Commentary: Why NCOA was worth it

  • Published
  • By Tech. Sgt. Sasha Michaud
ROYAL AIR FORCE LAKENHEATH, England --  There were plenty of people who didn't want to attend the Kisling non-commissioned officer academy at Kapaun Air Station, Germany. 

They thought it would be time wasted.

Some knew they would do their time, return and fall right back into their previous routines. Some didn't see the need for this level of professional military education.  Others saw it as the next mandatory step of their career and nothing more. 

Maybe it's the optimist in me that was totally jazzed to attend school.  My realist side knew there was a chance it would be a bogus six weeks, but even my realist side is annoyingly positive; I was hyped to meet people that didn't have my job!  I wanted to meet other technical sergeants!  I wanted to know if they encountered the same issues (personality conflicts, leadership issues, not enough time to accomplish tasks) that I did!

My flight, Thunderbolt, had everyone from aircrew to maintenance, power production to emergency medicine, administration to mental health, finance and contracting to logistics and security forces.  The coolest thing about my flight?  The fact that we knew we didn't know it all. We weren't above being students.  We'd met the Air Force's criteria for attendance, and, quite frankly, some of us needed a break from our work centers.  We were there with open minds, aware that we would not always know the answer, that our uniforms could always look a little bit better and that an administrative assistant could learn something from a defender, and vice versa.  What we did know is that if we were going to accomplish anything in our six weeks, we would need to pull together and work as a team.

I guess you could say that our "light bulb moment" happened in week one.  We realized teamwork was the formula for success.  We organized study groups after class for the local students and in the dorms for the out-of-country attendees.  Physical training, or "human performance," as it's referred to at NCOA, was mandatory. Regardless, we worked out together even in our off-duty time.  We definitely cut loose as a group.  One karaoke night was all we needed to realize we weren't going to make it as singers!  We planned group lunches and dinners, and always made sure everyone was involved, or at least had the option to "opt in."  We goofed off in class (it was totally necessary to have a cardboard sword fight one day) and had regular potlucks.  Anything short of visiting the bathroom together, we did.  We genuinely liked each other.

That's not to say that everyone liked each other all the time.  There were days some of us were in danger of getting thrown out of our third-story flight room window.  Some engaged in arguments until they were blue in the face, not realizing that everyone else had already moved on.  What's important is that we were quick to realize when we were "storming," so we dug ourselves out of our rut and moved on.

Have you heard of the Four Lenses test?  Basically, it's a lesson in group dynamics, which is important wherever you go.  After taking that test, we learned about each other's temperaments, which is another way of saying we figured out why some of us were more likely to always be the first to answer before others, whereas some were more prone to dissecting an idea until there wasn't much left of it. It helped us realize what roles we played as a team, and how each of us was uniquely-suited to different tasks.

Near the end of the six weeks, each class nominated a technical sergeant to represent their flight to compete for the prestigious Commandant's Award.  After the nominees were announced, they were summoned for a quick briefing about how the interview process would work.  When our nominee returned to the classroom, he informed us that we had the option to submit a memorandum on his behalf from the flight, detailing why we thought he should win the award.

I should note that our nominee didn't even want to tell us about the option. He was humbled enough as it was to have been nominated and he felt guilty for asking us to do one more thing to increase his chances of winning.  Of course, we immediately drafted a memo for him.

After the interviews, our classmate told us a few of the nominees' flights didn't submit memos for their candidate.  To us, the memo seemed like the least we could do to help our teammate win. When graduation day came and our nominee didn't win the award, we were upset.  We felt like we'd let him down, despite our team effort.

But we'd forgotten about the Levitow Award.  This honor is earned by the individual who is the all-around total package.  This person achieved academically and physically, and excelled in leadership and teamwork.  The award goes to the technical sergeant whose efforts were exceptional within their flights, but also noticed by the Kisling NCOA staff.  I'm beyond proud to report that when our teammate was awarded the Levitow, our 14 Thunderbolt flight members erupted with applause and cheers that drowned out the room.  That was our guy up there.  That was our vindicating moment!

May 21 marked the end of six weeks that, for me, was all about learning how to be part of a team.  No one makes that next rank alone, and those that say they do are forgetting about the leaders who developed them, the co-workers that encouraged them and the family that supported them.

Thunderbolt flight, Class 15-4, were my leaders, co-workers and family for six weeks.  We were one of the last legacy classes to have the privilege of attending in-residence PME.  Maybe we didn't know it then, but we know it now.  To have attended was an honor, and we were lucky.  Why was NCOA worth it?  Because of them.