Roseline Twagiramariya
Staff writer
The Leader June 26. 2009
Cadet Donzell Sahid, along with the rest of his squad from 3rd platoon, high-carrying their zodiac boat to the finish line. Photo by Mackenzie Reiss
Leader’s Training Course main objectives are to teach Cadets how to work with one another and to help them develop leadership skills.
For four weeks, they are put through different obstacle courses which test them physically and mentally and help them get one step closer to becoming leaders.
Call of the Wild embodies those goals, but with a twist.
The course is designed for the Cadets to have fun and build camaraderie.
“It’s an adrenaline rush,” Alpha Company Cadet Nicole Basile said, “and it’s nice to actually get in the water after long weeks of training.”
Basile, of Columbus State University, and other Co. A 1/46th Inf. Cadets arrived at Tobacco Leaf Lake last week with only the vaguest idea of what was to come.
Like the other Cadets, the last thing Basile and battle buddy, Emily Carl, expected to do was enjoy it so much.
“I was looking forward to it and expected it to be a little scary,” Basile said. “In the end, I was excited and it was a lot of fun.”
From the name of the training alone, Carl, a Florida State University Cadet, expected to be out all day surrounded by nature. She was glad to see it took place around a lake because it reminded her of home.
“I love it because I am used to being around water all day at home,” Carl said.
During Call of the Wild, Cadets learned how to make a poncho, build a floating device out of materials given to them and how to capsize zodiac boats.
While prior trainings concentrate more on getting Cadets acclimated to each other and learning how to work with one another, Call of the Wild goes one step further. It also gives them a chance for the different platoons to compete against one another and showcase which teams have the best coordination.
Most Cadets said their favorite part of the day was testing their floating devices and racing against each other. They also learned how good communication in a team environment was often the difference between winning and losing.
“It’s really good with teamwork because if you don’t communicate with your team, then it can throw something off,” Basile said.
“Communication is what it’s all about.”
Even though a lot of the floating devices did not hold up, the Cadets were too busy having a good time to care. For Cadet Ciera Jackson, not finishing the task was not an option.
“Even though our boat fell apart, we were still kicking,” said Jackson of Alabama A&M University. “We didn’t give up.”
Lt. Col Ray Hart, a platoon tactical officer for Alpha Co., said the Cadets enjoying themselves is essentially the goal behind Call of the Wild.
“Call of the Wild has the mechanisms to teach leadership and teach teamwork, and it does all of that in a fun environment where they don’t realize that they are learning all of that stuff or developing those skills,” Hart said.
He said the plus side is Cadets are getting a challenging task and learning how to how to make a flotation raft out of the equipment they have on their backs, capsize boats and survive in that type of setting.
“I can see the definite value in doing training like this,” Hart said.
Even though Call of the Wild is meant to be fun, it does pose some difficulties. One issue is learning how to let everyone share their ideas and not have to fight for their turn to speak.
Second Lt. Brett Reichert noticed that Cadets can often get frustrated when too many try to lead.
“They all want the chance to lead and to take charge now that they understand that it’s within their reach,” Reichert said. “The challenge now is to learn when to let someone else step up and then be a good follower to the leader.”
For Cadet Austin Winkler, building the floating device proved to be the most difficult task of the day.
“I think it was the most difficult because that was the first time that our squad clashed with personalities and communication,” Winkler said, “but we eventually worked those problems out and began to work closer as a team.”
In the end, the training turned into a call of the wild. With the Cadets talking over one another and encouraging each other in the races, the area was alive with hooahs, water splashes and congratulatory claps.
Western Kentucky University Cadet Susan Wheaton and Appalachian State University Cadet Katie Zimmer were on the same squad and had the same difficulties as Winkler. But, they agreed, it was overall a valuable experience.
If they could give advice to Cadets who will tackle Call of the Wild next, they would tell them to “work smarter and not harder.”
“There are a lot more opportunities for leadership to develop that way,” Zimmer said.
University of Georgia Cadet Joel Vinson and University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Jeane Choi of Co. B 1/46th Inf., were part of the winning squad during the junkyard wars. Both Cadets agreed that they won because they were able to better communicate with one another this time around then at previous trainings.
“The more time you spend together as a group, the better the communication,” Vinson said.
