"A" School Instructors Prepare Students for the Fleet

GREAT LAKES, Ill. (NNS) -- Each year, Training Support Center (TSC) Great Lakes receives over 13,500 Sailors, fresh from basic training, to begin technical training in their career fields at their individual "A" Schools.

As a Navy Military Training Instructor (NMTI) at TSC, the daily routine of preparing a division (group) of 250 to 400 students is a demanding job. Through 14 barracks, four NMTIs ensure their students get out of bed, have meals, march to and from their schoolhouses, maintain military bearing, keep their rooms clean, attend medical or dental appointments, and are safe and sound.

"They're dealing with a variety of issues regarding family or liberty," said Senior Chief Fire Controlman Joel McCoy, a barracks supervisor. "Everything that encompasses a student at any moment they are here, my NMTIs are working on it."

The NMTIs follow a daily routine that includes inspections of living quarters and uniforms, overseeing watch standing, ensuring general health and wellness and upholding all Navy regulations and standards.

"Everything in the routine here is to get the students aligned with what they're going to have to do when they get to the fleet," said McCoy.

The NMTIs share three eight-hour working shifts throughout the day. Many work well beyond their shift, including being on-call while off-duty.

The morning shift begins around 5:30 a.m. when the NMTIs make sure the students are awake, mustered, and marched properly to their respective schools with regard to schedules and locations.

"Throughout the day, we're counseling students, correcting their military bearing, mainly going through chits, phase requests, and the rest of the time, we're catching up on e-mails pertaining to the students' appointments," said Operations Specialist 1st Class Dawn Milton, NMTI, USS Preble (Bachelor Enlisted Quarters (BEQ) 635).

Students need to maintain their military bearing at all times and the NMTIs are there to ensure that they do.

"Most staff members here have been in the Navy for a long time and we've grown accustomed to this as we do these things naturally," said Milton. "But for the students, this is still new to them. They leave boot camp and forget about those things, and when we get them over here we need to get them in mindset of this is what you're going to learn until it becomes muscle memory to you."

NMTIs give students instruction throughout the day on the proper ways to greet officers, chiefs and petty officers and on correcting any uniform issues.

"It's an ongoing training process that never stops," said McCoy. "It might take me 40 minutes to get from one place to the next because I'm going to correct problems along the way. If I let them do it now, they're going to continue the bad habits, but if I can get to them now before they get to the fleet, now I've got a Sailor better prepared for the fleet."

Gas Turbine System Technician Mechanical Fireman Recruit Tamika Lawson, USS Preble (BEQ 635), recognizes the importance of what her NMTIs are teaching her.

"I like the environment here as far as how our NMTIs teach us because they are helpful in guiding us on how to do everything," said Lawson. "They let us know what we did wrong so in the future we can correct it. This makes it easier to transform into the military life because they're not only correcting us, they're showing us by example as well."

When it comes to uniforms and appearance, NMTIs must address issues that range from ensuring haircuts and grooming are within specific guidelines and to make sure uniforms are correctly fitted.

"They're also probably going to get a sea bag inspection when they arrive to their first ship, so they need to have all the required uniforms and items," explained Milton.

Each barracks has a quarterdeck similar to those on ships where personnel must ask permission to come aboard or go ashore.

"Everywhere you go in the Navy there's going to be some sort of quarterdeck where you're going to have to stop in, render honors to the flag, and ask permission to come aboard the vessel," said Milton. "We're getting them in that mindset before we send them out to the fleet."

Room inspections are fairly strict. Daily, the NMTIs randomly inspect rooms for cleanliness and have certain criteria to follow. All of the approximate 100 rooms will at least be weekly inspected. The rooms must not have any dust when furniture is moved from against the wall; floors need to be swept and dirt-free; mirrors, toilets and showers must be clean and sinks must be free of hair.

Students must have their personal items locked up and their racks (beds) made exactly like in basic training, with everything laid out properly.

"We recently began instructing the students to leave their doors opened during the day so we can just walk by and glance in to make sure they are keeping up with the standards," said Milton. "We teach them that their rooms must be ready for inspection 24 hours a day, seven days a week, especially because they are living with others."

When the students were in basic training, the "Sailorization" process had begun by conforming the new recruits to the Navy's way of life. TSC then reinforces those values and standards.

"Everything has a specific course and a specific time so the students know what's going on," said McCoy. "Everything we do is set up just like a ship as it will be when they're in the fleet. When they do liberty briefs here, it's just like overseas getting a liberty brief. The liberty buddy system is designed just like when they are deployed."

Thursdays are when the NMTIs give students the weekend liberty brief, an informational meeting, with instructions regarding curfews, alcohol use, off-limits locations and uniform requirements.

Milton works the swing shift in between the morning and evening shifts to maintain shift continuity. Students with personal issues able to either see her, a chaplain, Fleet and Family Services, or be directed to any other on-base resource.

"Something always happens that you never anticipated," said McCoy. "That's the dynamic nature of being an NMTI as we have to make decisions on a variety of issues. They're directing all the cleaning efforts, room inspections, discipline problems, and doing all that simultaneously with the regular daily routine."

When the NMTIs leave for home in the late evening, the student night watch duties are placed. A staff night-time rover also oversees the barracks. The watches are responsible for maintaining quiet and that the students stay in their rooms. The rovers pass through barracks to ensure the duty sections are on top of matters.

When Milton first arrived at TSC in 2010, she was intimidated by this assignment. It was unlike any other job she had experienced. In time, she found her TSC position to be very rewarding.

"The Sailors we are grooming here, we are making them better for the fleet," said Milton. "Coming here was the best thing because we are getting to the root of it all."

For more news from Training Support Center, Great Lakes, visit www.navy.mil/local/tscgl/ .