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O-3 - CPT
O-3 - CPT
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Finished ILE PH2 today, So I wanted to take the opportunity to share some lessons learned along the way, for those who are even thinking of doing ILE (or really any level of PME) in the future. I’ve also attached a slide that shows the different ways to complete ILE for those who don’t know…
1) ENROLL WHEN ELIGIBLE. Don’t sit around waiting to see if you get selected for resident, and certainly don’t think “I’ll just do it later.” The Officer ranks are replete with people who once said they’ll get around to it later and are now in promotion peril because they didn’t do it when they should have. There’s never a good time, and life doesn’t slow down anymore in the future. Just get in and get it done.
2) DON’T DO IT ALL DISTANCE LEARNING. Sure, maybe you just can’t get away from work or your unit for 2 extra weeks for phases 1 and 3, or one weekend a month for 8 months for phase 2. But if you can, I highly recommend it. The collaboration is indespensible for your growth as an Officer.
3) THE 10-MONTH RESIDENT OPTION ISN’T AS GREAT AS IT’S MADE OUT TO BE. Okay, this is going to raise some eyebrows, but hear me out. The vast majority of MAJs who attend resident ILE have been in the Army for 10 years, are around 32 years old, and bring the exact same experience to the table, having been PLs, XOs, Company Commanders, and BN or BDE staff assistants. The Officers in my TASS phase 1 and 2 classes ranged in age from 33 to 53, and had varying degrees of depth and breadth in their experiences in all types of jobs. None of us had the same cookie cutter careers that Regular Army MAJs typically have. The experiences we were able to draw from were invaluable.
4) STAY ON TOP OF YOUR WORK. This is true no matter which modality you choose for completing ILE. Each phase, especially phase 2, can overwhelm you if you let it. Set aside a couple hours a few days a week to work on ILE, and if possible, get ahead. I was able to do this, especially in the last 3 months of phase 2, and it paid dividends. Don’t get behind. It’s very difficult to catch up and could result in you having to start over. Be disciplined and power through it. There is no way around it, the only way is through.
1) ENROLL WHEN ELIGIBLE. Don’t sit around waiting to see if you get selected for resident, and certainly don’t think “I’ll just do it later.” The Officer ranks are replete with people who once said they’ll get around to it later and are now in promotion peril because they didn’t do it when they should have. There’s never a good time, and life doesn’t slow down anymore in the future. Just get in and get it done.
2) DON’T DO IT ALL DISTANCE LEARNING. Sure, maybe you just can’t get away from work or your unit for 2 extra weeks for phases 1 and 3, or one weekend a month for 8 months for phase 2. But if you can, I highly recommend it. The collaboration is indespensible for your growth as an Officer.
3) THE 10-MONTH RESIDENT OPTION ISN’T AS GREAT AS IT’S MADE OUT TO BE. Okay, this is going to raise some eyebrows, but hear me out. The vast majority of MAJs who attend resident ILE have been in the Army for 10 years, are around 32 years old, and bring the exact same experience to the table, having been PLs, XOs, Company Commanders, and BN or BDE staff assistants. The Officers in my TASS phase 1 and 2 classes ranged in age from 33 to 53, and had varying degrees of depth and breadth in their experiences in all types of jobs. None of us had the same cookie cutter careers that Regular Army MAJs typically have. The experiences we were able to draw from were invaluable.
4) STAY ON TOP OF YOUR WORK. This is true no matter which modality you choose for completing ILE. Each phase, especially phase 2, can overwhelm you if you let it. Set aside a couple hours a few days a week to work on ILE, and if possible, get ahead. I was able to do this, especially in the last 3 months of phase 2, and it paid dividends. Don’t get behind. It’s very difficult to catch up and could result in you having to start over. Be disciplined and power through it. There is no way around it, the only way is through.
Posted in these groups: 
Intermediate Level Education (ILE)
CPT
MAJ
Army Command and General Staff College (CGSC)
Officers
Intermediate Level Education (ILE) CPT MAJ Army Command and General Staff College (CGSC) Officers
Posted >1 y ago
Responses: 6
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I forgot to mention about the medical LTC who was quiet was counseled by instructors because he wasn't contributing to the discussion. Don't be afraid to speak up even if you're annoying to the instructor because someone can learn from your experiences. Sometimes nobody says anything and you could be the Icebreaker.
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Good for you MAJ (Join to see) . I had to do distance learning for phase 2 as I had family commitments and wasn't going to drill twice a month (my commander wouldn't allow me to split train). I also had to defer finishing phase 2 once due to family medical issues).
Looking back, my not doing phase 2 with the extra weekend a month probably cost me a Battalion Command slot and a decent shot at Colonel later on. I don't regret it as once my wife got deathly ill, she and my kids were the priority, not the Army. My superiors didn't like my decision, but oh well.
LTC (Join to see)
Looking back, my not doing phase 2 with the extra weekend a month probably cost me a Battalion Command slot and a decent shot at Colonel later on. I don't regret it as once my wife got deathly ill, she and my kids were the priority, not the Army. My superiors didn't like my decision, but oh well.
LTC (Join to see)
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LTC (Join to see)
MAJ Ken Landgren yes, the California National Guard told these officers that they had to keep going to drill and either being a company Commander or a staff officer and then still do their Phase 2 of cgsoc. Maybe they got points. I'm not sure but it was surprising to hear that. I actually went on to the California Army National Guard 40th Infantry Division Sergeant Major's page and mentioned that to them. I am on a lot of Army National Guard Facebook pages especially those with my old units in California. I was in the California Army National Guard from 1994 until 2004. I did deploy title 32 with the California National Guard under Noble Eagle 3 to Dugway Proving Ground. That gave me my opportunity to get Phase 1 and Phase 2 of the captain's career course out of the way. Phase 1 was online and Phase 2 was online but working with others in the interactive distance learning Avatar style. That's where I found out about the Idaho Army National Guard deploying right when my mission was winding down. From there, I was able to get released by my Battalion Commander and join the Idaho National Guard and deploy to Northern Iraq. Wasted a lot of time training in New mexico, Texas and at Fort Polk. They actually kept us in Northern Louisiana at an old Air Force Base because we were not in the queue to go down range so we were given some leave.
The good thing is to Idaho National Guard front loaded us for our armor Captain's career course. Since the course conflicted with our deployment, we were front loaded before we were mobilized. Getting the captain's career course out of the way set me up for promotion to Major later and allowed me to join civil Affairs because at that time you had to be a senior first lieutenant or a captain with the captain's career course out of the way. I know you can go into civil affairs straight out of , ROTC or West Point so things have changed.
CPT (Join to see) MAJ (Join to see) COL Randall C. MAJ Ken Landgren
The good thing is to Idaho National Guard front loaded us for our armor Captain's career course. Since the course conflicted with our deployment, we were front loaded before we were mobilized. Getting the captain's career course out of the way set me up for promotion to Major later and allowed me to join civil Affairs because at that time you had to be a senior first lieutenant or a captain with the captain's career course out of the way. I know you can go into civil affairs straight out of , ROTC or West Point so things have changed.
CPT (Join to see) MAJ (Join to see) COL Randall C. MAJ Ken Landgren
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MAJ Ken Landgren
LTC (Join to see) Careers should have ended because they broke cardinal rules in budget. In theory an investigation should have been initiated and there are no extenuating circumstances. A memorandum for record should have been forwarded to the President and careers terminated. That is how it should work.
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LTC (Join to see)
MAJ Ken Landgren yes, hopefully people learn from what you just posted.
CPT (Join to see) MAJ (Join to see) COL Randall C. LTC Trent Klug
CPT (Join to see) MAJ (Join to see) COL Randall C. LTC Trent Klug
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LTC Trent Klug
CPT (Join to see) For the most part, we have officers who do take care of their folks. I went to great ends for mine.
While in GTMO, I had two Soldiers who were AWOL coming back from leave. They were late due to a hurricane. The Detention commander wanted them to face field grade Article 15 proceedings. I fought for, and won, for company grade proceedings. They got a very, very terrible counseling from me and they had to update their leave request for the extra days off island. They were supposed to fly back on Tuesday, which was the day the hurricane hit. They came back that next Saturday. I got a very stern lecture from my BDE CDR.
I also had a Soldier who was subject to the Zimmer amendment due to a domestic violence incident. He slapped his son in public and was arrested and convicted sometime before coming to the MP Company. It was being expunged but hadn't cleared the courts yet. The battalion wanted him moved to them. I counseled him and told him he'd be staying with the MPs and I ordered him to not handle our weapons. Once the conviction was expunged all would be right again. I had confirmed the expungement with his lawyer and the DA's office. I got another stern talking to.
In both cases my 10 pounds of ass grew back, but I was taking care of my Soldiers as I saw it. And I'd do it again in a heartbeat.
While in GTMO, I had two Soldiers who were AWOL coming back from leave. They were late due to a hurricane. The Detention commander wanted them to face field grade Article 15 proceedings. I fought for, and won, for company grade proceedings. They got a very, very terrible counseling from me and they had to update their leave request for the extra days off island. They were supposed to fly back on Tuesday, which was the day the hurricane hit. They came back that next Saturday. I got a very stern lecture from my BDE CDR.
I also had a Soldier who was subject to the Zimmer amendment due to a domestic violence incident. He slapped his son in public and was arrested and convicted sometime before coming to the MP Company. It was being expunged but hadn't cleared the courts yet. The battalion wanted him moved to them. I counseled him and told him he'd be staying with the MPs and I ordered him to not handle our weapons. Once the conviction was expunged all would be right again. I had confirmed the expungement with his lawyer and the DA's office. I got another stern talking to.
In both cases my 10 pounds of ass grew back, but I was taking care of my Soldiers as I saw it. And I'd do it again in a heartbeat.
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I went to Ft Leavenworth for 10 months. A few things threw me off:
- There was a lot of reading.
- After years of simplifying my communications in the army I had to write several essays. I am not a grammar type of person, and it was akin to taking a college English Composition course.
- I am a slow learner because my short-term memory is horrific. However, once information is stored in my memory I can drill down very deep into the topic on hand. We discussed various paradigms and strategic aspects of warfare. Perhaps a year after ILE what I learned came into fruition. I am able to track the war in Ukraine and apply the paradigms to the war with ease now.
Ironically when we discussed the thoughts of Carl Von Clausewitz, an 1800s Austrian Military Theorist, we rolled our eyes. However, I refer to his theories a lot. Specifically, his opinion on three significant components of war. Apply it to our Revolutionary War and the Ukraine War:
- Rational government.
- Passion of the people.
- Military acumen.
If you PCS to Ft Leavenworth, then I advise you have some fun with the family. ILE arranged for guest speakers who were General Officers and deep thinkers. Some of them said stuff that was interesting, others not so much. Do not copy academic work, make silly mistakes like bringing an unregistered gun on post, or trying to cheat the system. There is little forgiveness for mistakes small and large. The CG is a LTG and will put you out of the army quickly.
- There was a lot of reading.
- After years of simplifying my communications in the army I had to write several essays. I am not a grammar type of person, and it was akin to taking a college English Composition course.
- I am a slow learner because my short-term memory is horrific. However, once information is stored in my memory I can drill down very deep into the topic on hand. We discussed various paradigms and strategic aspects of warfare. Perhaps a year after ILE what I learned came into fruition. I am able to track the war in Ukraine and apply the paradigms to the war with ease now.
Ironically when we discussed the thoughts of Carl Von Clausewitz, an 1800s Austrian Military Theorist, we rolled our eyes. However, I refer to his theories a lot. Specifically, his opinion on three significant components of war. Apply it to our Revolutionary War and the Ukraine War:
- Rational government.
- Passion of the people.
- Military acumen.
If you PCS to Ft Leavenworth, then I advise you have some fun with the family. ILE arranged for guest speakers who were General Officers and deep thinkers. Some of them said stuff that was interesting, others not so much. Do not copy academic work, make silly mistakes like bringing an unregistered gun on post, or trying to cheat the system. There is little forgiveness for mistakes small and large. The CG is a LTG and will put you out of the army quickly.
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