SIOUX FALLS, S.D - Members of the South Dakota Army National Guard Counterdrug program held Unit Prevention Leader training at the 196th Regional Training Institute here March 26-30.
Forty-seven members of the South Dakota Army Guard and one member of the U.S. Army Reserve attended the training. As a certified UPL, each representative will be able to take the information learned from the class and share it with other Soldiers in their home units to help prevent, educate, and monitor substance use and abuse.
"Our UPL training falls in line with major general Tim Reisch's second priority of 'Readiness,'" said Army Maj. Robert DeJong, Counterdrug coordinator. "Our newly trained UPL's now have the training, knowledge and confidence to conduct substance abuse testing at their units and be their respective commander's advisor on substance abuse training."
"The information provided was current to the real world, which will be valuable for these Soldiers to take back to their units," said Army Lt. Col. Doug Bogenhagen, Counterdrug branch chief, also a member of the class. "We all learned so much, and there was such a diverse group from around the state that provided good feedback to make the class more pertinent."
Another portion of the training consisted of "Team Readiness" training, which is training on how to educate other Soldiers about stress management, coping skills, and teamwork and communication skills in relation to substance abuse.
"Team readiness is all about helping Soldier's make good decisions about substance use by using the skills they gain from these classes, which in turn affects unit readiness and safety," said Army Master Sgt. April Wollan, substance abuse prevention coordinator for the Counterdrug program.
"The training helps to build unit morale and cohesion by having a lot of interaction between Soldiers."
"I really enjoyed the team readiness portion of the training," said Army Sgt. Amy Zerfas, 153rd Engineer Battalion "We learned how to facilitate rather than instruct so we have more interaction when leading a lesson. These skills are so important for our Soldiers to have to make the right decisions about using drugs."
Students in the class also heard from Army Staff Sgt. Justin Pederson, an intelligence analyst for the FBI Drug Task Force within the Counterdrug program, about the drugs that are affecting our Soldiers and their families the most.
The students got to see first-hand what some of these drugs and paraphernalia look like. Pederson, along with Shane Severyn, a South Dakota Highway Patrol K9 officer, and also a member of the FBI Drug Task Force, brought a "show dope kit" to help familiarize the Soldiers with what some of the drugs look like. The kit houses real drugs such as cocaine, marijuana, ecstasy, LSD and marijuana, which have been confiscated from drug offenders and put together as a kit for educational purposes.
"This is stuff I've never seen so it was good training. It's really scary to see what's all out there and know that there is so much," Zerfas said. "Now that I have seen it and have the information about these drugs, I hope to take what I got from this training back to my home unit and shed some light in their eyes as well."
Students were also educated about synthetic drugs. Pederson emphasized the importance of knowing what the drug looks like, the warning signs of using synthetic drugs and how to identify a user.
"With the K2 boom in full effect, it is very important that leaders of the military know what this stuff looks like and the effects it can have on Soldiers," said Pederson, also a member of the 196th Maneuver Enhancement Brigade. "Knowing what synthetic drugs look like will allow for leadership to be able to identify any Soldiers who maybe using synthetic drugs."
Pederson said synthetic drugs, like all drugs, destroy the readiness of not only the Soldier that is using them, but the entire unit. He also said Soldiers may be under the impression that these may be legal and safe, but that is far from the truth.
The five-day class ended with each student gaining a new outlook of the war on drugs and how Soldiers can be affected by it. Each certified UPL grew a better understanding and acquired the tools to help prevent, educate and lead other Soldiers to make the right decisions about substance abuse. With these tools at hand, these service members can help keep American Soldiers drug free.
"South Dakota consistently has one of the lowest illegal positive drug rates in the nation, which is a direct reflection of our UPL's taking this additional duty seriously," DeJong said. "Being drug free supports the adjutant general's vision of being the most professional, competent and reliable state National Guard organization in the United States of America."