N.C. National Guard’s Newest Leaders Overcome Challenges of Completing Officer Candidate School during COVID-19

Photo By Sgt. Odaliska Almonte | FORT BRAGG, N.C. - The North Carolina Army National Guard welcomes 19 new second lieutenants into its ranks during a commissioning ceremony for the Officer Candidate School Class 62 and Accelerated Office Candidate Class 30 held at the John F. Kennedy Special Warfare Center and School, October 17, 2020. The North Carolina Military Academy’s OCS program is designed to train, assess, and evaluate potential commissioned officers in the fundamentals of leadership and basic military skills; instill the professional and physical fitness ethic; evaluate leadership potential; and commission those who qualify as second lieutenants in the Army Total Force. (N.C. National Guard photo by Sgt. Odaliska Almonte, Public Affairs/Released)  

FORT BRAGG, NC, UNITED STATES

10.17.2020

Story by Sgt. Odaliska Almonte 

North Carolina National Guard

FORT BRAGG, N.C. – The North Carolina Army National Guard welcomed 19 new second lieutenants into its ranks during a graduation ceremony of 139th Regiment’s Officer Candidate School (OCS) Class 62 and the Accelerated Office Candidate Class (AOC) 30, at the John F. Kennedy Special Warfare Center and School, Oct. 16, 2020.

Aside from the traditional challenges that occur during officer candidate school, the candidates had an additional challenge to overcome this year, the COVID-19 pandemic.

“During my time as an instructor and now commander, there’s no other year that I’m aware of that compares to what happened this year,” said Maj. Zachary Rucho, 139th Regiment’s OCS commander. “When you throw something like the COVID-19 pandemic halfway through OCS, it takes a lot of adjustment and a whole lot more coordination and communication between the staff and officer candidates because the schedule and guidance were always changing.”

The COVID-19 pandemic affected the second half of the OCS Phase II training, which is the bulk of a candidate's OCS experience, pushing training an additional two months to prioritize the safety of the cadre and candidates.

“We had to lengthen our whole program to adjust for restrictions and safety protocols for staff and students,” Master Sgt. Zachary Pitts, chief instructor N.C. Military Training Academy. “It required more adaptability and flexibility to an ever-changing schedule.”

With safety parameters covered, the next challenge was making sure that the candidates were fully prepared to take on Phase III, in Alabama, for their final field exercise.

“I can’t emphasize enough how proud I am of our cadre that made sure the students were getting the training they needed to complete Phase III,” said Rucho. “And I’m proud of the students that were able to adapt from in-person training to virtual training with a positive attitude.”

Overall this year’s OCS with the added challenges made a very tough course even more difficult and the candidates that made it through came out even more confident as they transfer to their new leadership positions.

“In the long run, I think these additional challenges made the students even more resilient leaders that can adapt to change under pressure and take on any difficult situation,” said Pitts.

North Carolina Army National Guard’s Officer Candidate School was established at Fort Bragg, on Dec.19, 1957, and has commissioned over 1,800 officers. The school is designed to train, assess, and evaluate potential commissioned officers in the fundamentals of leadership, basic military skills, professionalism, physical fitness ethics, evaluate leadership potential, and commission those who qualify as second lieutenants in the Army Total Force.

• Date Taken: 10.17.2020
• Date Posted: 10.19.2020 14:27
• Story ID: 381220
• Location: FORT BRAGG, NC, US