Laughlin Airmen gain valuable training, responsibility

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Steven R. Doty
  • 47th Flying Training Wing Public Affairs
LAUGHLIN AIR FORCE BASE, Texas --  Consider a job that involves the supervision and mentorship of 50, or even 100, people. Think about a job that asks you to sacrifice your personal time so you may be accessible any time of the day. Now, place a great deal of expectations on the individual in this position to not only set, but exceed all the standards of the Air Force. Finally, imagine volunteering for this job as an additional duty. A handful of Laughlin's top Airmen accepted those terms and applied to be selected for the on-call role as Air Force first sergeants--"first shirts," in Air Force jargon. Understanding the contribution of these top-level enlisted members is more important than ever.

The role of first sergeant as an additional duty allows specially selected and qualified Airmen to fill-in as first sergeant in the event of their absence. The duties can include carrying the duty phone, counseling Airmen for negative and positive events and filling in for any other additional duties. They report directly to the unit commander on matters of enlisted morale, welfare and conduct, and are the chief enlisted advisor to the commander on all of these factors.

The selection started with Airmen volunteering and receiving recommendations from their commander. Only the sharpest Airmen were selected for this additional duty. On March 28, those 10 specially selected Airmen were presented certificates of completion of the First Sergeant Additional Duty Course by Col. Brian Hastings, 47th Flying Training Wing commander.

"I'm glad you're in this course learning what shirts do, and maybe you'll be one someday," said Hastings. "I hope this course was valuable to you. I hope that you learned something about yourself and the Air Force and that it makes you better NCO's, better officers and provides a better understanding of how everyone needs to work together to meet the needs of our total force."

The four-day course provided the students with critical information in various areas like counseling, pre-trial restraint, reprimands, non-judicial punishment and taking care of Airmen and their families. Multiple agencies across the wing, guest speakers and first sergeant's took part in presenting instruction and training to ensure the 10 students had the appropriate resource's allowing them to take care of the Air Force's number one priority; Airmen.

"We taught them skillsets that they can take back to their work sections and use," said Senior Master Sgt. Jennifer Cirricione, 47th Mission Support Group first sergeant and course instructor. "These [graduates] mean more resources available to the Airmen."

A course of this caliber has not been accomplished at Laughlin in over two years. Typically, representatives from the U.S. Air Force First Sergeant Academy travel to bases and provide the training. However, as the Air Force works to save money, current first sergeants have been entrusted to provide the training. First shirts like Master Sgt. Manuel Silva Jr., 47th Operations Group first sergeant and the First Sergeant Additional Duty Course team leader, who is rounding off his three year special duty tour, is able to provide the type of training required to prepare these students for such a comprehensive duty.

"If they are going to be acting first sergeants, they've got to have the right tools to get the job done," said Silva. "They have to know where to look and who to ask and have the right networks to take care of the unit in our absence."

Course attendee Master Sgt. Carolyn Heron, 47th Medical Operations Squadron mental health craftsman, felt the course provided her with a big picture appreciation of her role as a senior enlisted member.

"It will help me not only fulfill my role as additional first sergeant, but as a senior NCO," she said. "Everything from understanding non-judicial punishment, my roles in assisting Airmen, administrative areas and an overall understanding of the roles of various agencies on base."

As a majority of the students were selected to attend the course to develop skills for a challenging role, two company grade officers were invited to the course for a unique insight into the enlisted force.

The inclusion of Company Grade Officer's in the course provided them with an idea of the challenges their enlisted Airmen face. It laid a foundation to understand the enlisted force and how challenges are overcome. For an officer to gain knowledge of the roles of the enlisted force leadership means bringing them closer to understanding how they can work together in the future, explained Silva.

"The insight that I gained as an officer from attending the First Sergeant Additional Duty Course allowed me to understand the important connection a commander and first sergeant must have," said 2nd Lt. Anthony Cosentino, 47th Medical Operations Squadron Aerospace and Operational Physiology officer-in-charge. "As a prior enlisted member, I've always held such a high regard for "diamond-wearers" and I am proud to work with them in a different capacity."

These 10 students completed an intense and invaluable training seminar that imparted them with a great responsibility to the Airmen they will be asked to look after whenever the phone rings. For Laughlin, it means more people entrusted with the mission to graduate the world's best pilots, deploy mission ready Airmen and develop professional, disciplined, bold leaders.

"When [first sergeants] are away and we have these additional duty first sergeants filling in for us, they will have a certain level of competence to be able to understand a lot of the processes that we do," said Silva. "When they're carrying the phone, I can feel confident that my unit is being taken care of effectively."