Centers of Influences, COIs take a tour of a new model home designed for soldiers at Fort George G. Meade.
Ed Tour at Fort Meade Accomplishes Goal Despite Funding Challenges
Nicole Woods, USAREC, Baltimore Battalion
June 4, 2014
Local centers of Influence (COI) participated in a day-long tour, April 25, visiting the various military agencies that support Soldiers, families, retirees and civilians at Fort Meade, Md.
According to Baltimore Battalion’s education services specialist, Calvin Moore, the importance of this tour, in lieu of an Educators Tour, was to educate leaders in the community about what it takes to qualify for Army service, what jobs and career opportunities are available in the Army, how those jobs translate into the civilian sector and what educational training support is available for Soldiers.
“If the proper funding was available, a traditional educator’s tour would typically include a large charter bus to an active, deployable installation, usually Fort Jackson or Fort Lee, for a multi-day tour,” said Moore. “Even with limited funding, we still have a responsibility to connect with and to educate the public.”
The tour kicked off at battalion headquarters with a briefing from Battalion Commander Lt. Col. David Dinkelman, who highlighted the key responsibilities of a recruiter, from face-to-face engagements at high schools and universities, to table set-ups at the most popular events in the area.
“I enlisted into the Reserve and I did ROTC, plus I was in the National Guard, doing a little of both all at once -- known as the simultaneous-mission program. That provided me with additional pay for college and other expenses,” said Dinkelman. “It kept me from having to eat ramen noodles every day; moreover, it provided continual job experience and instilled valuable leadership skills.”
The next stop on the tour was to the Defense Information School (DINFOS), an accredited institute that has a long-standing mission of producing public affairs and visual information personnel for the Department of Defense (DOD). The COI’s from Google+, University of Maryland University College and other local businesses received a briefing from DINFOS Commandant Col. Jeremy Martin.
Martin explained that DINFOS graduates over 2,000 communicators a year – from the Army, Navy, Marine Corps National Guard, Air Force, Coast Guard, federal civilians and even international military service members.
Christy Castro, a representative from Google+, asked Martin about the quality and availability of equipment with which students use to train in addition to how the level of their lessons equate to industry standards.
“We bring in industry professionals from digital components like Canon and other agencies of that nature. We buy the necessary camera kits and equipment in accordance with DOD regulations and policy,” Martin explained.
After leaving DINFOS, the tour visited Defense Media Activity (DMA), where educators learned about media activities that support and communicate not just the Army’s story but the military’s story to the DOD audience.
The tour continued to privatized housing where the COIs were shown the inside of new model homes on the post designed for the average Army Soldier and his or her family.
The COIs ate lunch at the post Dining Facility (DFAC), which presented another opportunity for attendees to gain insight into a Soldier’s quality of life.
Moore led tour-members to the education center for a more in-depth overview of military education programs and benefits such as money for college, internships, and hands-on career and leadership training from experts in their field.
“A lot of people don’t realize that a lot of these classes can be used toward credit hours at a lot of major colleges and universities,” said Moore. “COIs can help underscore the connectivity between the Army and the American public by helping to inform young people and veterans about educational and career opportunities in the Army.”
Nicole Woods, USAREC, Baltimore Battalion
June 4, 2014
Local centers of Influence (COI) participated in a day-long tour, April 25, visiting the various military agencies that support Soldiers, families, retirees and civilians at Fort Meade, Md.
According to Baltimore Battalion’s education services specialist, Calvin Moore, the importance of this tour, in lieu of an Educators Tour, was to educate leaders in the community about what it takes to qualify for Army service, what jobs and career opportunities are available in the Army, how those jobs translate into the civilian sector and what educational training support is available for Soldiers.
“If the proper funding was available, a traditional educator’s tour would typically include a large charter bus to an active, deployable installation, usually Fort Jackson or Fort Lee, for a multi-day tour,” said Moore. “Even with limited funding, we still have a responsibility to connect with and to educate the public.”
The tour kicked off at battalion headquarters with a briefing from Battalion Commander Lt. Col. David Dinkelman, who highlighted the key responsibilities of a recruiter, from face-to-face engagements at high schools and universities, to table set-ups at the most popular events in the area.
“I enlisted into the Reserve and I did ROTC, plus I was in the National Guard, doing a little of both all at once -- known as the simultaneous-mission program. That provided me with additional pay for college and other expenses,” said Dinkelman. “It kept me from having to eat ramen noodles every day; moreover, it provided continual job experience and instilled valuable leadership skills.”
The next stop on the tour was to the Defense Information School (DINFOS), an accredited institute that has a long-standing mission of producing public affairs and visual information personnel for the Department of Defense (DOD). The COI’s from Google+, University of Maryland University College and other local businesses received a briefing from DINFOS Commandant Col. Jeremy Martin.
Martin explained that DINFOS graduates over 2,000 communicators a year – from the Army, Navy, Marine Corps National Guard, Air Force, Coast Guard, federal civilians and even international military service members.
Christy Castro, a representative from Google+, asked Martin about the quality and availability of equipment with which students use to train in addition to how the level of their lessons equate to industry standards.
“We bring in industry professionals from digital components like Canon and other agencies of that nature. We buy the necessary camera kits and equipment in accordance with DOD regulations and policy,” Martin explained.
After leaving DINFOS, the tour visited Defense Media Activity (DMA), where educators learned about media activities that support and communicate not just the Army’s story but the military’s story to the DOD audience.
The tour continued to privatized housing where the COIs were shown the inside of new model homes on the post designed for the average Army Soldier and his or her family.
The COIs ate lunch at the post Dining Facility (DFAC), which presented another opportunity for attendees to gain insight into a Soldier’s quality of life.
Moore led tour-members to the education center for a more in-depth overview of military education programs and benefits such as money for college, internships, and hands-on career and leadership training from experts in their field.
“A lot of people don’t realize that a lot of these classes can be used toward credit hours at a lot of major colleges and universities,” said Moore. “COIs can help underscore the connectivity between the Army and the American public by helping to inform young people and veterans about educational and career opportunities in the Army.”