Cadets Attend First Ever Virtual NCO Training!
By: C/SMSgt Grace Anderson, CAP
Event Cadet Public Affairs Officer
On Saturday, February 27th, Group Five of the North Carolina Wing held the first ever Virtual Cadet NCO Seminar. The seminar consisted of four classes and two team leadership problems. These were solved individually by each small group of cadets; each small group was led by a senior member seminar leader and cadet seminar NCO assistant. Twenty cadets and nine senior members attended, representing two wings, six groups and thirteen squadrons. Notable guests included Col Ed Angelovich, the North Carolina Wing Commander; SMSgt Christopher Kehrer, the North Carolina Wing Command NCO; Lt Col Jeff Focke, the North Carolina Wing Vice Commander West; and Lt Col Craig Richardson, the Group Five Commander. The seminar was led by the event director, Lt Col Daniel Guadalupe, and the cadet officer in charge, C/Maj Aidan Thibodeaux.
The goal of the seminar was to provide training and education for the North Carolina Wing’s Cadet NCOs, as training has been limited for all personnel since the outbreak of COVID-19 and the subsequent meeting restructuring. At time of writing, it is approximately the one-year anniversary of Maj General Mark Smith’s guidance on “non-mission essential travel … [and] any CAP gathering that can be postponed without negatively impacting CAP’s mission readiness.” Since that day, North Carolina Wing has been switching back and forth between the early stages of reopening, vacillating with COVID-19 cases and other government restrictions. Because of that, training for all cadets, much less specialized training aimed at NCOs, has been limited.
NCOs in attendance were anticipating the opportunity to learn leadership skills, teach other cadets at their home squadrons, prepare for their Brigadier General Billy Mitchell Award and officer ranks, and prepare themselves for current or future staff positions. C/SMSgt Jacob Cieslak of the Fayetteville Composite Squadron (NC-007) said, “I hope to gain overall knowledge of how to fulfill the core duty of being a CAP NCO, which I believe are to set a standard in all aspects of life and CAP.” Most cadets sought to learn better time management, public speaking, communication, and the ability to connect with other cadets.
The seminar fulfilled this desire to be exceptional by teaching skills and knowledge, demonstrating the skills to cadets through examples, and giving them the opportunity to practice through leadership problems. On what improvements he would make on himself using the information from the seminar, C/CMSgt Colin Massey of the Apex Cadet Squadron (NC-301) said, “The information really opened my eyes and made me realize that I can make an immediate and positive impact on the cadets around me. So I will be more thoughtful and try to make a difference, overcoming any outside factors and adapting to negative situations.” The seminars were “NCO Responsibilities” by Capt Mark Hennessey, “Electronic Communications Etiquette” by Capt John Lane, the “Six-Step Teaching Method” by C/SMSgt Juliana Boerma, and “Commanding Drill” by C/Maj Thibodeaux. Two of the seven cadets who served as cadre, C/CMSgt Seth Thibodeaux and C/CMSgt Megan Lane, were staffing for the first time, giving them valuable experience to take back to their squadrons.
Lt Col Guadalupe shares his vision for this event in the future, stating, “The curriculum will include a short-duration virtual seminar (single day or a few short sessions) focusing on a specific subject leading up to a weekend (Saturday) in-person practical exercise event.” Cadets would do classwork virtually, with application and physical work in person, depending on the current COVID-19 meeting restrictions. We hope that someday all groups will hold their own NCO training using this training model in the near future. “
The success of the event was demonstrated by cadets’ fun experiences with learning, staff member’s innovation in designing a new way to teach, and in-depth coverage of multiple topics. SMSgt Christopher Kehrer, the North Carolina Wing Command NCO, shared his final thoughts regarding the success of the event and hopes for its future in the North Carolina Wing; “I thought the NCO Seminar went extremely well. Lt Col Guadalupe and his team did an extremely good job. There was a lot of material that they presented in a short period of time but it was also very valuable material. The efforts of and the quality of the instructors, both cadet and senior members exemplifies the best in the volunteerism of the North Carolina Wing. The professionalism of all the instructors and their well thought out plans has greatly contributed to the Cadet NCO Corps . By the sounds of the questions and the responses, the cadet NCOs that attended the seminar were very grateful for the information. I look forward to seeing many more seminars like this one, especially if we get the opportunity to do them in person.”
For More Information:
C/SMSgt Grace Anderson, CAP
Event Cadet Public Affairs Officer
