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Fort McCoy NCO Academy receives reaccreditiation |
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| By Capt. Monica Radtke, Triad Contributor FORT McCOY, Wis. -- The reputation for providing outstanding training was validated recently as the Fort McCoy NCO Academy received reaccreditation from the Army to continue operating as an NCO Academy for the Army Reserve.
Command Sgt. Maj. James W. Radke, Command Sergeant Major of the 84th U.S. Army Reserve Readiness Training Command (84th USARRTC), presented Command Sgt. Maj. Donald U. Thelen, commandant of the 84th USARRTC Fort McCoy NCO Academy, with the accreditation plaque in a ceremony held at the NCO Academy. The NCO Academy goes through the accreditation process every three years to ensure the students attending the courses get training that meets Army standards. "Accreditation is the NCO Academy's report card . to be fully accredited means they can continue to fully operate at the highest level," said Radke. The accreditation evaluation team was comprised of personnel from the Sergeants Major Academy Quality Assurance Office at Fort Bliss, Texas. The team visits and evaluates all of the Army's NCO Academies. They spent a week at the NCO Academy sitting in on classes, reviewing past and present records, checking lesson plans and tests -- all to ensure the academy is adhering to the highest possible standards. The evaluation team used 27 different criteria in the areas of conduct of training and training support to evaluate the academy. Each criterion was looked at and scrutinized very closely. "The leadership, staff and instructors at the NCO Academy have done an outstanding job," said Radke. "To be fully accredited and be able to continue the training is huge for the NCO Academy, the 84th USARRTC and the Army Reserve," said Thelen. Accreditation means the academy can continue to conduct training such as Video Teleconference Training (VTT) with students in Korea. "We taught 51 first sergeants in Korea via VTT and that meant they received the highest quality training without having to travel to the United States," he said. Thelen, who has been the NCO Academy commandant since 2003, attributes the accreditation to the NCO Academy team for the time and effort they put forth daily to ensure the quality of training given to the Soldiers is top notch. As the NCO Academy commandant, Thelen takes his job personally. "While the Army is at war, I owe the Soldiers, Army and the community the best quality of training," said Thelen. The NCO Academy has a busy summer course schedule ahead with several graduations already planned. The NCO Academy currently instructs the Primary Leadership Development Course, Basic Noncommissioned Officer Course, Advanced Non-Commissioned Officer Course, First Sergeants Course, Battle Staff Course, Total Army Training Course and the Small Group Instructor Course. For more information about 84th USARRTC courses, visit the Web site https://arrtc.mccoy.army.mil.
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