Keesler hosts Reserve officers for development course

by Maj. Marnee A.C. Losurdo
403rd Wing Public Affairs

12/16/2014 - KEESLER AIR FORCE BASE, Miss.  – The 403rd Wing hosted 40 Reserve officers from across the nation who attended the Air Force Reserve Command’s Junior Officer Leadership Development course here Dec. 11-14.

The course is for lieutenants and captains and focuses on leadership, career development, and force management, said Maj. Costau Bastien, JOLD director.

“It’s Air Force Reserve (Company Grade Officer) 101,” he said, adding that JOLD is the first step in a series of AFRC professional development courses designed to assist young Reserve officers.

Throughout the course the students interacted with and were mentored by senior leaders.  Maj. Gen. Catherine Chilton, mobilization assistant to the Military Deputy, Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Acquisition, the Pentagon, Washington, D.C.; Brig. Gen. Udo K. “Karl” McGregor, Vice Commander, Joint Enabling Capabilities Command, Norfolk, Virginia; Col. Frank L Amodeo, commander, 403rd Wing, Keesler AFB; Col. Marshall Irvin, commander, 94th Mission Support Group, Dobbins Air Reserve Base, Georgia; and, Col. Robert Palmer, director, AFRC Public Affairs, were guest speakers for the course.

“It’s an opportunity for them to get mentoring and career guidance on how to be the best and most effective officer they can be,” said Bastien.

McGregor said he enjoys mentoring junior officers at these educational courses because Reserve CGOs do not have as many opportunities to interact with senior leaders as their active duty counterparts.

“So that’s why I do this, that connection with them,” he said, adding that he was impressed by the caliber of officers serving in the Air Force and Air Force Reserve.

“These young officers are educated, well-traveled and articulate,” said the general. “They have lots of skills.”

To further enhance their future careers, junior officers received one-on-one coaching on how to complete their Reserve Officer Development Plans which assists with career and developmental education vectoring.  Their personnel records were also reviewed with them, said Bastien.

“Their records are a reflection of their accomplishments and contributions to AFRC, which is important when it comes to promotions,” said Bastien. “This knowledge also empowers them to be better officers so they can mentor others.”

The officers also learned about the 403rd Wing and the 53rd Weather Reconnaissance Squadron “Hurricane Hunters,” receiving a mission briefing and touring a WC-130J. The course wrapped up with students participating in a teambuilding exercise on an obstacle course ordinarily used by combat controller students stationed at Keesler.

The 919th Special Operations Wing Executive Officer 1st Lt. Bobbie-Jean Johnson was one of 40 students who spent Dec. 13, crawling under wire, scaling walls, jumping over obstacles and balancing on logs.

After finishing the obstacle course, which was her favorite event of the four-day course, she said she found JOLD to be extremely beneficial.

“This is a great opportunity to enhance our leadership skills, learn about career development and network with our peers and senior leaders,” she said. “Many of us will experience similar challenges throughout our career so it’s great to be able to reach out to someone and get advice or suggestions on how they handled a situation or problem and then put that knowledge into practice.”

The chance to interact with and learn from his peers’ experiences was also a highlight for 403rd Maintenance Group Executive Officer 1st Lt. Brandon Dutton.

“For many junior officers, this is the first time since Officer Training School to see what our peers, especially in other wings, have done with their time in the Reserve,” he said. “I appreciated the opportunity to meet other junior officers from around the country and learn what they do in their jobs and how they affect the Air Force. It was an eye opening experience that will make me better in my job.”

For more information on the PDC, visit the center’s site on the Air Force Portal.

Source: http://military-online.blogspot.com/2014/12/keesler-hosts-reserve-officers-for.html