JOINT BASE LANGLEY-EUSTIS, Va. (WAVY) — As civil unrest continues across the United States, the U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command is now including “inclusion training” in its Equal Opportunity Leader Course.
The 60-hour course, which was held at Fort Eustis from June 18 to 25, for the first time featured inclusion training designed to prepare leaders as equal opportunity representatives at the company and battalion-level.
“Given the current civil unrest in our nation, equal opportunity leaders help organizations discuss difficult issues like race and discrimination,” said Lt. Col. Joe Hissim, TRADOC’s Equal Opportunity Program Manager. “EOLs ensure we are maintaining cohesive teams and help improve readiness.”
The main tenets of EO ensures fair treatment for military personnel, family members, and civilians without regard to race, color, gender, religion, sexual orientation, or national origin, and provides an environment free of unlawful discrimination and offensive behavior.
“We are seeing firsthand how racism and discrimination effects each and every one of us, some a lot more than others. I believe that being in the military gives us an opportunity to talk to others who do not look like us, and better understand why things are happening the way they are,” said Sgt. 1st Class Jessica Knighton, one of the EOLC instructors.
In the class, Knighton said they have open discussions about hard topics that are rarely talked about in such a diverse group and that students are encouraged to share their personal opinions so they can see and understand their own personal bias.