New leadership takes over Rock Island Arsenal training academy
Command Sgt. Maj. Braden Sickles gave up responsibility of the First Army trainer academy to Command Sgt. Maj. Santos Soto during a ceremony Thursday morning.
AT the training academy – which is fairly new to the area – 60 to 90 new soldiers come 46 weeks out of the year to the First Army Observer-Controller-Trainer Academy in Rock Island Arsenal. They learn how to become an Observer-Controller-Trainer (OC/T).
The academy moved to Rock Island from Mississippi last October. It’s now looking ahead to the future with a new leader. “The academy’s future remains bright under [Soto’s] leadership as the academy continues to lead the way for future OC/T’s,” Sickles said.
A First Army, Non-Commissioned officer reflects on his legacy. “He came in after the whole transition of the OC/T academy from Camp Shelby in Mississippi,” Executive Operations Non-Commissioned Officer for First Army Command Sgt. Maj. David Harrell said. “He moved this entire academy up here to Rock Island Arsenal. He’s trying to lay the standard for what it is that we do and what we push forward with, along with the other instructions in the academy.”
Billy Greer, the training specialist course manager for the academy, says the school moved to Arsenal Island because there were concerns over living conditions for soldiers at Camp Shelby in Mississippi.
“It’s easier for transportation for them to come into Moline then it is to go offshores at times because of the storms,” Greer said. “When they moved here, they are now able to be in hotels. They have rental cars and they come to class at 9 a.m.”
Harrell says Rock Island is a much better area for soldiers to train. “[They’re] nicer facilities here that they are getting to stay in and learn in,” Harrell said. “And for the Quad Cities, there’s not a whole lot of soldiers around the Quad Cities, right? So that kind of puts a little eye on us here. It introduces us and the public as one people.”
Natasha Sutton, chief of training for the First Army’s OC/T academy, said she, along with others, feels a sense of accomplishment by being able to pay it forward.
“Now I’m able to help build the criteria for the baseline of what an OC/T should be,” Sutton said. “Since I have been an OC/T before, I am able to get the experiences and knowledge that I’ve had and I’m able to share it with the students that come through.”
Soto will take over leadership of the academy starting next week. He’s eager to get started. “Leadership is the heart of our army and I’m committed to embodying the values that define us,” Soto said. “As we strive for excellence, the role of the observer controller and trainer becomes paramount. These individuals are the backbone of our success.”
This was the first ceremony since the academy moved from Mississippi to Rock Island.
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