[NoRoadtrippin]

These changes seem to be quickly affecting things here at Benning. I had the opportunity to take the AWG Combat Applications Training Course about a month ago. This is the leadership certification course that the article is discussing. John Porter, quoted in the article along with three other previous Delta Sergeants Major are the primary instructors.

It was an incredible course and it gave me great new perspective on adapting training and on continuing to come up with new, more practical ideas. Ultimately, JP and the others are only using BRM in the course as a vehicle. It is simply their chosen skill for teaching the broader skill of practical, relevant training as opposed to the old 23 out of 40 mentality (or for an officer, the death by powerpoint mentality).

On the final day of the course, COL. Haskins came out and spoke to us. He opened by asking us what the differences between this course and other Army training was. Answers focused on professionalism of the instructors, lack of verbal abuse when mistakes were made, ability to think on our own to correct mistakes, and various other details that revolved around us being treated like adults instead of just numbers. The COL's response was another question, "Why the hell is this different from regular training? Shouldn't it all be this way?"

He went on to point out a number of the changes you have all now read about in the article as well as a few other things he is working hard to change here at Benning and then looking to send outward. Personally, it was a heck of a motivating talk and made me happy to be in today's Army as a new LT.

Sidebar....Outside of BCT, we are also seeing a large part of our IOBC training altered on the ranges based on these new thoughts. Two of our PLT mentors and our BC took the course the same week I did. Also exciting.