Warrant Officers: The Few. The Skilled. The Proud.

Photo By Capt. Titus Firmin | According to tradition of the Warrant Officer Candidate School, the graduating class decorates a rock and creates a class sign and song. WOCS Class 19-001 presented retired Chief Warrant Officer 5 Hector Vasquez, former state chief warrant officer, with their “Rock, Sign and Song” July 13 in Salina, Kansas.  

SALINA, KS, UNITED STATES

07.13.2019

Story by 1st Lt. Titus Firmin 

105th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment

SALINA, KS – On a scorching summer Saturday, July 13, behind the golden dome of the All Saints Orthodox Church, eleven candidates of the Warrant Officer Candidate School stood at attention while the class conductor led Class 19-001 in unison during the time honored presentation of the “Rock, Song and Sign.” Warrant Officer Candidates (WOCs) of Class 19-001 honored recently retired Chief Warrant Officer 5 Hector Vasquez with their “Rock, Song, and Sign.”
Like warrant officers in general, the presentation of the “Rock, Song, and Sign” is rarely encountered by members of the Kansas Army National Guard. The presentation was the culmination of candidates’ coordinated skills, teamwork and leadership as they graduated Phase 2 of their WOC training. The graduating class decorated a rock and created a class sign and song. In the past candidates created poster sized class signs, but Class 19-001 built a literal wooden sign post that welcomes all who enter the Kansas Officer and Warrant Officer Candidate School in Salina, Kansas. The “Rock, Song, and Sign” is a unique and creative display of skill and expertise that is indicative of warrant officers in the KSARNG.
After the presentation, Brig.Gen. Anthony Mohatt, commander of the KSARNG, and Col. Roger Murdock, chief of the Joint Staff for the Kansas National Guard, addressed the class. Murdock urged warrant officer candidates to readily share their technical skills and knowledge because the success of their units may likely hinge upon it. When asked by a candidate what the most valuable skill an officer can possess was, Mohatt also had advice to share.
“The ability to effectively communicate to a superior and be able to listen to subordinates is crucial for unit effectiveness," said Mohatt.
WOCS consists of three phases: Phase 1 is a distance learning portion of about 40 hours of online course work; Phase 2 is a five month officer leadership course; and Phase 3 is a two-week field leadership exercise. Chief Warrant Officer 4 David Lockhart, a cadre instructor to Class 19-001, explained that though most warrant officers are recruited from the enlisted ranks, typically warrant officer candidates are a different type of individual with skills and a willingness to learn.
Vasquez said he was honored to receive the “Rock, Sign, and Song” of Class 19-001. He also remarked that Class 19-001 was one of the best groups of WOCs he had seen during his 40 years of service in the Army National Guard. After officially retiring from the guard in February, Vasquez stayed on staff at the Kansas WOCS to see Class 19-001 graduate from Phase Two.
“Warrant officers make up less than 1 percent of the Kansas Army National Guard,” said Vasquez. “There are fewer warrant officers than special forces Soldiers.”

• Date Taken: 07.13.2019
• Date Posted: 07.30.2019 12:41
• Story ID: 333646
• Location: SALINA, KS, US