Friday, January 28, 2011

Army ILE at Fort Lee

I am MAJ Patterson and I am currently part of ILE class 11-001 at Fort Lee, VA. This a satellite version of the course that is held at Fort Leavenworth, MO. This course is a third of the length of the main course. This course is intended for those that are in a functional branch. However, there are students in the course that are not in a functional area and must complete all the courses offered by the main ILE course at Fort Leavenworth. I developed this blog to assist past,current, and future students of the course at Fort Lee to tell their story of the course to help other officers in the military. also this blog will foster an environment where officers can communicate about with one another about ILE, current events, or life as an Army Officer.  The only rule to posting on this site is to keep it professional and respectful as well as add a disclaimer that your views are only your views and do not express the views of the United States Army or the Fort Lee ILE satellite campus.  I would like to add that this Blog is not sponsored by Fort Lee, Fort Leavenworth, or the Army at large.

13 comments:

  1. I am MAJ Patterson and I am in Staff Group A and I am currently in the satellite course at Fort Lee. I am in my fifth week of the course and I can truly say that I enjoy it. the location, Fort Lee, is a great location if you are a history buff and like to travel. We are scheduled to make trips to the State Department and down to Norfolk, experiences that one will not get if they attend the main course at Fort Leavenworth or if they attend another satellite course. Being so close to Washington D.C. allows one to extend on their learning beyond what is taught in the course. There is also lots to do in the area to inlcude Petersburg, VA Beach, Norfolk, and west Virginia. overall I am learning a tremendous amount of information about the organizational Army. In addition, this course has allowed me to take a break and evaluate myself. By doing so I truly believe that it will make me a stronger leader. For example, in the course we took a personality test and I learned a lot about myself and how I learn, lead, and interact with others. Lastly, I truly believe that anyone that takes this course will learn a lot about who there are and where they are going in the Army. If you have any questions about ILE at Fort Lee please do not hesistate to contact me.

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  2. I am in the same course and same small group with MAJ Patterson. I agree with his overview. An additional advantage of this course over the course at Leavenworth is the diversity of the student body. While most of the students in Kansas are from the Operations Career Field, the students at the satellite courses are a mix of all career fields, including Operations. This provides all members of the group a great opportunity to benefit from each other’s ideas and experiences. The only negative to the composition of the student body is that we do not have any foreign students. In fact, this is the first Army course I have attended that did not have any foreign students. The opportunity to interact with members of foreign militaries benefits both sides and is an important element of our strategic partnerships with other nations. However, any loss in that area is mitigated by the good mix of officers in the course.
    Officers preparing to attend this course should look forward to it. As my classmate mentioned, the location provides the opportunity to experience all of the history, culture, and recreation that the Richmond and Washington D.C. areas have to offer. Officers who have been in Advanced Civil Schooling (like me) prior to ILE will enjoy the chance to “re-green” and spend time with Soldiers again before moving on to their next assignments.

    ILE Student, Fort Lee, VA
    The views expressed in this blog /comment are those of the author and do not reflect the official policy or position of the Department of the Army, Department of Defense, or the U.S. Government.

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  3. Like Pete and John, I am attending the Fort Lee ILE satellite course. I am in the same small group as them as well.

    I agree with John that, like other courses I have attended, the opportunity to exchange ideas and thoughts with foreign students is a real bonus to the learning experience. Foreign students bring a completely different perspective to the class and help us to see ourselves, as Americans, in a different light. Unfortunately, there are no foreign students at the satellite ILE course. There has been talk of bringing in foreign students from other courses they are attending at ALU to help provide some feed back during certain group projects, but no permanent presence. I think that this will provide a great, though limited, opportunity to interact with the foreign students.

    John also mentioned that ILE was a good time to “re-green” following Advance Civil Schooling (ACS). If you are an officer in a functional area, ACS is an awesome opportunity the Army offers you to earn a master’s degree related to your functional area. This program helps you to become even more competent in your job and should be considered a milestone in your development as a professional in your field.

    ILE is a great opportunity, and you’ll get out of it what you put into it.

    Thanks to Pete for setting up this website to support current and future students for the Fort Lee ILE course.

    ILE Student, Fort Lee, VA
    The views expressed in this blog /comment are those of the author and do not reflect the official policy or position of the Department of the Army, Department of Defense, or the U.S. Government.

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  4. I am also in ILE class 11-001 (staff group C) at Fort Lee, VA. I wanted to provide a perspective from an operations career field officer. I just completed ACS at The Naval Post Graduate School (NPS) in Monterey, CA and needed the satellite ILE course to complete my requirements. ILE met all of my expectations. I chose to attend Ft. Lee with the anticipation of sharing and gaining experiences from all branches of the Army. It has been a while since I had the luxury of learning from Army Officers, with diverse backgrounds, in a non-attributional environment. The instructors are well versed and conduct the classes in a seminar style manner. Granted, you still have to meet all Ft. Leavenworth requirements, however the instructors foster a great learning environment and the students actually lead many of the discussions. If your staff group chooses, you have the opportunity to participate in Purple Solace at the Joint Forces Staff College. Purple Solace was a good experience and a sample of life in the “joint” world. Additionally, there are several guest speakers and even an ILE golf tournament. The living arrangements were outstanding. The majority of my staff group chose to reside at Addison Crater Woods Apartments and is highly recommended. Each student is provided with a 2 bedroom/2 bath apartment that fosters a quiet environment to complete all of the tedious requirements and readings. Overall, the experiences that I have gained at ILE will reside with me throughout my military career.

    ILE Student, Fort Lee, VA
The views expressed in this blog /comment are those of the author and do not reflect the official policy or position of the Department of the Army, Department of Defense, or the U.S. Government.

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  5. I too am in staff group C. I have really enjoyed the experience and echo Mike's comments on the setting, the classroom dynamics and level of discourse. I am an AMEDD officer by training and did not realize that inherent in that background is a certain way to frame and approach problems. I've come to appreciate the way classmate view and approach the same problems. I think another of the benefits of the course is the opportunity to interact in larger numbers with folks with whom I might not normally come into contact. I'm thinking particularly of our acquisitions and FAO colleagues. Over all, it has been a very rewarding experience. If you have the chance to come to the Fort Lee site, I'd definitely recommend it.

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  6. I am also in Staff Group Charlie, and I completely echo the comments of my colleagues. The Fort Lee ILE satellite course has been very rewarding for me as a leader. The most important aspect of our learning environment was the ability to gain insight from the vast experience and knowledge of the active component officers with multiple deployments. They were able to paint a 3D picture of how our doctrinal learning is incorporated onto the battlefield. What I found is that it is not always the same, but that is not necessarily a bad thing. Doctrinal and institutional learning provides us the foundation needed to turn objective guidance into subjective actions allowing the flexibility as an organization to make sound decisions and think critically.
    I appreciate the fact that the instructors are very flexible and seem to be learning just as much as the students are at times given the amount of knowledge and experience in our particular staff group. I gained more from our in depth conversations than I did from just reading the publications. What you can’t learn from a book is the reality and passion shared by all.

    Michelle, ILE Student, Fort Lee, VA
The views expressed in this blog /comment are those of the author and do not reflect the official policy or position of the Department of the Army, Department of Defense, or the U.S. Government.

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  7. As another member of Staff Group Charlie, I agree with the comments of my classmates. This course was one of the military courses that have actually added significantly to my military education. As a traditional Part-time National Guard officer, this course cannot be replicated through a distance learning or online study course. Most of the learning occurred between and among the students in our section with the instructors acting as guides or facilitators.

    The fact that this course focused on the more than just studying; incorporating physical (AFPRI), emotional and spiritual education into the course truly increased my motivation and resilience.

    Living quarters: I highly recommend that ILE indorse the apartment-type living that most of Staff Group Charlie experienced. It was more conducive to learning, reflection and visits from family. The fact that the Marriott Execustay program provides a fully furnished apartment with individual internet, cable and all the kitchen stuff needed to cook food for ourselves made this experience that much more fulfilling for us cooks and economical as well.

    I recommend ILE add financial planning to the group of "whole officer education" to complete the education and guidance.

    Jeff L., ILE Student, Fort Lee, VA
The views expressed in this blog /comment are those of the author and do not reflect the official policy or position of the Department of the Army, Department of Defense, or the U.S. Government.

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  8. Great blog, don't know if anyone is still maintaining this, but a couple of questions:
    Did you all find that you could complete the distance learning requirements before or during the course, or did you have to continue during your follow-on assignments? Any links to get a jump start on those requirements would be appreciated.
    What type of schedule is the course on--6 days a week to compress the yearlong course? Did you find it feasible to have family visit on weekends, or make trips to visit family during the course?
    I'll be starting the course in January '12 enroute from ACS to my next assignment, any additional advice or pointers would be very helpful,
    Thanks in advance

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  9. Are you referring to the blended ILE? They assign the blended learning topics when you get here. If you have not yet received an email which requires you to create your account at Fort Leavenworth, then you may want to keep an eye out for the email from your staff group leader. This site will show you all the key items you need for ILE here at Fort Lee. There are many surge periods in which assignments are due. There are many individual assignments as well as group assignments that you will have to complete. I was able to spend a significant amount of time with my family, but my grades also reflected where my focus was.
    They are in the process of building a new hotel on post, but it will not be completed for awhile. You will need to call the number listed in the email you receive to get a SNA. There are many long stay residences in the area which accept the per diem rate and it gets you a suite with a full kitchen and up to two bedrooms. This might be helpful if you have family visit.

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  10. Hello All,

    My husband is in the process of deciding what the best option for our family is in regards to ILE. We have kids graduating high school over the next few years, so Kansas really isn't looking too good for us. I'm curious to know how your completed your schooling after the portion at Ft Lee was completed. Did you have to do a short tour? Any input or advice is greatly appreciated.

    Thanks

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  11. What ADSO is incurred for the Satellite course? Is it a 2-year ADSO, the same for the resident ILE course?

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