Photo By Sgt. Trenton Fouche | The Illinois Army National Guard Officer Candidate School (OCS) dates back 65 years....... read more read more
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SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – The Illinois Army National Guard Officer Candidate School (OCS) dates back 65 years. Established at Camp Lincoln in Springfield, Illinois, on June 1, 1957, the first class graduated on Governor’s Day, July 22, 1958.
Since its inception, the school’s standards have centered on tireless efforts of previous leaders, who, through their devotion to duty, set the path for future leaders. Over the decades, the program has served as the primary source for new second lieutenants in the Illinois Army National Guard, ensuring a continuous stream of newly trained leaders.
“The program has done a lot to guarantee that the state of Illinois has officers to lead our troops,” said Adriana Schroeder, the Illinois National Guard Command Historian. “The idea for federal OCS was presented in 1938, around World War II, but didn’t get started until 1941. Many states really didn’t have their own program to ensure that they had enough officers.”
The school has relied on qualified and experienced commissioned and noncommissioned officers to train and mentor officer candidates. In 2021, the ILARNG’s 129th Regional Training Institute (RTI), which oversees the state OCS program, received a 98.4% accreditation score as an “Institution of Excellence” by U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command (TRADOC).
“It was a look at our processes and control measures for executing our classes and trainings,” said Lt. Col. Wyatt Bickett, the Officer in Charge of the 129th RTI. “That means that everything we’re being asked to do by TRADOC is being executed to the highest level possible. We can’t do that without our course managers and staff.”
Capt. Anthony McClain completed the Illinois state OCS course in 2010. He now serves as Security Cooperations Officer and Director of Diversity Equality and Inclusion at the Illinois National Guard Joint Force Headquarters.
“The 129th RTI has always been a center of excellence,” said McClain. “The leadership, instructors and cadre within the organization has always set, followed and enforced the standard for themselves, students and candidates.”
The Illinois state OCS program has continued to find a way to execute new innovative ways to improve training and ensure that OCs are trained to their full potential, starting from Phase Zero, also known as “Pre-OCS.” It is during this time that cadre will work with OCs to ensure that they understand drill and ceremony, land navigation and other required knowledge that will ensure that OCs are fully prepared for Phases 1 through 3. As the phases progress, so does the intensity. OCs are expected to think quickly and make decisions as leaders. By Phase 3, OCs should have a broader understanding of what it means to be a second lieutenant.
Recently, the school reduced the OCS course length from 18 months to 8 months. This will hopefully lesson the burden for candidates who have commitments in their civilian lives throughout the year.
“We are one of a handful of states that offer the 8 month OCS program,” said Capt. Andrew Ducker, Officer Strength Manager and Basic Branch Recruiter at the ILARNG Recruiting and Retention Battalion in Springfield, IL. “Almost all other state programs are 18 months long. We are also one of the limited number of states that offer their own in-state OCS.”
Although the training has continued to change over the years, graduates still cherish the memories from their experiences going through the program and are impressed by its continuous growth.
“I can honestly say that OCS was the best training I received in my career,” said McClain. “My class graduated 5 personnel after starting with 28. The cadre helped identify my weaknesses and comfort zones and put me in a position to become a more effective leader. I support all commissioning programs, but what makes the Illinois OCS program unique is the fact that a great percent of candidates were noncommissioned officers. To understand the leadership relationship firsthand between a platoon sergeant and platoon leader or first sergeant and commander makes the transition to synergy easier.”
“I think history is always important to learn, but more so to learn and grow,” Ducker said. “The integrity of the program exists through the core values and the troop leading procedures. The program will always need to grow, adjust and evolve to meet the mission of today, but more importantly the mission of tomorrow.”
| Date Taken: | 06.01.2022 |
| Date Posted: | 06.01.2022 09:35 |
| Story ID: | 421924 |
| Location: | SPRINGFIELD, IL, US |
| Web Views: | 700 |
| Downloads: | 1 |
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