Photo By Maj. William Carraway | Georgia Army National Guard Warrant Officer William Gilbert is pinned with his new...... read more read more
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Seven Georgia Army National Guard warrant officers graduated as part of Warrant Officer Candidate School Class 19-03 at Fort Rucker, Ala. Dec. 19, 2018. It was the largest single graduation of warrant officers in the history of the Ga. ARNG.
“This is a significant accomplishment for the Ga. ARNG warrant officer program,” said Chief Warrant Officer 5 Carl Jackson, Command Chief Warrant Officer of the Ga. ARNG. "This is a credit to the quality of our warrant officer candidates, our recruiters and the staff who helped prepare them for success.”
The Ga. ARNG warrant officers constituted one third of the National Guard graduates of WOCS Class 19-03 which was comprised of 85 Soldiers. To further add to the Georgia flavor of the ceremony, Brig. Gen. Randall Simmons, commander of the Ga. ARNG served as graduation speaker.
“Congratulations on this milestone,” said Simmons. “I hope that you all feel a strong sense of pride and accomplishment in completing this course. Thank you for making the Army stronger.”
Following the ceremony, the Ga. ARNG graduates received congratulations from family members and fellow service members. In addition to Simmons, Col. Dwayne Wilson, chief of staff of the Ga. ARNG and Chief Warrant Officer 5 Carl Jackson, Chief Warrant Officer of the Ga. ARNG were present to welcome the Georgia Guardsmen into the warrant officer ranks. Warrant Officer Michael Romeo, an airdrop systems technician who previously served as a parachute rigger in the Georgia Army National Guard’s Marietta, Ga.-based 165th Quartermaster Company, received his first salute from 1st Sgt. Thomas Eddy of the 165th. Warrant Officer Bridgette Simmons was congratulated by several of her fellow Soldiers from the Atlanta-based Combined Services Maintenance Support facility who made the four hour drive from Atlanta to witness her appointment.
Despite their diverse backgrounds and future service assignments, the new warrant officers were united in their sense of accomplishment.
“It feels great,” said Warrant Officer William Gilbert, who will serve with the Columbus, Ga.-based 648th Maneuver Enhancement Brigade. “It has been a fight. Once you get here, you have to earn it. I would highly recommend (the WOCS program).”
2018 marks the 100th birthday of the U.S. Army's Warrant Officer Corps. Warrant officers serve as technical experts in 17 of the Army’s 20 branches managing and maintaining complex battlefield systems. More than 200 warrant officers serve in the Ga. ARNG in all five of the state’s brigades as well as the joint force headquarters in Marietta, Ga.
Georgia’s newest warrant officers will serve in the aviation, field artillery, signal, logistics and adjutant general branches.
To become a warrant officer, Soldiers must score a 110 on the General Technical portion of the Armed Forces Aptitude and Battery test and possess potential for leadership. Soldiers must generally have attained the rank of sergeant and meet specific requirements for their military occupation specialty. The Georgia Army National Guard is actively seeking to add to its warrant officer ranks and maintains a full-time staff to recruit and prepare warrant officer candidates for the rigorous five-week warrant officer candidate school.
“The Warrant Officer Advisory Program is set up to be a three to four month program,” said Chief Warrant Officer 3 Sandra Smith, warrant officer strength manager for the Ga. ARNG. “We help them from the very beginning of the process.”
During the program, prospective warrant officers drill with the advisory program and receive mentoring and guidance on the transition to the warrant officer corps. Judging from the record number of Georgia Guard warrant officer graduates of WOCS Class 19-03, the advisory program has been a tremendous success.
“Without their assistance I wouldn’t have made it,” said Gilbert. There were things that we knew that the Active Duty candidates did not know thanks to the preparation we received.”
| Date Taken: | 12.19.2018 |
| Date Posted: | 12.19.2018 20:01 |
| Story ID: | 304491 |
| Location: | FORT RUCKER, ALABAMA, US |
| Hometown: | ATLANTA, GEORGIA, US |
| Hometown: | COLUMBUS, GEORGIA, US |
| Hometown: | MARIETTA, GEORGIA, US |
| Web Views: | 672 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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