MARINE CORPS BASE HAWAII -- Marines from Headquarters Battalion and Marine Corps Air Station Kaneohe Bay provided support for 65 members of the Executive Leadership Development Program Class of 2015 at Boondocker Training Area, Dec. 10, 2014.
Employees working in GS-13 and GS-14 positions who are considering achieving higher positions are eligible to apply for this annual program.
The purpose of ELDP is to help Department of Defense civilian leaders understand military practices and to develop relationships with the military, according to Capt. Shane Ward, the action officer for the Operations and Training Directorate at Marine Corps Base Hawaii.
“(ELDP gives) them the experience of the warfighters,” said Vanessa Glascoe, the program director of ELDP. “All of the activities engaged and (sites) seen lend themselves to our mission and objectives.”
Glascoe, who is joining the program as director for the first time this year, said ELDP also aims to teach leaders how to establish and develop teams.
“I think that this has been an outstanding opportunity to come learn from the Marine (Corps), who seem to be the pinnacle of small unit operations,” said John Blayne, an economist with Manpower, Training and Education Headquarters in Washington, D.C. “Having the opportunity for them to show us how they do their (noncommissioned officer) decision-making course is a huge eye-opener. “(The experience) will be tremendously valuable for us, as defense leaders, in the future.”
Glascoe said through the experiences at MCB Hawaii, the participants are facing challenges, learning how to rely on each other, overcome their fears and “understand the mindset of the warfighters.”
“I think they’re learning those key objectives of the program,” Glascoe said. “This has been an absolutely wonderful experience for them.”
Ward, a native of Rahway, N.J., providing support for ELDP as an operations and company commander from Headquarters Battalion last year.
In the past, participants were able to rappel from the rappel tower at Boondocker Training Area and try the obstacle course. This year, however, Ward said the group went through the Marine Corps Leadership Reaction Course.
“It’s going to be physical and mental,” Ward said, describing the course two days prior to the visit. “Anything that our junior leaders would experience in the field is what we’re going to try to put them through so they understand exactly the train of thought and our training requirements.”
After a photo opportunity at the Pacific War Memorial and an early lunch, the ELDP attendees received a brief from Gunnery Sgt. Timothy C. Harvey, the base operations chief.
“I believe (having the ELDP participants practice making) decisions that our young 19, 20-year-old corporals make on a daily basis in the timely (fashion) that it has to be done is important for them.”
Harvey added that it was impressive to him to see the NCOs guiding the ELDP participants through the LRC at Boondocker Training Area.
The students in the ELDP class are split up into smaller teams. Each team rotated from station to station, taking on a different mission, working together to complete the mission within a designated amount of time.
But MCB Hawaii was just one stop on a long journey for the ELDP Class of 2015. The group visited other military branches and even high-ranking leaders, such as Lt. Gen. John A. Toolan, commanding general, U.S. Marine Corps Forces, Pacific.
“I want to be a great leader,” said J.R. Graves, a supervisor air traffic control specialist and ELDP participant. “I’m a student of leadership and this program gives me a better perspective on the daily life of a soldier and therefore will help me as I advance to make better decisions.”
Graves, of Los Gatos, Calif., called his overall experience in Hawaii awesome, being able to meet members in the Coast Guard and the Navy.
The experience at MCB Hawaii was familiar to Graves, who previously served as an active-duty soldier. He thought it was nice to see how another branch did their training.
Graves said he would recommend ELDP for other civilian leaders.
“There are many developmental programs where you sit and you do a lot of theory work, watch a lot of videos (and) do a lot of tests,” he said. “But this is the only one that puts you next to the person (whom) you support.”