SDANG soldiers pass Warrant Officer Candidate education, training

FORT MCCLELLAN, Ala. — Eight South Dakota Army National Guard soldiers graduated from Warrant Officer Candidate School during a ceremony at Fort McClellan, Alabama, April 16.

Warrant officers make up the technical foundation of the U.S. Army, specializing in a technical area such as human resources, information systems, aviation, maintenance and others throughout their careers.

The school is a three-phase program with online courses and training and includes five months of drill weekends at Fort Meade and a final two-week phase in Alabama.

Candidates are tested throughout the school both academically and physically in areas ranging from leadership to tactics.
“I’m extremely proud of this year’s WOCS class. They worked very hard during Phase I in South Dakota to meet all required training objectives plus prepare for the culminating training held during Phase II at Fort McClellan,” said Command Chief Warrant Officer 5 Kenneth Schoenfelder, SDARNG state command chief warrant officer. “Warrant Officer Candidate School is rigorous and requires the candidates to be mentally and physically fit.”

While some of the candidates accept their appointment as warrant officers during the graduation ceremony, others choose to defer their appointment until an available assignment at a later date.

The Warrant Officer Candidate School graduates include:

• Sgt. 1st Class Kayla Johnston (Human Resources Technician) Joint Force Headquarters, Rapid City,

• Staff Sgt. Kyle Buckley (Human Resources Technician) 109th Regional Support Group, Rapid City,

• Staff Sgt. Timothy Glidden (Property Accounting Technician) 842nd Engineer Company, Spearfish.

• Warrant Officer 1 Bryan Becker, (Field Artillery Technician) HHC, 196th Maneuver Enhancement Brigade, Sioux Falls,

• Warrant Officer 1 Shawn Hulbert, (Automotive Maintenance Warrant Officer) Forward Support Company, 153rd Engineer Battalion, Huron,

• Warrant Officer 1 Jason Bell, (Construction Engineering Technician) Headquarters Company, 153rd Engineer Battalion, Huron,

• Warrant Officer 1 Kimberly Meyer, (Band Master) 147th Army Band, Mitchell,

• Warrant Officer 1 Tyler Pepper, (Electronic Systems Maintenance Warrant Officer) 665th Support Maintenance Company, Mitchell,

 Johnston and Glidden were also named to the commandant’s list – the top 20% of the class for academic average.

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