REDSTONE ARSENAL, Ala. -- The U.S. Army Materiel Command hosted the 97th U.S. Army Warrant Officer Birthday cake-cutting ceremony here at the parade field July 9.
Chief Warrant Officer 5 Darren L. Cook, AMC command chief warrant officer, opened the celebration with a morning run which included warrant officers, NCOs, officers and civilians.
Warrant officers makes up less than three percent of the total Army strength. A total of 57 warrant officers serve on Redstone Arsenal.
"This birthday is extremely emotional for me as I look back over my 31 year career," said Cook. "From the inception, we were looked at as primarily expert technicians. However today we are much more. We are leaders, mentors, trainers, advisors, and most of all, we are Soldiers."
As the Army transitions to less reliance on contractor support, Cook sees the role of the warrant officer evolving.
"Warrant officers have always been the subject matter expert in terms of managing, operating and maintaining the Army systems and I believe that role will continue to expand in the future," said Cook.
The warrant officer cohort was created July 9, 1918, and they serve as technical experts in 63 different military occupational specialties.
Chief Warrant Officer 5 Darren L. Cook serves as the senior warrant officer of the command and advises the commanding general and staff on logistics readiness and warrant officer professional development. The position was created in December of 2014.
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