ABOARD USS OAK HILL, Atlantic Ocean -- Peruvian Sailors embarked aboard USS Oak Hill (LSD 51) for Southern Partnership Station (SPS) ’09 successfully completed three weeks of leadership training facilitated by members of the Expeditionary Training Command (ETC), Reserve Component June 22.
Capt. Brad Williamson, SPS ’09 Mission Commander and Commander, Destroyer Squadron TWO, gathered Oak Hill officers and embarked foreign personnel in the ship’s wardroom to congratulate the Sailors and present them certificates of completions.
The Sailors completed the “Train the Trainer” and “Senior Enlisted Leadership Principles” courses– the same many E-6s in the U.S. Navy complete. The courses are designed to expand leadership and management understanding and give them the confidence to be better instructors. The ultimate goal was to help make them more effective leaders.
“We wanted to give them the tools we give our own chiefs’ mess to make them better leaders,” said Senior Chief Operations Specialist (EW) Jeffrey Callaghan, leading Chief Petty Officer for ETC, reserve component. “The courses emphasize taking care of your people first, mentoring, and leading. We also talked about getting to know your people, being intrusive leaders, and giving them recognition for their work.”
Recognizing your junior personnel seemed to be a topic that stuck with the Peruvian Sailors.
“When we talked about the “Sailor of the Quarter” and “Sailor of the Year” programs and giving your Sailors recognition,” said Callaghan, “it is something they seemed anxious to try and implement back at their divisions, and maybe it is something that will have a positive impact and catch on within their commands.”
“One of the recommendations I will make when I return is that we recognize our subordinates’ performances more,” stated Petty Officer 1st Class Ricardo Wilfredo Lima Perez, Peruvian Navy. “I think that would have a positive impact with our Sailors.”
Both courses were tailored to allow the Sailors to share their ideas and thoughts on leadership as well. It allowed the facilitators and students to talk about the differences in their respective Navies.
“Whenever you take a class like this, you always learn something new,” stated Perez “The energy is positive and it is about sharing ideas.”
During Southern Partnership Station ’09, Oak Hill Sailors, embarked foreign personnel, and subject matter experts from ETC have taken the opportunity to improve their partnerships, not just by training with each other, but by getting to know one another by having serious discussions.
“We’re not just looking to give instruction on what we know and how we do things,” said Callaghan, “We’re looking to get information from them as well. The course opened my eyes to what other navies have to offer. Being aware of the partnerships we have out there and how partner navies work benefits all of us.”
The USS Oak Hill is currently on a three-month Southern Partnership Station ’09 deployment, a combined naval and amphibious operation with Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Peru and Uruguay. The USS Oak Hill will also support the U.S. Marine Corps Forces, South and the Corpo de Fuzileiros Navais (CFN) as the CFN hosts approximately 1,000 Marines and Sailors from the U.S., Argentina, Chile, Peru, Colombia and Uruguay for exercise Southern Exchange 2009 (SE09), July 13-31 at the Divisão Anfíbia and the island of Marambaia in Brazil.
The Oak Hill is expected to return to its homeport in Little Creek, Va., in late August.