PRINCE SULTAN AIR BASE, KINGDOM OF SAUDI ARABIA -- Three U.S. Air Force Airmen from the 378th Expeditionary Civil Engineer Squadron and 378th Expeditionary Communications Squadron joined a group of Marine corporals to complete the Marine Corps University’s Corporals Course early June at PSAB.
ECES Senior Airmen Emil Jacobsen and Bradley Thompson, and ECS Senior Airman Joseph Ramirez attended the two-week course alongside their Marine counterparts, completing a mixture of demonstrations, practical applications, physical training events, guided discussions, a performance examination and a written examination.
The professional military education course is a course meant to prepare corporals as they transition to small unit leaders.
“During this course, corporals gain insight on key facets of their new grade and responsibilities and are groomed to take on future leadership challenges,” said the U.S. Marine unit’s first sergeant. “The Corporals Course emphasizes to students that promotion to their new rank as corporals not only identifies them as small unit leaders within their unit, but as leaders of Marines.”
In a joint service environment like PSAB, units often take advantage when offered an opportunity to work together.
“As we continuously evolve our warfighting strategy, it is imperative that we develop our Airmen to be interoperable with our service partners,” said U.S. Air Force Senior Master Sgt. Jason S. Delacruz, first sergeant, 378th ECES. “This Enlisted Professional Military Education course is a great step toward molding our Airmen into next generation joint leaders.”
Creating joint-minded leaders is a sentiment shared by Delacruz’s counterpart.
“The Marine Corps looks for any and every opportunity to collaborate with other branches of service, whether it is professional military education for promotion or on the battlefield to increase lethality and knowledge of all young men and women,” said first sergeant. “The Airmen did an astonishing job in the progression of the stimulating course and represented the Air Force with grace and enthusiasm.”
Five junior enlisted E-3 Airmen were also given the opportunity to benefit from a Lance Corporal Leadership and Ethics seminar offered in May.