Sailors from commands throughout Navy Region Southwest marched down the pier and carried their seabags on board the USS Midway (CV 41) Museum in San Diego Bay to start a weeklong leadership academy known as "The Foundry", April 12.

Sponsored by the Commander, Navy Region Southwest Chief Petty Officers Mess, The Foundry is in its third year of existence and was established to help first class petty officers develop into stronger deckplate leaders.

"Ultimately, there are three principles for The Foundry," said Senior Chief Explosive Ordnance Disposal Technician Dean Ferguson who is serving as the event chairman for Class 003. "These are speak, share and shadow, which helps start the process of having an actual mentor that they can turn to for guidance later in their careers."

Ferguson said the goal of The Foundry is to spread the knowledge of leadership at all levels. The unique learning environment gives the first class petty officers an opportunity to step outside of their current command and draw upon the leadership experiences of their peers as well as senior mentors.

"It's all volunteer, both participants and mentors, which is one of the great things about The Foundry," said Ferguson. "You actually have to apply to attend. We are trying to find the people who are truly inspired to mentor others and want to be here."

During the week of activities participants like Stone and Campbell will take part in leadership training, mentoring sessions, physical fitness events and Navy history and heritage activities both on board Midway and in the local area including a trip to the Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery in nearby Point Loma, California.

One Sailor who filled out an application to attend The Foundry was Aviation Support Equipment Technician 1st Class Johnathan Stone, who said he hopes to one day become a command master chief.

"I think I'm going to learn a lot from the experiences of my peers and get a lot of hands-on training from our senior leadership," said Stone, who is assigned to the Center for Naval Aviation Technical Training Unit San Diego-North Island.

Stone said he heard The Foundry was a great mentorship tool where leaders come together to share experiences and the events scheduled both on board Midway and in the local community will provide a lot of learning opportunities.

"I think visiting the USO [United Service Organizations] and seeing some of our newer troops waiting to transit to their next duty station or who are flying back home to see mom and dad and talking to them and hearing their stories will be beneficial," said Stone. "I also think the history tour of the national cemetery will be interesting."

For Culinary Specialist 1st Class Nicole Campbell, who is currently assigned to the amphibious assault ship USS Makin Island (LHD 8), the chance to attend The Foundry was an opportunity to improve her professional knowledge.

"Being the LPO [leading petty officer] and supervising Sailors every day, I wanted the opportunity to learn from others and improve my leadership" said Campbell. "The mentors will allow me to take what they have learned from their past experiences, use it, and then pass that on to junior Sailors.

The next class for The Foundry is scheduled to take place Oct. 11-16. For more information, and to apply for admission, visit www.thefoundry365.org

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