CAMP PENDLETON — Corporals Course 11-11 graduated 76 noncommissioned officers during a ceremony at the School of Infantry’s Staff Academy June 17.
Corporals Course provides education and leadership skills necessary to lead Marines. It is designed to instill confidence in their abilities and builds their knowledge of how to be a leader, said Sgt. Michael Torrance, faculty advisor for Corporals Course.
“We just make them more confident in the things they can do as noncommissioned officers,” said Staff Sgt. Nicole Marroquin, faculty advisor for Corporals Course. “We don’t tell them how to be, we just give them the tools that can help them lead.”
During the three-week course, instructors taught drill, physical training and small unit leadership. Classes also included counseling techniques, land navigation, communications and warfighting tactics. The first week’s classes focused on leadership traits. Marroquin said they are the backbone of an NCO and of the course. The second week included classes on improvised explosive devices, weapons and what it means to be an NCO. The third week consisted of final drill and operations classes.
The whole course ended with a culminating event in which all aspects of the course are put to the test. The NCOs conducted patrols where they use the knowledge learned through classes to navigate terrain, conduct tactical communications, and identify possible threats or hazards.
The next course is scheduled to begin July 11. For more information on how to enroll in the course, contact your unit’s S-3.
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