FORT RUCKER, Ala. -- The Army's first Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear Warrant Officer graduated from Warrant Officer Candidate School March 16.
Army Reserve WO1 Steven E. Whittle Jr. joined his classmates in WOCS Class 11-09 after being driven by a desire to move forward in his career, and out of admiration for the history of the warrant officer corps, he said.
Whittle originally enlisted in the Army as a tanker, MOS 19K, in 1988 and entered the Chemical Corps in 1999.
In November, he was one of four Army Reserve Soldiers selected to attend WOCS as a future CBRN warrant officer.
"I was nervous going through WOCS. It was exciting in the last week. I felt a little pressure as the Army's first 740A to graduate from WOCS," Whittle said.
His next step is to attend and complete the Warrant Officer Basic Course for his MOS in Fort Leonard Wood, Mo.
"I want to thank my wife and family for all of their support," Whittle said.
He also thanked his previous unit, the 3rd Brigade, 104th Training Division (Leader Training), Vancouver, Wash., where he served as an instructor for Army Reserve and National Guard Soldiers reclassifying into a Chemical MOS.
Whittle deployed in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2006-07 with the 373rd Military Intelligence Battalion out of Tumwater, Wash.
As a civilian, Whittle is employed as a contractor that trains the military. With the U.S. Army Reserve, he is assigned to the 468th Chemical Battalion in Little Rock, Ark.
Whittle graduated from high school in Gilbert, Ariz., and earned a bachelor's degree from the University of Phoenix in 2009.
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