Photo By Master Sgt. Jeff Lowry | Indiana National Warrant Officer Samantha Lubbehusen, right, gives her first salute...... read more read more
Subscribe
CAMP ATTERBURY, Ind. — Nine soldiers celebrated their graduation from the Warrant Officer Candidate School on Saturday, Aug. 22, joining the ranks of the Army's premier technical experts during a ceremony at the Umbarger Conference Center.
The graduates of Class 26-002, who adopted the class motto "Long Time Running," completed a rigorous, multi-phased program designed to transition seasoned enlisted soldiers into trusted technical advisors and leaders.
Graduating from the Indiana Army National Guard’s program offers a unique regional advantage. Camp Atterbury remains one of only two sites in the nation where National Guard soldiers can complete the grueling first phase of Warrant Officer Candidate School without having to travel out of state. The only other qualifying site is Fort McClellan, Alabama. Because of this premier facility, roughly one-third of all National Guard warrant officers in the United States pass through Camp Atterbury during their training.
The ceremony featured guest speaker retired Chief Warrant Officer 5 Elizabeth Keene, a historic figure in the Indiana Army National Guard. Keene made history on Jan. 21, 2013, when she was appointed as the state's first female command chief warrant officer. Over her distinguished 39-year military career, which began in 1977 as an enlisted supply soldier and included a 2009 combat deployment to Joint Base Balad, Iraq, Keene served as a trailblazer for the Warrant Officer Cohort.
“Your lane is confidence and trust. You’re going to be the person that commanders lean on when something isn’t working, when the system breaks, when the plan falls apart, and nobody else knows what do to,” said Keene as she addressed Indiana’s newest warrant officers in her keynote speech. “When that moment comes, they’re going to care when you step forward and say, ‘I got this.’”
Following Keene's address, Chief Warrant Officer 5 Wendy Robinson, the current Indiana command chief warrant officer and deputy commandant of the school, administered the oath of appointment to the candidates.
The graduating class represents a diverse cohort of technical specialties across the Indiana Army National Guard and the U.S. Army Reserve: Warrant Officer Stewart Eunice commissioned into Delta Company, 776th Brigade Engineer Battalion, as a military intelligence systems maintenance and integration technician. Warrant Officer Matthew Hebda commissioned into Charlie Company, 2nd Battalion, 238th General Support Aviation Regiment (MEDEVAC), as a rotary wing aviator. Warrant Officer Steven Jessie commissioned into the 390th Engineer Company, U.S. Army Reserve, as a construction engineering technician. Warrant Officer Thomas Lapinski commissioned into Charlie Company, 2nd Battalion, 238th General Support Aviation Regiment (MEDEVAC), as a rotary wing aviator. Warrant Officer Samantha Lubbehusen commissioned into Assault Company, 1st Battalion, 137th Aviation Regiment, as a rotary wing aviator. Warrant Officer Gregory Myers commissioned into Alpha Company, 113th Engineer Battalion, as an engineer equipment maintenance technician. Warrant Officer Jarod Triplehorn commissioned into the Maintenance Supply Company, 113th Light Support Battalion, as an automotive maintenance technician. Two additional graduates were recognized during the ceremony and will officially pin their new ranks at a later date upon returning to their home units: Sgt. 1st Class Andrew Rodriguez, who performed the national anthem during the ceremony's opening, will serve as a mobility officer with the 519th Combat Sustainment Support Battalion. Staff Sgt. Christopher Sayres will serve as a supply systems technician with Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 1st Battalion, 151st Infantry Regiment.
“What it means to me is to be that technical expert and that technical adviser to the commander,” said Eunice, the class leader for the newly pinned warrant officers. “To be able to train the soldiers in the formations to fully execute what the commander’s intent is to be able to be successful on the battlefield.”
The formal ceremony concluded with several time-honored military traditions. During the "first salute," newly pinned warrant officers presented silver dollar coins to the first enlisted service members to salute them—a custom dating back to 19th-century British military practices in colonial America.
In another long-standing tradition, the youngest and oldest graduates cut the official graduation cake together. Rodriguez, the oldest graduate at 47, and Sayres, the youngest graduate at 29, wielded the saber together. The custom symbolizes the passing of decades of experience and gained understanding from the cohort's senior members to the new drive, energy and determination of its newest generation.
Robinson, who's attended five WOCS graduations, also had advice for the newly-pinned warrant officers.
"Becoming a warrant officer doesn’t mean you suddenly have all the answers, and it doesn’t mean you stop getting your hands dirty. Stay technically relevant. Ask questions," said Robinson. "Stay humble. Be approachable. Take care of Soldiers. Give commanders your best professional advice - even when it’s not necessarily what they want to hear, and never forget to reach back and bring somebody else forward."
The 138th Regional Training Institute coordinates the program, drawing candidates from across multiple states to experience Camp Atterbury's elite training grounds.
| Date Taken: | 08.25.2026 |
| Date Posted: | 08.25.2026 11:48 |
| Story ID: | 573173 |
| Location: | CAMP ATTERBURY, INDIANA, US |
| Web Views: | 23 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Nine Soldiers Join Warrant Officer Ranks at Camp Atterbury Graduation, by CPT Robert Dunn, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
No keywords found.
