Georgia Army National Guard Officer Readiness Program

Photo By Staff Sgt. Tori Miller | Candidates of the Macon-based Officer Readiness Program practice drill and ceremony before attending afternoon land navigation classes at 48th Infantry Brigade Combat Team Headquarters on April 27, 2019. The Candidates received instruction about various topics in order to prepare them for Officer Candidate School. U.S. Army National Guard photo by Spc. Tori Miller.  

MACON, GA, UNITED STATES

05.08.2019

Story by Spc. Tori Miller 

Georgia National Guard

The Georgia Army National Guard's Marietta-based Recruiting and Retention Battalion provides Guardsmen the opportunity to prepare for the upcoming challenges of Officer Candidate School with the Macon-based Officer Readiness Program.

Georgia Army National Guardsmen have three options for OCS commissioning through the Georgia National Guard. Traditional, Accelerated and Federal OCS. Each school has advantages and disadvantages but is designed to conform to any Guardsman's schedule.

"ORP is important because it gives candidates a peek at what is to be expected of them at OCS," said Sgt. 1st Class Ramereo Dyas, an instructor at the Macon-based Officer Readiness Program. "It also gives the non-commissioned officers in charge of the program an opportunity to identify any deficiencies to help better prepare candidates."

Traditional OCS is 14-months and conducted in three phases. These phases operate like a traditional Guardsman's drill schedule. Although it is the lengthiest process, the traditional approach results in minimal interruption of candidates civilian lives and is an excellent introduction for new Soldiers into military culture.

While accelerated OCS is typically for prior-service, non-prior service members can attend. This process is eight weeks at Fort McCellan, Ala., and is the most intense training for candidates. The accelerated program only hosts two classes a year.

Federal OCS is available for prior-service and non-prior service members. The school is a 12-week program located at Fort Benning, Ga. The program is conducted year-round with classes enrolling monthly and requires an extensive amount of time away from home since graduates go directly to the Basic Officer Leadership Course.

"Having this extra preparation allows me to be more confident going into the OCS process," said Candidate Marcus Alford of the Macon-based ORP. "From the first day, I liked the way the program was operated because I have felt comfortable to ask questions."

ORP instructors ensure the Soldiers attending and representing the Georgia Army National Guard at OCS are vetted, screened and qualified to attend school and ensure soldiers are physically fit, educated and capable of handling stressful situations in a military manner.

"It's not just about reading books, it's about getting their mindset right to help them become future leaders of Georgia," said Sgt. 1st Class Ron Tuttle, non-commissioned officer of the Macon-based ORP. "The program does two things; one, it saves the Georgia National Guard money by ensuring that the Soldiers are qualified and the second thing it does is makes for better leaders. We start the mentoring process from day one."

The focus on continuous improvement of candidates and instructors ensures the program continues to send the best leaders out to lead the Georgia Army National Guard.

"Last year, the program sent 15 candidates to Traditional OCS, and we didn't send any candidates to Federal OCS," said Tuttle. "This year we have sent 23 candidates Traditional OCS, six candidates to Federal OCS and 16 candidates for the Accelerated OCS.

• Date Taken: 05.08.2019
• Date Posted: 05.09.2019 12:07
• Story ID: 321477
• Location: MACON, GA, US