Virgin Islands Army Guard establishes officer candidate prep program VIRGIN ISLANDS
“The OC prep intends to successfully prepare the candidates for the rigorousness and intensity of the environment so that when they come into the OCS environment, it doesn’t shock them,” said Maj. Michael Bradley, OC prep director.”The intent is to increase the proba- bility of success in the OCS program.” After the candidates complete the six days on St. Croix, they will move on to phase zero at Camp Shelby, Mississippi, which is usually held around March and runs until May. Virgin Islands National Guard SPC Jermaine Baptiste, 631st Engineer Company, recently returned home from basic training in the fall of 2020 and said that the OCS prep program was a rewarding experi- ence, which reminds him of basic training. “I want to become an offi- cer to do better for myself because I have the potential. I also want to be able to help move the VING forward.” After phase zero, the candidates will move on to the 8-week or 57 days Summer Accelerated Officer program at Fort McClellan, AL. The rigorous training includes three phases and takes place twice a year; January through March and June through August. Virgin Islands National Guard Staff Sgt. Latoya John, Joint Forces Headquarters, joined the prep course a week prior, with aspirations to become an officer because of the opportunity to make strategic decisions for the organization. “Getting back into the discipline mind- set has also been a great experience for me, having to be one of the oldest candidates in this group. So it
Story by Capt. Marcia Bruno Virgin Islands National Guard, 51st Public Affairs Detachment JUNE 11, 2022 Virgin Islands Army National Guard members are now afforded the opportunity to prepare in a training environment before attending officer candidate school, Jan. 23-28, 2022. The Officer Candidate Prep Program provides potential enlisted Soldiers with an environment that exposes the candidates to the cri- teria and experiences set in OCS. The prep program is one method VING will use to fill numerous officer vacancies. The OC prep program is a six-day training held on St. Croix to intro- duce prospective candidates to what they will face during the 57 days of the OCS-Summer Accelerated Officer program. “Mississippi has a solid program,” said Capt. Basil Williams, Virgin Islands Army Guard project manager. “Mississippi noticed a high retention rate in phase one since they created the prep program. Since then, there is a 100% success rate for OCS completion.” The partnership between the VI and Mississippi to host an Officer Candidate Prep Program on St. Croix was initiated in November 2021. The Virgin Islands National Guard partnered with Mississippi to learn best practices, eventually leading to VING hosting its prep course taught by VI personnel.
has been challenging physically, but nothing beats a great challenge keeping up with the younger soldiers.”
The Virgin Islands National Guard continues to be ready, relevant, and responsive in its efforts to provide trained and professional troops to meet the demands of the Armed Forces.
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