Graduates take first leadership steps Published March 19, 2009 By Howdy Stout Tinker Public Affairs TINKER AIR FORCE BASE, Okla., -- Thirty-four Airmen took the first step toward earning their stripes as leaders last night when they became the latest graduating class of Tinker's busy Airman Leadership School. Two flights of 17 students each celebrated their graduation ceremony after completing the intense, five-week-long course in leadership and supervisory skills. The course is intended for senior airmen in a supervisory role or those in line for promotion to staff sergeant. "You guys are a very good group," said Tech. Sgt. Drue Lynch, senior instructor at the Airman Leadership School. "I think the Air Force is very lucky to have you." The standard and enthusiasm of young Airmen in the Air Force is high, Sergeant Lynch said, bolstered in part by the Air Force's commitment to training and higher education. The Airman Leadership School itself is a result of changes to the enlistment structure in the early 1990s. "The Air Force is really transforming," he said. "Our capabilities are getting better and better. (The Airmen) are capable and they're doing a lot." Although the students come from a variety of backgrounds and experiences, the intensity of the course creates a group identity among the Airmen. Nicknames, like "Happy," "Snappy" and "Johnny Bravo" are assigned and class mottos created. The recitation of the Airman's Creed is a morning ritual, done with enthusiasm and -- just a touch of -- inter-flight rivalry. Because the course lasts only 24 training days, it is essential that instructors connect with students early, said Master Sgt. Jim Peters, Tinker's ALS commandant. Whether the students learn emotionally, visually or through hands-on experience, the instructors must be adept enough to get the leadership message across. "You need to hit all of those in order to be effective," Sergeant Peters said. The guided discussion format also encourages openness. The principle of academic freedom means that students can share their experiences without fear of retribution. But it's not just the students who are learning. Educating the educators is an ongoing process, explained Sergeant Peters. All of the instructors are enrolled in college courses in pursuit of higher degrees, he said. They continue their own studies in between the busy schedule of training up to 300 students per year in seven different classes. "It keeps us pretty busy," Sergeant Peters said. "During that time we are training and doing what we need to instruct better." "It has to be a continuous learning process," agreed Sergeant Lynch, who added that he believes he learns as much or more from the students and they learn from him. Sergeant Lynch, nicknamed "Coach Carter" by his students in B flight, said his own early learning experiences from Air Force NCOs prompted him to become an instructor. One master sergeant went so far as to rip the stripes from his own uniform, giving them to a then-Airman Lynch with the challenge to aim high. Sergeant Lynch still keeps those stripes in his desk. "I still remember that," he said. "It had an effect on me." And, now, Sergeant Lynch hopes his efforts and those of the other instructors make a difference to the next generation of NCO leaders. "I try to speak 100 percent from the heart," Sergeant Lynch said. "I believe in what I teach in there. I've seen it work." That heartfelt teaching style can be extremely effective, Sergeant Peters said. Many students take the lessons learned in the classroom to heart. "They are usually the ones who walk off with the awards," Sergeant Peters said. Sergeant Lynch said he is still in touch with former students. It is gratifying, he said, to see good Airmen become better NCOs. "When they get to use what they learned," he said, "that's pretty rewarding."