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OFFICER CANDIDATE SCHOOL

explains how prior service and recent graduates can get on the fast track to officership.

OFFICER CANDIDATE SCHOOL

explains how prior service and recent graduates can get on the fast track to officership.

Major Lynn Ray: My name is Lynn Ray, proud Officer of the United States Army. I chose to become an Officer so I can have a broader impact. I wanted to reach out and touch more Soldiers so becoming an Officer gives me the ability to do that. Officer Candidate School provided me with the opportunity to continue to be a Soldier, go through twelve weeks of training and come out a commissioned Officer.

OCS Candidate Lisa Hilliard: The fastest way to become an Officer is the college option program, once you have a college degree you do Basic Training and you go directly to OCS. Combined is about twenty-two weeks.

Colonel Terry Sellers: Being an Officer is a challenge and you get to solve some pretty complex problems. You get to feel good about what you're doing, physically, mentally. You're doing something more than just for yourself. You're doing something for the Army and for the Nation.

Major Lynn Ray: The responsibility of being an Officer is huge, you make decisions that affect an individual's life or could affect a whole battalion. Our role is that of leaders on the battlefield.

Colonel Terry Sellers: If you've been a career Soldier certainly being an Officer in the Army is different that being a Soldier in the Army.

Major Lynn Ray: I had to learn how to go from being an executer to being a planner. To use analytical thinking and to think on a broader scale. So instead of being able to control eight, nine Soldiers, I had to now be able to think forward, for thirty.

OCS Candidate Jeremy Dillard: I'm mature, but I've matured a lot more. And I matured to the point where I'm ready to step back and let the NCOs do the job. But as an Officer to administrator the most help I can to Soldiers, and that's what made me want to become an Officer. I wanted to show that this is the right way to do it so we can continue to be strong as an Army.

Major Lynn Ray: It's a team effort to make a good leader. A leader doesn't make themselves, there's a lot of things that go in to that pot to turn out an awesome Officer.

OCS Candidat Lisa Hilliard: We don't just study by ourselves we study in groups, we're always helping each other, we're squaring each others equipment away...it's such a different perspective of me, me, me. Because you never think about me, it's about your squads or your team.

Colonel Terry Sellers: One of the things that I've been able to do in my career is coach, teach, and mentor a number of junior Officers and I've been able to watch them grow and develop throughout their careers. I'm not responsible for their success but I've certainly facilitated and hopefully empowered their success.

Major Lynn Ray: All of these things come together to make us leaders of the military. Being an Officer is probably the most rewarding experience I have had to date. The fact that you can give back to other young Officers coming in, your experiences can now be turned around to help guide and mentor and be their supporter and role model for young Officers coming in to the Army. I wouldn't trade that for anything.

OFFICER CANDIDATE SCHOOL

AVAILABLE TO ENLISTED SOLDIERS AND RECENT COLLEGE GRADUATES

TRAIN TO BECOME AN ARMY OFFICER IN ONE OF 16 DIFFERENT CAREER FIELDS

GET HELP PAYING FOR YOUR COLLEGE TUITION THROUGH A SCHOLARSHIP

BECOME AN OFFICER IN THE U.S. ARMY IN JUST 23 WEEKS

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OFFICER CANDIDATE SCHOOL