Photo By Ronald Wolf | Maj. Marie Okoro, a 70Hotel in the Medical Service Corps and a member of the Army...... read more read more
Subscribe
The School for Advanced Military Studies (SAMS), under the Command and General Staff College, Fort Leavenworth, is the most prestigious Army leadership schools. Dr. James Perry, one of the senior leaders of the school, said, “SAMS is considered to be the premier military education for an Army officer.”
Meet Maj. Marie Okoro, a 70H in the Medical Service Corps and a member of the Army Reserve. Okoro will be a SAMS student beginning June 29, 2021. It’s a significant achievement for any Soldier to be accepted into SAMS; to be a member of the Army Reserve as well is a very lofty accomplishment.
Okoro is not the first Medical Service Corps officer to attend SAMS, but SAMS is a fairly rare and prestigious accomplishment for a school that has a student body comprised mostly of Army field grade officers from combat, combat support, and combat service support branches. About 144 people at any time attend the yearlong, summer-winter seminars.
While being a SAMS graduate is not a direct ticket to earning a star, at least three Army Medicine general officers are graduates including Lt. Gen. R. Scott Dingle, the Army Surgeon General; Brig. Gen. Paula Lodi, Commanding General for the Regional Health Command-Atlantic; and Brig. Gen. Michael J. Talley, Commanding General, U.S. Army Medical Research and Development Command.
Senior leaders emphasize the importance of attending SAMS not just for the officer but for the Army.
Retired Lt. Gen. Guy Swan, a vice president at the Association of the United States Army (AUSA), attended SAMS back in the 1980s and agreed with Perry. He described SAMS as “an academic Ranger school. They pack 3 years of education into one year.”
Okoro discussed her experience with making the decision to apply to SAMS.
At an officer professional development session, Dingle had talked to Okoro and other officers about medical planners in the deployed environment and the importance of broad Army knowledge and experience. After acceptance at Intermediate Level Education (ILE), Dingle has suggested students apply to SAMS and personally encouraged her to apply.
As the premier Army school, admission is not easy.
Before SAMS comes a year meeting the ILE requirement or equivalent; most students come from Command and General Staff College, although the Navy, Air Force, and international services have equivalent schools.
One of the requirements is to take the Nelson-Denny test, which is actually two tests: a vocabulary test and a reading comprehension test. Obviously, a high score helps with being accepted into SAMS. In addition there are letters of recommendation, and a statement of why you want to apply to SAMS, what you hope to gain, and what you think it will do for your career.
SAMS aims to develop effective planners who help senior leaders understand the operational environment. They are trained to visualize and describe viable solutions to operational problems.
SAMS faculty want critical and creative thinkers grounded in operational theory, doctrine, and history; individuals who can identify problems and propose solutions; communicate well orally, in creating graphics, and in writing; and are smart leaders and teammates who collaborate effectively.
There is also an interview with a senior SAMS faculty member where it doesn’t hurt to demonstrate you are physically and mentally tough and show the intangible qualities that indicate you are more than you seem.
Former Army Surgeon General retired Lt. Gen. James Peake thinks highly of SAMS graduates. He pointed out that “It was good for the AMEDD to have people with the same experience and capability [as other Army branches] because fundamentally we are supporting the warfighter at the foxhole.”
“It made me feel like a true professional. This was my law school and medical school,” said Swan. Referring to Okoro, he said, “This officer is getting a life changing experience.”
The student body of SAMS is made up of mostly U.S. Army field grade officers from combat, combat support, and combat service support branches with a few slots each reserved for Navy, Marine, Air Force, and international military students.
“The Army is investing in your future. You will not fall behind your peers in any way,” said Swan. Graduates will be ready to do major planning and policy work, he added.
Peake pointed out that SAMS graduates are of value to the organization to which you are assigned, and graduates come with skillsets to make significant contributions. “It’s an investment so the mission is better accomplished,” said Peake. The experiences that follow after SAMS outside of the AMEDD are of great value when they are brought back into the AMEDD, he said.
Okoro’s SAMS class begins June 29; ILE ends June 18th. May 2022 is the graduation date for the next group of SAMS students.
Army Medicine congratulates Maj. Marie Okoro on this personal and professional milestone achievement.
| Date Taken: | 03.24.2021 |
| Date Posted: | 03.27.2025 14:00 |
| Story ID: | 392219 |
| Location: | US |
| Web Views: | 17 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Army Medicine Reserve officer accepted to prestigious School for Advanced Military Studies, by Ronald Wolf, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
No keywords found.
