Photo By Staff Sgt. Brian Calhoun | Four S.C. Army National Guard UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters with Alpha Co. 2-149...... read more read more
EASTOVER, S.C. - Twenty-five candidates from the South Carolina Army National Guard’s Palmetto Military Academy departed from McEntire Joint National Guard Base in Eastover, S.C., July 19, aboard four UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters to attend Phase III of Office Candidate School at Fort McClellan, Ala.
The final two-week portion of the 14-month program will test the candidate’s knowledge and strength with a Field Leadership Exercise (FLX II), Combat Water Survival Test and Leadership Reaction Course.
“They will be pushed physically harder than most of them ever have been pushed before,” said Lt. Col. Larry Saunders, Commandant, Palmetto Military Academy and
commander of 2nd Battalion (OCS), 218th Leadership Regiment. “They will be in a field environment nearly the entire time, and will move with a 50- to 60-pound ruck everywhere they go.”
“Add that to the oppressive Alabama heat and you have the perfect combination to challenge these future leaders,” Saunders said.
The members of Class 64 are eager to be tested and stand ready for anything that the instructors throw at them.
“PMA is a long and grueling program and I am ready for the next step, ready to put everything we have learned to the test,” said senior officer candidate Abbott Bray. “I am ready to exceed the challenge and accept the role of a Platoon Leader.”
Candidates who attend OCS are tested with mental and physical challenges to evaluate their ability to lead and to prove their determination to excel.
“I have not experienced any training in the Army that even compares to PMA,” said Bray. “You have to be on your ‘A game’ for 18 months straight. You have to pour your heart into it.”
Successful candidates will complete three phases at OCS to become commissioned officers. The program consists of one weekend a month for 12 months and two two-week training periods.
“I am fortunate enough to have an amazing wife that has supported me through this entire program and has been with me every step of the way to becoming an officer,” said senior officer candidate Jon Duggins. “I also could not have made it this far without the support of my employer back home, and their understanding of my commitment to this program and the time that is involved.”
The PMA program was established in 1950 and this year is the first time in the program’s 63 year history that senior officer candidates have traveled to Fort McClellan, Ala., to attend Phase III via UH-60 Black Hawks.
“Having the Guard provide aviation assets to support our movement from McEntire to Fort McClellan is what the Army is all about it, working together as a team to accomplish the mission,” said Bray. “I am proud to be proud of such a great organization.”
“I am excited to travel by Black Hawk because for me this will be my first time,” said Duggins. “It is great that our state supports this program by providing us with this opportunity.”
Successful candidates that complete the final two-week portion of OCS will commission as second lieutenants and become leaders in units all over South Carolina as new candidates begin Phase I training back at the McCrady Training Center in Eastover, S.C.
“These candidates have been here for 14 months. Those just plain not fit to lead were weeded out long ago,” said Saunders. “PMA is tough and we make no apologies for that. If you want to lead soldiers and are not afraid to look deep within yourself, then you are the kind of soldier we want to train.”
| Date Taken: | 07.19.2013 |
| Date Posted: | 07.23.2013 15:57 |
| Story ID: | 110659 |
| Location: | EASTOVER, SC, US |
| Web Views: | 891 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Officer Candidates get a 'lift' to complete OCS, by SSG Brian Calhoun, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
No keywords found.
LEAVE A COMMENT