OCS Class 52 candidates get festive
[vc_row][vc_column][vc_single_image image=”1462″ img_size=”full” alignment=”center” css_animation=”fadeIn”][vc_column_text css_animation=”fadeIn” css=”.vc_custom_1500400570006{margin-top: 0px !important;margin-right: 0px !important;margin-bottom: 0px !important;margin-left: 0px !important;border-top-width: 0px !important;border-right-width: 0px !important;border-bottom-width: 0px !important;border-left-width: 0px !important;padding-top: 0px !important;padding-right: 0px !important;padding-bottom: 0px !important;padding-left: 0px !important;}”]By Officer Candidate Jessica Donnelly[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text css_animation=”fadeIn”]
Every month, officer candidates spend three days away from their families training to become future leaders in the Army National Guard. Family members wait at home while candidates spend a weekend learning skills and tactics before coming home tired, dirty and in need of some rest. The family members are continuously there to support the candidates, without fully understanding what they go through when they go away for those three days. However, the December inactive duty training weekend provided an opportunity for families and friends to get a glimpse at a day in the life of officer candidates in the Officer Candidate School training environment.
Maryland Officer Candidate School combined class 52 completed another IDT weekend as part of the OCS program Dec. 3-5, 2010, at Camp Fretterd, Md. moving one step closer to earning their respective commissions in the Maryland, West Virginia or District of Columbia National Guard.
The IDT weekend was full of essential training intended to train effective leaders. The training included an Army Physical Fitness Test and classroom portions dedicated to teaching public speaking techniques. The classroom portion also included an exercise where each candidate produced and delivered an informational brief to their peers for critique. After the training was completed, the main event of the weekend included a holiday party planned and executed by the candidates that served as an opportunity for family and friends to share this special occasion and to get a glimpse into a day in the life of an officer candidate.
“The holiday party was a complete success in my mind,” said Officer Candidate Namataka Heru, December’s platoon sergeant. “It achieved its end state of bringing officer candidates, families and OCS staff together to understand the world of OCS.”
The holiday event included an opportunity for guests to socialize with one another, interact with the OCS and regimental staff, share a meal together, have a photo opportunity with Santa Claus, watch a photo presentation of the class’ accomplishments, and listen to a motivational speech on career progression by the keynote speaker, Col. Linda Singh, 70th Regiment commander.
“If I look at my career in hindsight, I can tell you that you have to take charge of your career. Take it and own it,” said Singh. “I think you’ve done that already because you’ve taken the first step to becoming leaders.”
In the end, the point that was most stressed throughout the event was the importance of family support while going through OCS.
“It is utterly impossible to say that an officer candidate can exist and survive in the OCS environment without support from their families,” said Heru. “The mental and physical stresses that occur in OCS are hard enough to handle, but even harder to handle without the outlet of confiding in loved ones. The family is a portion of the power that drives an officer candidate through OCS.”
While the holiday party served as an opportunity to share a special time with friends and family, candidates must always remember their reasons for being in the program and continue to work toward the end goal of earning their commission.
“All focus must be directed to every aspect of the duties at hand,” said Heru. “The platoon must learn to think ahead, as well as in the moment… to achieve the goals of each weekend.”[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]