SHAW AIR FORCE BASE, S.C. -- Third Army/ARCENT celebrated the Warrant Officer Corps' 94th birthday with a cake-cutting ceremony in Patton Hall's Hall of Flags July 9.
"First I would like to congratulate all of the warrant officers present," said Lt. Gen. Vincent K. Brooks, Third Army/ARCENT commanding general, during the ceremony. "Thanks for what you do in our Army every day. Thank you for the unique role, the historic role you play -- 94 years of making an impact."
Before the nearly hundred years the Corps was around, warrant officers have been in the U.S. military.
"Warrant officers have a long and storied tradition," said Oakland, Neb. native Chief Warrant Officer 5 Roger Jacobs, senior analyst and the command's senior warrant officer. "In the 1200s, special officers served under royal warrants. In our own history, during the Revolutionary War warrants were handed out by (the Continental Congress) and the commander in chief and from several states."
Warrant officers are highly specialized experts in their career fields and provide valuable guidance to commanders in 43 technical specialties and 13 control branches. Warrant officers have a single specialty unlike commissioned officers who must navigate increased levels of command and staff positions.
The Army Warrant Officer Corps was created July 9, 1918 when congress created 40 warrant officers billets on mine- laying vessels.
According to Warrant Officer Heritage Foundation's website, "The military grade of Warrant Officer is one of the oldest in Western military systems dating back two centuries prior to Columbus, during the fledgling years of the British Navy. At that time, Nobles assumed command of the new Navy adopting the Army ranks of Lieutenant and Captain. These royal blood officers often times had no knowledge of life on board a ship, let alone how to navigate such a vessel or operate the guns. They would often rely on the technical expertise and cooperation of a senior sailor who tended to the technical aspects of running the ship and operating the cannons.
These sailors sometimes referred to as 'Boat Mates' or 'Bosun's Mates' became indispensable to less experienced officers and were subsequently rewarded with a Royal Warrant. This Royal Warrant was a special designation, designed to set them apart from other sailors, but not violate the strict class system that was so prevalent during the time."
During the ceremony Chief Warrant Officer 5 Roger Jacobs, Third Army/ARCENT's oldest warrant officer, and Chief Warrant Officer 3 Michael Miyuchi, the youngest warrant officer, joined Brooks in cutting a cake.
For more information about Third Army/ARCENT go to www.arcent.army.mil or visit them on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/PattonsOwn.
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