U.S. Army photo by Maj. Carson Petry

Congratulations! You’ve been selected to attend the Command and General Staff College (CGSC). You have an impressive experience ahead of you, one with boundless potential and opportunities. The faculty, staff, and guest speakers will tell you consistently, “this is the best year of your life.” They are right. Here are a few things you can do to get the most out of the wonderful experience called CGSC.

Build the Family. There are plenty of days when you get out of class much earlier than you would in a deployable unit. You are meant to use this time to complete your reading assignments, prepare for the next day, and reflect on what you have learned. It is also useful for spending quality time with your spouse and children. There will be a multitude of recitals, plays, sports events, and social hours that occur in the mid-afternoon and evening. You will finally be able to attend them without ducking out of a meeting or cutting the workday short. Take advantage of it.

Furthermore, weekends are generally free. There will always be reading or writing assignments. However, the course load is not too strenuous to impede a trip to the zoo with your daughter. Nor would the work stop you from having a romantic date night with your spouse.

I also recommend taking the time to build the family for the officers who are geographically separated. My wife and I were at different posts for the year, and the distance made things more difficult. However, maintaining our relationship and designating time for each other was just as important. I humbly recommend using some of the extra time to prepare and have meaningful engagements with your loved ones, regardless of distance. Call home, schedule a video chat, write letters, and plan for weekend trips home. Be thoughtful and diligent in your efforts to connect because people can and do change in a year.

Use your time at the school to connect with your family.

Socialize: Invite and Attend (Boldly)!  You will be in a small group of about 16 officers. Do everything you can to get to know these people outside of the classroom. It deepens your appreciation for them, and it gives you new insights into the way they view life and tackle problems. There are many opportunities to socialize. Not only are there multiple events in and around the Leavenworth and Kansas City areas, but there are also various clubs to join.

Also, do your best to meet as many other officers as you can. You will see them in the future on deployment or at Division. You will undoubtedly be working with many of them. You may even need to ask them for help. It is better to have had a beer and a kind word with them than just passing them in a hallway day in and day out for a year.

I picked up two lessons from a gifted officer named Amie. She graciously (and boldly) invited me to her promotion ceremony and afterparty despite me not knowing her last name. I decided (boldly) to attend, and the experience was terrific. Not only did I have a great time, but my newly promoted friend also introduced me to all of her friends. I realized there was something magical embedded within her invitation and the experience. It gave me two lessons to implement.

1. The Lesson of Invitation. Invite passing acquaintances to occasions. These invitations have a significant impact not just on you but on all who attend. It adds new people to the group at an exponential rate, and there is always someone in the group who will know another individual and reconnect.
2. The Lesson of Attendance. Attend as many events as you can. Regardless of who extends an invitation, do your best to attend. (Surprisingly, I established some of my better friends here at CGSC by adhering to the lesson of attendance.)

Invite and attend often. Your new best mate could be at a ‘random’ event or outing.

Compete. Students often overlook the aspect of competition at CGSC, but there are countless opportunities to compete. The school hosts a gamut of contests focused on different leader dimensions. The college has physically demanding challenges like Iron Major, triathlons, and sports tournaments. There are also competitions based on expertise like Master Tactician and Master Logistician. There are even competitions to measure your skill in writing and your academic performance over the year.

I had no intention of competing in these types of events when I arrived. I only expected to apply to a follow-on program and nothing else. However, I had very encouraging friends and instructors who counseled me to contend. I set my sights on Master Logistician because of my branch. However, I was inspired by a close friend, Aaron, to compete for Master Tactician as well. The reason: he was a combat arms officer who wanted to become better at sustainment and knew taking on the Master Logistician tests would force him to learn the craft. He was correct. For a few extra hours of study time each week and the time required for the tests, we both gained a great deal by seeking challenges outside our areas of expertise.

I highly encourage you to use your time at Fort Leavenworth to test yourself. You may not win everything. You might not win anything. However, there is value in preparing for and competing in an event. Competition is a forcing function for improvement. You gain repetitions in the activity, and it provides a glimpse into the areas where you need to improve.

Compete to learn about and improve yourself.

Visit Your International Student and His/Her Family. Almost every small group will have two International Students. It is essential for these officers to feel welcomed and connected. These students are assigned sponsors and student ambassadors to assist them with navigating CGSC. However, it takes a village to integrate our international brothers and sisters into our collective military family.

My small group was extremely fortunate to have International students who brought their families to the United States. I would visit them in their homes. We shared meals frequently at our Nigerian officer’s home. Aaron and I would make American-style dinners for them, or we would take them out to eat at restaurants. I experienced rare moments with them. I watched the face of our officer from Niger light up when her daughter first spoke English with an American accent. We became a family. The time is crucial because you will learn so much about their culture and create lifelong friends. It also strengthens the bonds among your families and our countries.

It is immensely beneficial for us to serve as welcoming ambassadors and friends.

Read.  Frequently you will hear someone say “its only a lot of reading if you do it.” True. However, reading is the foundation for your learning. Not only is it necessary for your class assignments, but it is also integral to your interactions among your peers. In-class discussions are the primary method of learning at the institution. These discussions are enhanced if you have read the material. If a few people read, then you have fewer ideas within the classroom. You owe it to your peers, and to yourself, to learn as much as you can to be an active and useful participant in class discussions.

Many of my peers and I believe you should read outside of the required course material to provide additional helpful insight. My staff group discovered we had more exciting and more in-depth conversations when someone knew about the topic from sources outside of the required reading. Quick google searches on the topics usually offer articles and videos with stimulating analysis and perspectives that breathe life into the discussion. Go the extra mile to boost the development of everyone in the class.

It is only a lot of reading if you do it. It is only a useful learning experience if you read.

Earn Your Master’s Degree. There is no better time to tackle a Master’s. A handful of people may be wary of earning a degree while also attending intermediate level education. However, it is not as daunting as it sounds. The academic program at CGSC already attenuates your brain and schedule for the endeavor. I typically spent three to six additional hours in classes for my Master’s and another two to eight hours each week studying and writing. I carved out an hour each evening after dinner and a few hours during the day on the weekends for my Master’s activities. By scheduling the study time, I ensured I had plenty of time for socializing and spending time with my family.

You can take advantage of the Master of Military Art and Science offered by the college. Or you can also seek out the programs offered by many universities that teach on campus. Each program offers a wide range of fields of study which are advantageous to the profession. Do not allow the time to pass you by because it only becomes more challenging to earn a Master’s degree when you are an Iron Major.

Each of these activities will absorb a sizable portion of your year. You will need to develop, if you have not already, excellent time management skills to do it all. However, you stand to gain invaluable experiences, friends, and knowledge if you invest your time wisely. Good luck, future CGSC student. I envy you. It will be a fantastic year, and I wish I could do it again.

Jon Michael King, an Army logistician, graduated from the Command and General Staff College and the University of Kansas in 2019.