Photo By Michael Maddox | Warrant officer candidates repeat the oath of office, accepting their new rank as...... read more read more
INDIANAPOLIS – Weeks of hard work, both physically and mentally, paid off July 30 as more than 70 warrant officer candidates received their graduation certificates during a ceremony at the Indianapolis War Memorial July 30.
During the ceremony, the newly appointed warrant officers, who come from different 19 states, were charged with taking their newly acquired skills and going out to be leaders in the Army.
You’ve been preparing for this opportunity your entire career, from the time you enlisted in the military to the time you chose to become a warrant officer” said Maj. Gen. Timothy Kadavy, deputy director of the National Guard. “You were selected for this opportunity. You have been trained for this opportunity.”
“You may not realize it yet, but you already possess the character and the leadership skills to be a successful warrant officer or you would not have made it this far today to be sitting in those seats,” he said. “Our nation’s been at war for 10 years, our soldiers will need you, our commanders will need you, and our Army needs you.”
Newly appointed Warrant Officer Matthew Baldoni, 118th Medical Battalion, Connecticut Army National Guard, said he feels he has gained a lot from his time training to be a warrant officer.
“It was very realistic, and stressful at times, but pertinent to what our jobs our going to be when we return back to our units,” he said.
Warrant Officer Nick Weatherly, from the 145th Brigade Support Battalion, Idaho Army National Guard, said he is looking forward to bridging the gap between enlisted and commissioned officer as a new warrant officer.
“I wanted to become a warrant officer because I felt I had offered my skills to the Army as an NCO,” said the former staff sergeant. “I felt I had much more to offer and the warrant officer corps allows you to do that by still working on the ground with the troops and also working with the officers to help make things happen.”
Warrant officers are specialized experts and trainers in their career fields. By gaining progressive levels of expertise and leadership, they provide guidance to commanders and organizations in their specialty. Warrant officers remain single-specialty officers with career tracks that progress within their field, unlike their commissioned officer counterparts who focus on increased levels of command and staff duty positions.
| Date Taken: | 07.30.2011 |
| Date Posted: | 07.30.2011 19:02 |
| Story ID: | 74560 |
| Location: | CAMP ATTERBURY, INDIANA, US |
| Web Views: | 122 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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