Photo By Sgt. 1st Class Anita Stratton | New Oregon Army National Guard lieutenants of Officer Candidate School Class 60, take...... read more read more
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Located on the serene campus of Western Oregon University (WOU) in Monmouth, the Oregon Military Academy (OMA) has housed multitudes of officer candidates since its doors opened in 1992. Saturday, Sept. 9, however, marked a historic event with the last commissioning and appointing of officers to take place at the facility.
Nine candidates from Officer Candidate School (OCS) Class 60 received their commission to the rank of second lieutenant in the Oregon Army National Guard. The commissioning was coupled with a Final Retreat ceremony, commemorating the departure of the OCS from the OMA building in Monmouth. The OMA facility has been sold to the University and OCS will be moved to a new location at Camp Rilea in Warrenton, approximately eight miles south of Astoria.
Building the OMA on a 10-acre plot on the northeast campus of WOU 25 years ago was also considered a historic event, as it was the first armed service training center on the campus of a four year, degree-granting university in the country. The OMA was home to the 249 Regiment, Regional Training Institute (RTI) for nearly 20 years until, as part of the Base Realignment and Closure process, the Department of Defense began the transfer of 7,500 acres of land at Camp Umatilla to the Oregon National Guard to own and manage as a training site. The RTI moved to Umatilla in 2014, while the OCS remained as a detachment at the OMA in Monmouth.
The official party of the Commissioning and Final Retreat ceremony included the Assistant Adjutant General Brig. Gen. William Prendergast, Oregon Joint Force Headquarters, who was the guest speaker, and Maj. Joshua Rapp, commander, 249 RTI, OCS.
Prendergast earned his commission from the OCS at the OMA in 1994, and his class, Class 37, was the first full class to go through the training at the Monmouth facility. He also served as a former commander of the 249 RTI from 2012-14. During his remarks, Prendergast said it was an honor to be there to celebrate with the 60th Class of officer candidates, recalling some of his own experiences and inspiring the candidates to reach great heights.
“Twenty-three years ago, we had the same ceremony, on the same piece of asphalt … I was sitting in the chairs where you are sitting,” he said. “I’ve been here; I fully know what you’ve gone through … There is no reason why you can’t achieve the same success as a traditional guardsman in this organization to become a general officer, serving the state at a higher level.”
Yet, Prendergast also found the experience to be bittersweet with the final retreat of the OMA in Monmouth.
“But we are about change,” he said. “We need to be able to embrace change and be able to drive forward, so I think this is a great opportunity for the university to accept this facility and for us to be able to start a new chapter in the Military Academy’s book of life.”
Rapp also addressed the audience and explained how the officer candidates who were earning their commission on that day “was no small feat.”
“Not many people here today are aware that Class 60 began with nearly 50 Soldiers who had the dream of becoming an Army Officer,” he said. “Well, as you can see, 16 percent of those who showed up, demonstrated the will and tenacity to see it through to the final day and accept their commission here at this ceremony. If you ask me, that’s a pretty big accomplishment. But now, as I’ve told these Solders several times before, this is where the hard part starts.”
He continued by giving the officer candidates some valuable advice.
“As you move forward from today into your career as an officer,” he said, “be humble, be confident, care for your Soldiers with all of your heart, listen to the input that your NCOs will give, and I assure you they will give freely and often, and lastly, always do what is right in every situation, and you will be just fine.”
Rapp closed out the commissioning ceremony by leading the Final Retreat. According to Capt. Sean Younk, who served as master of ceremonies, the Final Retreat serves a twofold purpose: It signals the end of the official duty day and serves as a ceremony for paying respect to the flag. As the end of the duty day varies, Rapp designated that time and occasion for the final lowering of the flag to commemorate the departure of the 249 RTI OCS Company from the OMA in Monmouth.
“This ceremony marks the end of an era, but not the end of the Oregon Military Academy, which will continue to produce world class leaders from its new headquarters at Camp Rilea,” Younk said. “As the flag is lowered, it commemorates the tremendous efforts of an honorable past and also signifies the coming achievements of a bright future.”
Lt. Col. Demian San Miguel, regimental commander, 249 RTI, OCS, supported Rapp with the ceremony and also stressed the historic significance of the event.
“I think it’s pretty Important that we remember our history, remember our traditions,” he said. “Seeing a lot of former general officers here – a lot of former officers who were commissioned at OCS – coming to show appreciation and support these young lieutenants getting commissioned, is pretty important; that’s why today was such an impactful event for all of us and for the Oregon National Guard, specifically.”
| Date Taken: | 09.03.2017 |
| Date Posted: | 09.10.2017 18:43 |
| Story ID: | 247670 |
| Location: | SALEM, OR, US |
| Hometown: | MONMOUTH, OR, US |
| Web Views: | 217 |
| Downloads: | 1 |
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