Guard officer candidates study Gettysburg up close

GETTYSBURG, UNITED STATES

05.22.2009

Story by Sgt. Chad Menegay 

Ohio National Guard Public Affairs

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GETTYSBURG, Pa. - As Ohio Army National Guard officer candidates of the 147th Regional Training Institute's Officer Candidate School walked the Battle of Gettysburg terrain April 18 in Pennsylvania, broad themes of the Civil War, such as courage, sacrifice, national unity and individual freedom, remained in the background of their minds.

At the forefront of their minds, they pondered the nine principles of war, such as economy of force, unity of command and surprise. They discussed the personality traits of officers involved in the battle, their leadership styles and how these may have impacted the battle.

The day was a study of military history, very specific to the Battle of Gettysburg and its participants, factual and not romanticized. It was not simply a tour; it was a staff ride.

Staff rides began as horseback battlesight instruction with the Prussian Army in the 1800s and with the U.S. Army beginning in 1906 as a way to develop officers. A staff ride consists of preliminary battle study, a visit to the actual site and an opportunity to integrate the lessons from each.

OCS instructors, known as TACs (Teach, Assess, Counsel), assigned the candidates to read "The Killer Angels" by Michael Shaara, which won the 1975 Pulitzer Prize for fiction. The historical novel tells the story of the Battle of Gettysburg, primarily from the perspectives of commanders of the two armies.

TACs also assigned oral presentations on individual officers from the battle to be presented while the candidates were at Gettysburg.

"Through reading the book and doing the presentations, we got to see the different personalities of each of the officers, and how they reacted and didn't react to events and how that played a role in what happened in the battle," said Officer Candidate Brian Stillman of Canton, Ohio.

Different leadership styles were talked about at length on the day.

"Sometimes, to be a good leader you have to be able to adjust your leadership style depending on your troops, said Capt. David Deweese of Reynoldsburg, Ohio. To give an example, Deweese, senior TAC for the 147th OCS, said some Soldiers require more micromanaging than others.

"This trip lets them build by researching different leadership styles,"
Deweese said.

Retired Lt. Col. John J. Montgomery of Columbus, Ohio, a former OCS TAC who led the staff ride, said the candidates did a good job of researching.

Montgomery, a Civil War scholar, conducted most of the staff ride himself, adding to and correcting the candidates' presentation where needed. He was responsible for writing the original training support package that incorporated the curriculum requirements from the active-duty Army OCS at Fort Benning, which included the principles of war, troop leading procedures and the Army values.

Montgomery has been teaching Ohio officer candidates on the Battle of Gettysburg nearly the entire 18-20 estimated years they've taken the trip.

"I've probably been here 30 times," Montgomery said, "and I get excited every time I come."

Of course, there is much more to OCS than trips to national memorials.

Candidates have the choice between traditional and accelerated coursework.

The traditional course consists of four phases over 18 months. Phase zero is an orientation of basic Soldier skills. Phase one is a two-week instruction of land navigation, field leadership, cover operations and training management. Phase two comprises the majority of traditional OCS training, with about 12 months in an Inactive Duty Training, or drill status. In phase three, candidates go through a field leadership exercise, combat water survival training, leadership reaction course, confidence course and a tactical exercise.

Ohio National Guard officer candidates are offered two accelerated OCS classes per year, where they can attend a 57-consecutive day course that includes phases one through three. The first is conducted January through March and the second from June through August.

"Either the traditional or the accelerated programs are both excellent opportunities to get your commission and become a leader," Deweese said.

"But, with the traditional program, they get a little more mentorship throughout the year to build on their own leadership styles," Deweese said.

"In the accelerated, you're getting evaluated in a leadership position and it changes the next day, so you don't really have a whole lot of time to build on the ideas that are passed on in your out-brief. In the traditional program, we out-brief after a weekend drill, and sometimes we'll give them different reading assignments, telling them 'come brief me next month on what you've learned, how it helped you out with the things you were having difficulty with.'"

Deweese said many Soldiers feel that they can't commit to 14 straight weeks because of job commitments, but can still do one weekend a month, two weeks in a year.

Along with reading assignments, candidates are sometimes given logistical assignments between drills. They planned the logistics behind their own Gettysburg trip, for instance. Two months prior they organized a dining out for about 150 guests.

"There are a lot of little things throughout they year; as a staff, we make sure that no ball is dropped in preparation," Deweese said.

"If you have the desire to become a leader or want to improve the already good leadership that we have," Deweese said, "come to OCS, we will pull it out of you and help you broaden your horizons."