MARINE CORPS BASE HAWAII KANEOHE BAY, Hawaii -- Marines with Alpha Battery, 1st Battalion, 12th Marine Regiment, took on the Leadership Reaction Course aboard Marine Corps Base Hawaii, Kaneohe Bay, Aug. 26, 2005.The course is a relay of different obstacles designed to draw out a team’s leadership and teamwork skills, while using ropes, ammunition cans, ladders and other objects to get from one side of the circuit to the other, according to course supervisors. Teams consisted of several Marines, one of whom was designated the team leader for each obstacle. The teams were given 20 minutes to either finish the event or get as far as possible in the allotted time. “Each Marine has unique skills and leadership qualities that aren’t always easy to notice,” said Staff Sgt. Shayne R. Herbert, battery gunnery sergeant, Alpha Company, 1/12. “This course gave each individual the opportunity to show off those skills and assume more of a leadership role.”Although the obstacles were purposley difficult and some weren’t solved, the Marines expressed their enjoyment with the course through laughter and jeers, as their fellow Marines came up with different, sometimes awkward, ideas on how to solve the problems that the events posed. “This training is fun,” exclaimed Lance Cpl. Robert L. Evans, artillery cannoneer, Alpha Battery, 1/12. “It also teaches team unity and leadership. It gives us the ability to work with people we don’t normally work with.”Some of the tasks required Marines to form human chains in order to get over, under and through different obstacles. Others required them to hang on poles, straddle boards and swing from ropes — some Marines occasionally missed the objective and landed with a thud in the powdery dirt.“We had extra water for the Marines because of the heat and also a corpsman on site, in case anyone was injured,” explained Herbert, a Lafayette, La. native. “Safety is always a priority, and we have two other Marines inside each obstacle who were not performing the event. One acted as the supervisor, and the other was a safety monitor.”Before each event, the supervisor read the course instructions and safety precautions before the teams began the event. Each course was not only physically and mentally straining, it also took a toll on the Marines’ patience when they couldn’t complete an event.“I don’t think they felt a sense of failure when an obstacle was not accomplished,” said Herbert, 30. “Each event that was not completed gave them knowledge and experience that they carried on to the next event. The Marines would get frustrated at times, but that is part of the difficulty. Most times, they ended up pulling together to find a solution, which is the main objective of the course — promoting teamwork.”According to Herbert, the Marines only participate in this particular training once a year. “This is good training. It boosts morale and wears on the Marines — physically and mentally,” he said. “Each step they make throughout the individual tasks gave them hope that they would succeed and whether the objective was successful or not, I think they realized that they were gaining experience throughout each one, and that was a good thing.”Herbert said that in this job billet, he doesn’t always have the opportunity to interact with the Marines as often as he would like, but this training gave him the chance to evaluate each Marine and their leadership styles.“I enjoy watching them in person and witnessing their strengths firsthand,” he explained. “This training gave me the opportunity to personally watch and assess their skills on an individual level.”Evans, 20, explained that teammates disagreeing with each other was one of the most common barriers that held up progress getting through each obstacle.“Arguing was the killer,” he said. “We had to really pull together and work as a team to perform the tasks quickly and effectively. Arguing held us back — at times. More often than not, though, we eventually put disagreements aside and worked towards one common goal. “This is great training,” Evans admitted.Although this training is not conducted very often, the Marines will take the skills and knowledge they gained from this training with them throughout their time in the Corps. The training will also serve as a reminder that teamwork is key.“Not very often do the Marines get a chance to show off their skills while working in a team-oriented environment,” said Herbert. “I recommend this training for any unit that is looking to improve leadership and teamwork skills. It gave me insight to my Marines and provided them with the opportunity to take control and work together to get the tasks accomplished.”