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Maryland warrant officer school pins Army’s newest experts

By Staff Sgt. Nancy Spicer, 29th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment —

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EDGEWOOD, Md. – Nine newly minted warrant officers graduated from Warrant Officer Candidate School, class 15-001, during a ceremony on the Edgewood Area of Aberdeen Proving Grounds, Md., on Oct. 3, 2015.

Before applying to WOCS, candidates must be at least a staff sergeant and have completed appropriate noncommissioned officer education system leadership courses. Warrant officers make up the technical foundation of the U.S. Army by specializing in a technical area like intelligence, aviation or military police.

Nine warrant officers from Warrant Officer Candidate School class 15-001 graduated in the Edgewood Area of Aberdeen Proving Grounds, Md., on Oct. 3, 2015. Family and friends of the candidates as well as distinguished guests attended the ceremony, hosted by Maj. Gen. (MD) Linda L. Singh.

Class 15-001 was the largest WOCS class to go through Maryland’s 70th Regiment (Regional Training Institute), said Chief Warrant Officer 2 Kaylan G. Harrington, the class’s primary training, advising and counseling officer. The class started with fifteen candidates in March and finished with nine.

“We had a really diverse class,” said Harrington. “The candidates were from Maryland, Virginia, Washington, D.C., and Delaware, as well as both Army Reserve and National Guard.”

Nine warrant officers from Warrant Officer Candidate School class 15-001 graduated in the Edgewood Area of Aberdeen Proving Grounds, Md., on Oct. 3, 2015. Family and friends of the candidates as well as distinguished guests attended the ceremony, hosted by Maj. Gen. (MD) Linda L. Singh.

In order to graduate, warrant officer candidates must first complete Phase One online distance learning courses. Phase Two is a resident portion at Edgewood that consists of training on the weekends for six months followed by two weeks at Camp Atterbury, Indiana. The candidates must successfully complete numerous tasks during the second phase including written exams, the Army Physical Fitness Test and a 6-mile foot march.

One of the graduates, Warrant Officer Frank J. Muto, of Arlington, Virginia, was awarded the Physical Fitness Award at the graduation ceremony for achieving the score of 336 out of 300 on the APFT.

“My biggest motivator for completing this was to follow in the footsteps of my mentors,” said Muto. He will be joining the Maryland National Guard’s 110th Information Operation Battalion as the information operation chief.

Nine warrant officers from Warrant Officer Candidate School class 15-001 graduated in the Edgewood Area of Aberdeen Proving Grounds, Md., on Oct. 3, 2015. Family and friends of the candidates as well as distinguished guests attended the ceremony, hosted by Maj. Gen. (MD) Linda L. Singh.

Muto and his WOCS classmates will return to their units as technically and tactically proficient warrant officers.

“These warrant officers have a lot of experience,” said Harrington. “I look forward to working with them as my peers in the future.”