Having been an enlisted soldier, in the Army for 8 years now, I've had the opportunity to execute several Leadership Reaction Courses. As an SMP ROTC Cadet, I will be commissioning right after LDAC, this summer, and I expect to do a Leadership Reaction Course there, as well.

Personally, I've found the dynamics that emerge during the Leadership Reaction Course to be rather fascinating. I've jokingly said that someone (me? lol...) should write a book about the various approaches that have been used to successfully complete each given mission.

Whether one is navigating their Squad over boiling 'hot lava', while attempting to transport a huge oil drum or ammo can, I'm really interested in hearing about how everyone here has approached different LRC obstacles.

I look forward to sharing my own experiences, and, perhaps, this thread could turn out to be a great resource. Throughout my time in ROTC, evaluators have been particularly interested in how well cadets take charge, and put forth a coherent plan, even if they don't actually manage to complete the 'mission' per se.

Thanks everyone!
Howie

P.S. I hope it's OK that I also posted this in the ROTC forum (seemed like it would fit...lol)......

oh, and is there a way to change my screename to something a little less, errrr..., "numerical"?

Thanks for any help!

Regardless of the 'mission'/obstacle, my experience has dictated how absolutely important it is for the leader to take charge.....and, position themselves, in the obstacle, where they can maintain the most command and control possible of their Squad.

Before even beginning, throughout ROTC, theyv'e expressed the importance of pulling 'security', in accordance with all the fundamentals of war that they teach us. For that reason, I have all my Squad pull security, while I receive the order, and do a quick leader's recon with my recorder.

Once I come back, I usually kick around a few stones in order to make an expedient sand table to brief my OPORD/plan.....

I've enjoyed doing the LRC, and while I've been successful on some obstacles, there are others where I'm left scratching my head to this day about how exactly to even execute them, besides the basic leadership requirements.....

Does anyone ever remember doing an obstacle that had a giant wall, with 2 large tubes sticking out? At the end of each tube, there were small platforms, that one would have to use a board to reach?......the other end of the obstacle was completely obstructed from view, unless you positioned yourself, as a leader, in one of the hollow tubes, and maintained command and control that way....

If I had to judge, I think that was probably one of the tougher ones I've done....has anyone ever done that one?

errr...bump...

has anyone here done a leadership reaction course? has anyone found some obstacles to be particularly challenging, compared to others?........

It's only been 12 hours since your first post. Give some of the regulars some time to pop in.

OK....I apologize.

You're missing the point of the exercise. The issue isn't success or failure of the evaluated group in finding a solution. It is to create situations for junior leaders to react in a responsible and correct manner utilizing the leadership principles they are being taught.

Each exercise actually has a 'school solution' which would destroy the very value of the course if you gave it away. It's a no-brainer to have the right solution and implement it. It's when you DON'T have the immediate solution and you are able to react and perform with a hastily created plan that the course comes into its own, so to speak.

The course is a tool, nothing more, nothing less. The value is how the tool is how it is used to teach leadership.

Sullivan013
(Former OCS Candidate and TAC Officer - I've seen/done the course more times than I care to think of).

Concur with Sullivan013 on this. From what I have seen and heard, LRC graders place a heavy value on solutions which are good AND original. Anyone memorizing the school solutions to the scenarios could be doing themselves a disservice. You do OPORDs and sand tables? Every LRC I went through never afforded enough time for that.

One last point. I did these Leadership Reaction Courses in ROTC. In this setting they didnt really factor into the big picture that much. Its not like youre going to get a good overall evaluation because you aced LRC but boloed land navigation and BRM. On the other hand I saw people who screwed up LRC who ultimately did just fine because they performed well on the "big" events!

Hmmm, the Kobayashi Maru. Interesting!

The last time I did one of those courses (Officer Training) 1986, I kept getting tired of all the committee decision making, and would say, "Okay, you get that, and you get this, and you get going there, and you two tie that thing to that plank with that rope. Now get to it!" I had five years as an Army Sgt under my belt and was 35, and this was with a bunch of Air Force youngsters in their early 20s and wet behind the ears. Well, after 2 or 3 different stations, I kept getting assigned as the "Wounded, unconscious, and unable to communicate" guy for the next five or six stations. At least they didn't drop me in the water, or I'd have been real tempted to call on one of the Referees...

I graduated top of the bunch - -

Cadet Commander on the left during Final Inspection on the day of Graduation -