Missouri Guard welcomes 28 officer candidate school graduates

Col. Jeffery Reichman, commander of the 140th Regiment Missouri Regional Training Institute, issues the oath of office to new Missouri National Guard second lieutenants recently during a ceremony in the Capitol Rotunda at Jefferson City.
(Photo by Pfc. Elise Higgins/Missouri National Guard)

By Matthew J. Wilson
ngmo.pao@us.army.mil

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. - The Missouri National Guard held a graduation ceremony for 28 Soldiers who have completed officer candidate school recently at the Capitol Rotunda.

The 2nd Battalion, 140th Regiment Missouri Regional Training Institute's Officer Candidate School at Fort Leonard Wood produced 22 of the Officer Candidate Schools 49's graduates through its traditional program, while six others graduated through the accelerated program from outside the state.

In the traditional program, officer candidates met for one drill weekend a month and two, two-week stints over the course of 18 months, while the accelerated program is completed in one continuous block of about three months.

To graduate from the program, candidates must have 90 hours of college credit, complete 645.5 hours of military instruction and hold a secret security clearance.

Maj. Steven Brothers, Missouri officer candidate school company commander, said it's been about eight years since the program has produced more graduates within one class. The key, Brothers said, was that the members of the traditional class stuck together.

"They started out with a big class like they always do in phase zero," Brothers said. "What you usually get left over are the ones that survive and persevere. This class had several challenges and they managed to overcome all that. They came together as a team and really finished strong at the end. It was pretty inspiring."

Col. Wendul G. Hagler, Missouri Guard chief of staff and commander of the 70th Troop Command, was the guest speaker at the ceremony and talked to the graduates about Family and leadership.

"He told these graduates that they are the future of the Guard and that he was proud of them," Brothers said. "And then he talked to the Families and explained how none of the graduates would be successful without their support."

Of the 28, 23 accepted their commissions as second lieutenants, while five others waited to accept for various reasons, like fulfilling other commitments or locating officer job slots.

Brothers said once those who did not accept their commissions are ready, they'll have the certificates to do so.

The newly-commissioned second lieutenants will serve as platoon leaders throughout the Guard. Their branches include engineering, quartermaster, medical services, ordnance, chemical, field artillery, aviation, military intelligence, signal, military police, transportation and air defense.

Several graduates were recognized with awards, led by 2nd Lt. Brian Randolph, who was named the Distinguished Honor Graduate as the candidate whose overall class ranking was No. 1 based on overall criteria.

For his efforts, Randolph also earned an Army Commendation Medal and the Erickson Trophy, named for Maj. Gen. Edgar Erickson, who was crucial in the establishment of the state officer candidate schools.

Brothers said Randolph distinguished himself from the first day of officer candidate school.

"He was physically fit and the first to complete a road march," Brothers said. "Throughout the entire program, you could just tell he was one of the few in the class that really stood out. He was a class leader - they looked up to him and kind of leaned on him."

With the way the members of the class reacted when Randolph was announced as the Distinguished Honor Graduate, Brothers said it was easy to tell that they agreed.

"Everyone in his class felt good about it," Brothers said. "They applauded and were really proud of him. Right there you knew he was the right choice."

Other awards included: 2nd Lt. Elizabeth Blau, who lives in Alton, earned the Rock PT Award as the candidate who led the class in overall scores on the Army Physical Fitness Test; 2nd Lts. Emily McCampbell, who lives in Belton, and Clint Rudd, who lives in Ridgedale, shared the Tactics Tiger Award as the candidates who exhibited exceptional abilities in the field training exercises and on the tactics exam; Rudd also earned the Academic Excellence Award as the candidate who had the best test scores; Blau also earned the Leadership Award as the candidate who received the highest scores while in a leadership position and on the leadership exam; 2nd Lt. Andre Reed, who lives in Independence, earned the Neilson Rudd Award as the candidate who most embodies the Army Values in their lifestyle; and 2nd Lt. James Trautt, who lives in St. Louis, earned the Staff Award as the candidate who was rated highest by his peers.

In addition, Trautt also earned an Army Achievement Medal.

The class response, the class's opportunity to address those at the ceremony, was given by 2nd Lt. Anthonie Seymour, of Waynesville. Seymour recounted the class's growth throughout the program.

"We've learned to laugh at the hard times and our own mistakes," Seymour said. "In fact, I would say learning to laugh at our mistakes is key to learning from our mistakes."

There are four sources to commission officers in the United States Army: the United States Military Academy at West Point, the Reserve Officer Training Corps at colleges and universities, the officer candidate school program in the National Guard or at Fort Benning, Ga., and direct commissions for medical and legal professionals.

Officer candidate school was conceived in 1938 and implemented in 1941 at Fort Benning. Gen. Omar Bradley, a Missourian, is credited with developing the program to meet wartime needs.

Today there are 51 officer candidate schools throughout the Army National Guard and one federal program at Fort Benning. The program commissions 1,450 second lieutenants annually. This represents 27 percent of the Army's new officers each year.

The Missouri National Guard's officer candidate school began in 1962, graduating class 1 in 1963. The U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command recently designated the Missouri National Guard's officer candidate school with the highest possible rating designation of a, "Learning Institute of Excellence."

For more information about the Missouri National Guard, please visit www.moguard.com and our social media sites: www.facebook.com/Missouri.National.Guard; www.twitter.com/Missouri_NG; www.youtube.com/MoNationalGuard; www.myspace.com/missouri_ng; www.flickr.com/photos/missouriguard; www.blog.moguard.com

Missouri National Guardsman Brian Randolph has his gold, second lieutenant's bars pinned on his uniform by Family members as part of a Missouri officer candidate school graduation ceremony in the Capitol Rotunda at Jefferson City. Randolph was the Distinguished Honor Graduate of Class 49.
(Photo by Pfc. Elise Higgins/Missouri National Guard)

Missouri National Guardsman Brian Randolph shakes hands with Col. Jeffery Reichman, commander of the 140th Regiment Missouri Regional Training Institute, after receiving his commission during am officer candidate school graduation ceremony in the Capitol Rotunda at Jefferson City. Randolph was the Distinguished Honor Graduate of Class 49.
(Photo by Pfc. Elise Higgins/Missouri National Guard)