximately 45 days with Foose gathering multiple permissions
around the air station and Okinawa. Several entities required approval
including the water, environmental and electric departments.
With new training
grounds, Foose, from Rochester, New York, also implemented a culminating event where
students broke down into squads and patrolled around the air station utilizing
hand and arm signals. Foose said making this event a competition between the squads
increases the drive to win, and helps students understand lessons taught during
their operations and warfighting classes.
Cpl. Sonja Doss, 4th
squad leader for class 537-15, said this course has an emphasis on leadership,
allowing Marines “to be that individual leader,” whether in a garrison or
combat atmosphere.
“This course has given
me confidence… being a new noncommissioned officer,” said Doss from Kaufman,
Texas. “All of the units with students in this course will receive better
prepared NCOs with all of the good training we’re conducting here.”
Foose intentionally
designed the physical training events in a unique fashion. His intent is to force
students to develop a solution to a problem and formulate a plan of execution.
Foose volunteered to be
the deputy director because he felt compelled to influence as many Marines as
he could. His efforts spun the course around and gave Marines new insight to
what makes a great leader.
“Staff Sergeant Foose
is definitely a motivator,” said Doss. “Every time I see him, he always has
something to say that will get me through the rest of the week. He knows so
many individual Marines that he doesn’t even work with and goes out of his way
to help them keep going. It’s super motivating and he’s definitely someone I can
go to for anything.”
Motivation is just only
one of the many aspects a leader needs to run a successful residential course.
According to Foose, the key is to find instructors who want to be there and
want to lead. Wanting to take those Marines, mold them and help develop them as
individuals and leaders of Marines is what makes a successful class.