Leadership in the Army begins with squad leader
By Roseline Twagiramariya
Staff writer
The Leader June 19, 2009
During the Leader’s Training Course, a Cadet will have to fulfill different leadership roles, each with different responsibilities.
Team leader, platoon sergeant, squad leader and platoon leader are some of the jobs each will hold.
A number are ready for the opportunity. Some are not. In the end, these roles will help Cadets get closer to becoming leaders
in the Army.
Of those roles, however, the focus will be on squad leader, because that’s where leadership in the Army starts. The squad leader is second in command to the platoon leader. Their chief role is distributing information through the chain of command and making sure everyone is on the same page.
That’s an important task and is often the deciding factor in successfully completing an activity.
“They have to know what the squad leader is responsible for because when they become lieutenants, their primary focus will be two
levels down, which is that squad leader,” said Lt. Col. Howard Trujillo, a Co. A platoon tactical officer. “These are the guys
they are going to be maneuvering when they are going out to do any kind of exercises.”
Trujillo said the better Cadets understandthe role, the more effective they will be lieutenants. Cadets in leadership positions receive
feedback, most of it verbal. However, the squad leader receives a more formal, written assessment. That process includes a self-assessment, as well as one by cadre. Though not official, the assessments are merely a way to offer feedback to Cadets
and help them identify areas in which to improve. They are filed and sent back Cadets’ universities so cadre there know of their performance and assemble a leader growth plan.
“When they go to camp next summer for the Leader Development and Assessment Course, they will get evaluated there and
those assessments will determine if they get the job of their choice,” Trujillo said.
So far, some Co. A 1/46th Inf. Cadets have had a chance to assume one of these leadership roles. Even though most have no idea
what to expect and are nervous, they are also usually surprised at how well they do. Alpha Co. Cadet Keevin Miller recently
acted as a squad leader. His responsibilities included accountability of personnel and equipment and disseminating information
given to him to his squad.
A student at the University of Missouri-Columbia, Miller said watching the squad leaders back at school taught him how to be
responsible for his Cadets.
For Cadet Rolan Mitchell, being a student at the Valley Forge Military Academy made all the difference.
“I’ve had a lot of training, so most of this stuff that they are teaching, I’ve already done, so I’ve been helping other people in my squad and platoon who haven’t already had practice with this stuff,” Mitchell said. “It’s been a learning experience, and I just like the military atmosphere.”
