GMI OCS Candidate Tom Brown assists Candidate Michael Mitchell with his bag as they prepare for departure to Ft. Mcclellan for the final 15 days of their OCS training and testing

GMI OCS cream rises to top as 4 candidates prepare for graduation

After nearly 18 months of arduous Officer Candidate School (OCS) training, just four candidates remain of Georgia Military Institute (GMI) class 4-7 to take the finishing steps towards graduation at Fort McClellan, Al. There, the candidates will be tested on the application of everything they have learned, and if they succeed, will be commissioned as the Georgia Guard’s newest second lieutenants.

“These candidates epitomize what a candidate should be at this point in their career,” said 1st Lt. Jason Royal, who was seeing the group off. “All of them have the potential to do great things.”

Each of the candidates is a college graduate looking to utilize their OCS preparation to help mold themselves into effective military leaders.

“I wanted to be challenged,” said Eboni Jackson, one of the four remaining OCS candidates. “I knew this would be difficult, but I also knew it would make me a better leader.”

Michael Mitchell, a Georgia Tech alumnus with a degree in electrical engineering, added, “This whole process has been very educational, but also high-stress. It’s taught me a lot about patience, teamwork, brevity, and humility. If I make it through these final 15 days, I’ll be the first officer in my family. I’m very proud of that.”

After ten years of being enlisted in the Navy, candidate Tom Brown decided he, too, wanted to become an officer in the Georgia Guard. “I want to give back what was given to me and look out for the troops. I learned a lot from my experience in the Navy, and I want to use that knowledge to help other soldiers.”

The mission of the Georgia Military Institute National Guard Officer Candidate School is to train selected warrant officers and enlisted men and women of the Georgia Army National Guard and the United States Army Reserve to become effective military leaders with an emphasis on combat leadership. In addition, the school also assists the students in their preparation to become a branch-qualified Second Lieutenant.

News Home | GADOD Home |