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.
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 Kimberly Meyer, (Band Master) 147th Army Band, Mitchell,
• Warrant Officer 1 Tyler Pepper, (Electronic Systems Maintenance Warrant Officer) 665th Support Maintenance Company, Mitchell,
