CAMP SMITH TRAINING SITE, CORTLANDT MANOR, N.Y. - Seven newly commissioned New York Army National Guard second lieutenants will report to their assigned units after successfully completing New York's Officer Candidate School and pinning their new gold bars here Aug. 15.
The seven officers are this year's graduates of New York's Officer Candidate School (OCS), a course open to qualified civilians and non-commissioned officers (NCOs) who are willing to push themselves to their physical and mental limits.
Brig. Gen. Michael Swezey, commander of the New York Army National Guard's 53rd Troop Command, delivered the keynote address for the new officers and their families. He laid out three pieces of advice to the assembled officers: always be aware of what they say or do online and offline, care and listen to their soldiers and trust in their NCOs, and to become experts at all aspects of their new professions.
"You are ready for the next step," Swezey said. "Charge out of the gate...go out there and make a name for yourselves."
2nd Lt. Mathew Edwards, of Brooklyn, New York, earned Distinguished Honor Graduate for outstanding achievement over the course.
"It's a huge commitment," said Edwards, newly commissioned as an infantry officer, when speaking about OCS, which takes more than a year to complete. "You have to rely on your team... they will keep you on track."
Edwards will go on to serve in the 1st Battalion, 69th Infantry Regiment in New York City.
OCS consists of an introduction and a screening, followed by three distinct phases. After a two-week training exercise in Connecticut, the officer candidates drill for 11 months. During those drills, the candidates learn how to become officers in the U.S. Army, with varied lessons covering everything from military ethics to combat water survival and machine gun tactics and employment.
From the initial class of 12 candidates in the traditional OCS program, only five completed the course and were commissioned. Two more officers were commissioned through an eight-week Accelerated OCS program.
The graduating class in addition to Edwards, included new lieutenants Joseph Bologna, an infantry officer from Valley Cottage, New York; John Chewens, a signal officer from Kingston, New York; Alexandra Defina, a medical service corps officer from New York, New York; Kevin Richards, an engineer from Kingston, New York; Paola Dossa, an adjutant general corps officer from South Richmond Hill, New York; and Sarah Carpio, an chemical officer from New York, New York.
According to Edwards, the candidates couldn't just rely on the monthly drills to learn, it took a daily commitment from everyone to make it through the school.
"It's balancing your personal life with obligations to the program and the other Soldiers," Edwards said during his Distinguished Honor Graduate remarks.
For more information about OCS and how to enroll for 2017 visit the Department of Military and Naval Affairs website at https://dmna.ny.gov/arng/ocs/?id=ocs
Related Links:
106th Regional Training Institute Homepage
New York National Guard Homepage
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