The South Dakota Army National Guard welcomed 11 new second lieutenants to its ranks following an Aug. 19 commissioning ceremony at Camp Rapid. The ceremony marks the end of Officer Candidate School (OCS) — the first step in officer training and development — and the beginning of their careers as commissioned officers.
“These soldiers endured a culmination of three intense phases of training to prepare them for the next step in their military careers,” said Lt. Col. Deb Bartunek, commander of 1st Battalion, 196th Regiment (Regional Training Institute), the SDARNG battalion responsible for conducting OCS.
OCS is taught in a high-stress environment, where candidates are tested academically and physically, both in the classroom and in field environments. Training consisted of 16-18 months of drill weekends and two, two-week training periods for 10 of the new officers who completed the traditional program, while the 11th completed the accelerated program of eight straight weeks.
The second lieutenants of OCS Class 60 are now assigned to National Guard units across South Dakota.
The newly commissioned second lieutenants included Drew Gillogly from Dell Rapids. Congratulations Drew!