Photo By Andrew Nystrom | Brig. Gen. Kevin Lyons, Nebraska Army National Guard land component commander (back...... read more read more
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Five members of the Nebraska Army National Guard, currently tackling the Army National Guard Officer Candidate School course as part of OCS Class 62, received a visit, June 19, from a senior Nebraska Army National Guard leader.
Brig. Gen. Kevin Lyons, Nebraska Army National Guard land component commander, paid a visit, by way of a Nebraska UH-60 Blackhawk helicopter, to the Great Plains Training Center in Salina, Kansas, to mentor, motivate and remind the Nebraska candidates they are not alone.
“These Soldiers have stepped-up to the challenge of not just serving, but
leading,” said Lyons, a 1990 graduate of Nebraska’s OCS Class 33. “The path they are embarking on is a long one and the challenges which come with the responsibility of leading aren’t always easy. But, and I say it from experience, it is completely worthwhile and will change you for the better in the long run.”
Lyons was joined by Lt. Col. Tom Golden, 209th Regiment (Regional Training Institute) administrative officer; Lt. Col. Vern Chandler, 2-209th battalion commander; Maj. Jeremy Smith, OCS company commander; and Chaplain (Capt.) Thomas Ballard, the RTI chaplain. The team engaged both candidates and cadre, but spent the majority of his time with the Nebraska candidates.
“It’s important to let them know we’ve got their back and we’re here to support them,” Lyons said. “They are the next generation of leaders in our Nebraska Army National Guard. I told them to rely on their teammates and be the person their teammates can rely on. Serving in line of work is a team endeavor and you won’t succeed going it alone.”
The OCS course is broken down into four phases over a 13-month period. Phase 0 and Phase 2 are conducted at the Regional Training Institute located at Camp Ashland, Nebraska, in an individual drill training status. Phase 1 is a two-week active-duty training status course conducted in Salina, Kansas. Phase 3 is also a two-week active duty training conducted at Ft. McClellan, Alabama.
Phase 0 is designed to provide the candidates with an overview of what they can expect and what will be expected of them during OCS. They cover topics including military customs and courtesies, land navigation, troop leading procedures, dining hall procedures, proper clothing displays and more.
During Phase 1, the current phase of training for the five Nebraska OCS candidates – Jordan Hopwood and Erika Grimm of Lincoln; Todd Garrett of Elkhorn; Colin Lauenroth of Crete; and Cody Pagel of Columbus, the candidates have or will conduct a land navigation field leadership exercise; a five-mile foot march; and cover operations, training management, and leadership doctrine.
Later, Phase 2 – which makes up the bulk of a candidate’s OCS experience – is conducted once a month for 12 months and includes classroom instruction on ethics, leadership, logistics, military intelligence, fire support, communication, and tactics. Meanwhile, field training includes two tactical field exercises and a 10-mile foot march.
Phase 3, the last step in the commissioning process, covers troop leading procedures; a leadership reaction course; a final field leadership exercise; infantry squad tactics and a tactical exercise without troops.
After completion of the 13-month OCS course, the Soldiers will become commissioned officers in the Nebraska Army National Guard.
For more information about commissioning opportunities with the Nebraska Army National Guard, contact 402-309-7452.
| Date Taken: | 06.26.2018 |
| Date Posted: | 06.26.2018 09:34 |
| Story ID: | 282278 |
| Location: | LINCOLN, NEBRASKA, US |
| Web Views: | 233 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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