ALS students face a new kind of challenge

  • Published
  • By Tech. Sgt. Rey Ramon
  • 18th Wing Public Affairs
KADENA AIR BASE, Japan --  Students of Class 09-F from Kadena's Airman Leadership School faced a series of lessons about teamwork and fitness from Kadena's 554th Red Horse Squadron during a fitness and mental challenge July 27. 

"This is an exercise in leadership and followership," said Master Sgt. David Pizzuto, ALS commandant at the Erwin Professional Military Education Center. "The scenarios bring them together to work as a team and give them the opportunity to come out of their shell and refine some of those skills." 

The Erwin Professional Military Education Center and the 554th held this confidence course to test the students' combat readiness, teamwork, communication, and leadership skills. 

"These rigorous and mentally challenging events will test and enhance our future leader's warrior-centered mentality and skills necessary to survive in today's expeditionary culture," said Tech. Sgt. Maryann Navarro, PME flight instructor. 

The commandant said the students are taught basic leadership skills in the first two weeks of class, now giving them the opportunity to put them into action, to see where they stand and how well they can execute some of those leadership skills they're learning. The scenario was based on a plane crash with a series of obstacles that simulate the physical demands of real-life combat survival. 

These series of challenges brought us together as a team and everyone displayed good leadership and followership whenever it was required, said Staff Sgt. Derek Haste, ALS student. 

"The most important part of the exercise for the students is more of a reality check," Sergeant Pizzuto said. 

The Sergeant Pizzuto added that each individual should focus on their growth on leadership, followership, working under pressure, and how they can put the concepts and principles into action from what they learned in the past few weeks. 

"This will benefit the Air Force and our sister services how we are stepping out of the box," he said. "We are actually trying to refine those leadership skills and make better Airmen, soldiers, and sailors."