My fellow Air Force Officer Cadets
After five weeks of general training as a military officer at OCS, I was posted to the Air Force School to embark on an eight-month long training program as an Air Force officer. The pedagogy adopted in the Air Force School differed from what I experienced in OCS because there was emphasis on internalizing the concepts taught as we were expected to apply them when we discharge our duties as officers.
Most of the theoretical classes were conducted in a case study format and the answers were mostly open ended, allowing room for freedom of expression. For instance, during one particular weekly leadership discussion session, we were presented with a case study of a difficult subordinate who was neglecting his work due to problems he was experiencing back at home. As the problem was left deliberately vague, we were encouraged to ask clarifying questions where the lecturer would fill us in on more details as the problem was based on a similar experience he had in his military career. We would then present our solution to the issue. The lecturer would end the session by sharing his own experience and how he went about resolving the same issue. However, he would also affirm our answers by telling us how our methods would also work or would not work based on his personal experiences. A frequent statement I would hear from the lecturers at the Air Force School was “I did not think of that!”. In such cases, “the problem-posing educator has reformed his reflections in the reflection of the students” (Freire, 81). Freire’s concept of ‘teacher-student with student-teachers’ is highly evident in the educational climate of Air Force School and I think this was one of the reasons why I felt that I was constantly stimulated and challenged by the frequent exchange of knowledge between the lecturers and the students.
A favorite past time activity among the cadets at Air Force School was going to the gym. Partly driven by the lack of entertainment facilities within the military compound, I spent most of my free time after classes working out with my friends. However, I believed that the main reason why we spent so much of our time at the gym was because of the image we wished to portray as officers. We were told since the very first day of our officer-ship training that we had to lead by example. An application of this idea of leading by example was articulated by our instructors as being able to achieve the very standards we demand of others. For example, if we were to expect our men to be physically fit as soldiers, as officers we should be physically fit ourselves. My body therefore becomes a critical site upon which my identity as an officer who demands high standards of his men is outwardly portrayed (Kirkland, 390).
Thus, my eight-months at Air Force School can be broadly summarized as study-gym-repeat.