VNG recognizes 7 WOCS graduates

FORT BARFOOT, Va.  –   The Virginia Army National Guard celebrated the graduation of seven Soldiers from the 183 Regiment, Regional Training Institute’s Warrant Officer Candidate School during a ceremony held March 3, 2024, at Fort Barfoot, Virginia. For the candidates, their WOCS graduation served as a culmination of years of hard work and dedication in their respective career fields. On average, the candidates had 14 years of service, an overall academic average of 94 percent and represented five branches and two states.
 
The graduates started their WOCS experience in October 2023, with a two-week annual training period that served as Phase I. For the next several months, the candidates completed Phase II during weekend drills. They completed written exams, foot marches, volunteered at a local food bank and conquered the Army Combat Fitness Test.
 
The official party included Col. Kurt Kobernick, commander of the 183rd RTI; Lt. Col. Christina Perronie, commander of the RTI’s 3rd Battalion, which includes WOCS; and Chief Warrant Officer 5 John Calley, the VNG’s State Command Chief Warrant Officer. Retired Maj. Gen. Timothy P. Williams, the 28th Adjutant General of Virginia, served as the guest speaker.
 
“The path that led you to this moment was not easy,” Perronie said in her opening remarks. “It required sacrifice, perseverance and a relentless pursuit of excellence, but you have proved yourself worthy of this honor, and I have no doubt that you will continue to do so in the days and years ahead.”
 
Williams, during his remarks, thanked the family members in attendance for their support and presence at the ceremony. He said that becoming a warrant officer is an investment and that, on average, the time from being identified as a potential candidate to completing training as a warrant officer is 33 months.
 
“Volunteering to be in the U.S. military is certainly the road less traveled, and stepping up to go to Warrant Officer Candidate School is doubly so,” Williams said.
 
During the ceremony, five of the candidates were pinned with their new warrant officer rank and were saluted by an enlisted service member of their choosing, which included friends, one brother and a proud father. The two other candidates received certificates of eligibility and will join the warrant officer ranks once a position becomes available for them.
 
The graduating class of the Virginia Army National Guard’s Warrant Officer Candidate School Class 24-001 is as follows:
 

• Sgt. 1st Class Daniel A. Canada received a certificate of eligibility and will serve as a 120A Construction Engineering Technician Warrant Officer. He is currently assigned to the Fort Barfoot Maneuver Training Center.
• Sgt. 1^st Class Tory J. Clayborne received a certificate of eligibility and will serve as a 920A Property Accounting Technician Warrant Officer. He is currently assigned to the Fort Barfoot-based 34th Civil Support Team.
• Warrant Officer 1 Charles W. Heiber is a 120A Construction Engineering Technician Warrant Officer serving in the Petersburg-based 276th Engineer Battalion, 329th Regional Support Group.
• Warrant Officer 1 Logan J. Heishman is a 131A Field Artillery Technician Warrant Officer serving in the Norfolk-based 1st Battalion, 111th Field Artillery Regiment, 116th Infantry Brigade Combat Team.
• Warrant Officer 1 Brody A. Price is a 255S Information Protection Technician Warrant Officer serving in the Fort Belvoir-based 91st Cyber Brigade.
• Warrant Officer 1 Daniel M. Prigmore is a 255S Information Protection Technician Warrant Officer serving in the Staunton-based 116th Infantry Brigade Combat Team.
• Warrant Officer 1 Jessica N. Prouty is a 350F All Source Intelligence Technician Warrant Officer serving in the Washington National Guard’s 156th Information Operations Battalion.

During his remarks, Calley encouraged the graduates to think about how they arrived at that point in their career, as well as who helped them get to there, and to continue growing the warrant officer corps.
 
“Appreciate what it took to get you here, and think about what it will take to get the next person here,” Calley said. “Mentor someone, identify someone who you think has what it takes, and help them get to where you are.”
 
Warrant officers serve as subject matter experts and advisors to their commanders. Pre-requisites vary across career fields, but generally, Soldiers interested in becoming warrant officers must meet time in service and time in grade requirements as noncommissioned officers. In Virginia, all Soldiers are required to attend Pre-WOCS, a drill weekend that provides Soldiers with an idea of what to expect during WOCS. View the Warrant Officer Feeder MOS List here, or click to learn more about Warrant Officer Candidate School.