New North Carolina Guard leaders earn commission, senior leaders honored for service

Courtesy Photo | New North Carolina National Guard officers earn commissions as Army second lieutenants at the NCNG’s 139th Regiment’s Officer Candidate School graduation ceremony at Fort Bragg’s John F. Kennedy Auditorium, Aug. 23. They endured grueling physical and mental training as cadets of the school honing the skills and abilities needed to be successful leaders.  

FORT BRAGG, NC, UNITED STATES

08.23.2014

Courtesy Story

North Carolina National Guard

FORT BRAGG, N.C. - The North Carolina National Guard commissioned 20 new officers at a ceremony at the John F. Kennedy Auditorium at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, Aug. 23.

Family, peers, friends, civic and military leaders turned out to congratulate the cadets on earning the rank of Army second lieutenant.

“They endured a grueling adventure that tested both their physical and mental faculties and helped them to recognize the skills and abilities they need in order to be successful leaders,” said Army Maj. Gen. James H. Trogdon III, the deputy adjutant general of the North Carolina National Guard.

These leaders will start a new phase of their military career as junior officers leading Soldiers in units with the NCNG’s 30th Armored Brigade Combat Team, 130th Maneuver Enhancement Brigade and 113th Sustainment Brigade.

“It is the nature of every officer to ask who I will train to take my place,” said Army Col. Randy Powell, the commander of the academy.

The ceremony blended graduation and military tradition. Cadets who excelled above their peers in physical fitness and academics were recognized. While most schools' graduations follow a similar pattern, very few schools in the state also award an 1851 Colt Navy .44-caliber black powder pistol or a U.S. Army saber.

Cadet Frazier Sanders earned the saber as the Distinguished Graduate for achieving the highest combined leadership and academic standings.

Cadet Andrew Socha, by achieving the highest leadership rating of any cadet in the class, earned the pistol as the Gary H. Pendleton Excellence in Leadership Award recipient.

There was one last military ritual to perform. The cadets, on order, stood, raised their right hand and recited their oath of office. “I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office upon which I am about to enter so help me God."

The newest leaders in the NCNG were joined by inductees into the OCS Hall Of Fame: Army Col. Anita S. Massey, Army Col. Jeff Copeland, Phillip D. Matthews and Paul G. Butler Jr. Only graduates as senior NCNG leaders who attain the rank of colonel or higher in the military or garner noteworthy status in their civilian profession can be chosen for the hall.

“Not only effective in the North Carolina National Guard, but in civilian pursuits as well, they truly embody the spirit and tradition of the ‘citizen-Soldier,’” said Powell.

The school is just part of the 139th mission to provide combat arms and combat support training for Army National Guard, Reserve and active component leaders.

• Date Taken: 08.23.2014
• Date Posted: 09.05.2014 20:02
• Story ID: 141322
• Location: FORT BRAGG, NC, US