Virginia National Guard

183rd RTI hosts open house, demonstrates capabilities
September 24, 2016 — Virginia National Guard Soldiers assigned to the Fort Pickett-based 183rd Regiment, Regional Training Institute demonstrated their capabilities during an open house Sept. 24, 2016, at Fort Pickett, Virginia. RTI’s mission is to provide transition training in the infantry, transportation and military police career management fields as directed by the One Army School System, as well as operate the state’s officer and warrant officer commissioning schools... MORE

Candidates, cadre, graduates celebrate OCS 58th birthday
April 26, 2016 — RICHMOND, Va. — Officer candidates, graduates and cadre of the Virginia Army National Guard Officer Candidate School celebrated its 58th birthday with a ceremony April 19, 2016, at J. Sargeant Reynolds Community College’s Downtown Campus in Richmond, Virginia. Officer candidates in Class 58, who are scheduled to graduate in August 2016, organized the ceremony, which included the family of Capt. Harry Q. Rose, a graduate of Class VIII who was killed in Vietnam in 1969 and remains the only Virginia OCS graduate to have been killed in action... MORE

Officer candidates, graduates and cadre of the Virginia Army National Guard Officer Candidate School celebrate its 58th birthday with a ceremony April 19, 2016, at J. Sargeant Reynolds Community College’s Downtown Campus in Richmond, Virginia. Officer candidates in Class 58, who are scheduled to graduate in August 2016, organized the ceremony, which included the family of Capt. Harry Q. Rose, a graduate of Class VIII who was killed in Vietnam in 1969 and remains the only Virginia OCS graduate to have been killed in action. (Photo by Master Sgt. A.J. Coyne, Virginia National Guard Public Affairs)

Va. Guard OCS commissions 17 new officers
August 26, 2015 — FORT PICKETT, Va. – In a ceremony held Aug. 22, 2015, 17 officer candidates enrolled in Class 57 of the Virginia Army National Guard’s Officer Candidate School received their commissions in a traditional graduation ceremony held at Fort Pickett’s 183rd Regiment, Regional Training Institute. The ceremony marked the end of an almost two year journey for the candidates as they took their oaths of office, received their OCS diplomas and their second lieutenant bars and received their first salute as new officers... MORE

Seventeen officer candidates enrolled in the Virginia National Guard’s Officer Candidate School receive their commissions and graduate from OCS Aug. 22, 2015, at Fort Pickett’s 183rd Regiment, Regional Training Institute in front of family, friends and Virginia Army National Guard senior leaders. (Photo by Sgt. 1st Class Terra C. Gatti, Virginia National Guard Public Affairs)

Va. Guard officer candidates hold on to history
April 22, 2015 — FORT PICKETT, Va. — Expecting a lecture filled with monotonous slides and a never-ending list of historic dates and names, the officer candidates of the Virginia Army National Guard’s Officer Candidate School of the Fort Pickett-based 183rd Regiment, Regional Training Institute, walked into Col. Thomas L. Morgan’s military history class April 19, 2015, and quickly discovered that this wasn’t going to be like any other class. The candidates of Class 57 found tables with dozens of museum quality rifles, knives and glass boxes filled with various buttons and uniform insignias. ... MORE

Virginia Army National Guard Officer Candidates hold history in their hands during a military history course April 19, 2015, at the Fort Pickett-based 183rd Regiment, Regional Training Institute. Taught by Col. Thomas L. Morgan III, commander of the 183rd Regional Training Institute, the class included demonstrations on the loading and operating procedures for dozens of Civil-War era rifles and pistols, and displays of Civil War artifacts from the personal collections of Morgan and his father, Thomas L. Morgan Jr. After the classroom portion of the course, the candidates were able to pick and examine the pieces for a closer look. (Photo by Staff Sgt. Miko M. Skerrett, Virginia Guard Public Affairs)

183rd RTI trains military police officers
April 7, 2015 — U.S. Army Reserve and National Guard Soldiers from across the country completed the 31B Basic Military Police Officer course April 4, 2015, after more than 254 hours of training at Fort Pickett’s 183rd Regiment, Regional Training Institute. The MP course included two, two-week phases and allowed 11 Soldiers to earn the 31B Military Police Officer military occupational specialty... MORE

Virginia Guard OCS graduates 7 new officers
October 2, 2014 — FORT PICKETT, Va. — In a ceremony held Sept. 27, 2014, seven officer candidates enrolled in the Virginia National Guard’s Officer Candidate School Class 57B earned their commissions at Fort Pickett’s 183rd Regiment, Regional Training Institute in front of family, friends and Virginia National Guard leaders and Soldiers. The candidates started the 56-day summer accelerated program in July and completed the course in early September... MORE

Seven officer candidates enrolled in the Virginia Guard’s Officer Candidate School receive their commissions and grade from OCS Sept. 27, 2014, at Fort Pickett’s 183rd Regiment, Regional Training Institute in front of family, friends and Virginia Army National Guard Soldiers and leaders. The Soldiers were part of Class 57B, and successfully completed the summer accelerated OCS program which began in July. (Photo by Staff Sgt. Terra C. Gatti, Virginia Guard Public Affairs)

Governor welcomes eight new Virginia Guard officers
July 29, 2014 — FORT PICKETT, Va. — Governor Terry McAuliffe welcomed eight new Virginia National Guard officers during their graduation and commissioning ceremony as the guest speaker July 26, 2014, at the 183rd Regiment, Regional Training Institute at Fort Pickett, Va. The officers of OCS Class 56 completed a two-year Officer Candidate School Course at Fort Pickett to earn their commissions. ... MORE

Second Lt. Daniel K. Frantzen presents Governor Terry McAuliffe with a certificate of appreciate for serving as the guest speaker for Officer Candidate School Class 56 July 26, 2014, at the 183rd Regiment, Regional Training Institute at Fort Pickett, Va.

Va. Guard officer candidates complete community service project
June 17, 2014 — BLACKSTONE, Va – Virginia Officer Candidate School Class 56 visited residents at Clay’s Assisted Living on Saturday, May 24, 2014, as part of their Phase II community service requirement. Officer candidates coordinated with Barbara Mosley, a manager at Clay’s Assisted Living, to orchestrate a presence patrol at the center. ... MORE

Officer Candidates from the Virginia National Guard’s Officer Candidate School Class 56 visit residents at Clay’s Assisted Living in Blackstone, Va., May 24, 2014, as part of their Phase II community service requirement. (Courtesy Photo)

Four officer candidates earn commissions
April 16, 2014 — FORT PICKETT, Va. — Four Virginia Army National Guard officer candidates pinned on second lieutenant rank at a graduation and commissioning ceremony held April 12, 2014, at the 183rd Regiment, Regional Training Institute at Fort Pickett. The officers of OCS Class 57A completed the eight-week Accelerated Officer Candidate School Course at Fort McClellan, Ala., to earn their commissions. ... MORE

Four Virginia Army National Guard officer candidates pin on second lieutenant rank at a graduation and commissioning ceremony held April 12, 2013, at the 183rd Regiment, Regional Training Institute at Fort Pickett. The officers of OCS Class 57A completed the eight-week Accelerated OCS Course at Ft. McClellan, Ala., to earn their commissions. Col. Doug Messner, commander of 183rd RTI, gave the remarks at the ceremony, and Maj. Gen. Daniel E. Long, Jr., the Adjutant General of Virginia, presented each candidate with a framed diploma. Each candidate selected who would administer their oath of office, pin on their rank shoulder boards and the NCO to receive their first salute and sliver dollar. The silver dollar salute is an Army tradition that newly commissioned second lieutenants present a silver dollar to the first enlisted Soldier who salutes them. The coin symbolically acknowledges the receipt of respect due the new rank and position. (Photo by Cotton Puryear, Virginia National Guard Public Affairs)

Virginia Guard OCS Class 57 begins at Fort Pickett
February 9, 2014 — FORT PICKETT, Va. – The first phase of becoming a commissioned officer in the Virginia Army National Guard began Jan. 24-26, 2014, for 33 new officer candidates. The weekend was Zero Phase for Class 57 at the Virginia Army National Guard’s Officer Candidate School, located at the Fort Pickett-based 183rd Regiment, Regional Training Institute... MORE

Officer candidates from Class 57 of the Virginia National Guard’s Officer Candidate School conduct land navigation training Jan. 25, 2014, at Fort Pickett, Va., during the Zero Phase of the course. For many of the candidates, this was their first drill with the OCS program. (Photo by Staff Sgt. Terra C. Gatti, Virginia Guard Public Affairs)

Virginia Guard OCS graduates earn commissions, take oath of office
November 6, 2013 — FORT PICKETT, Va. – In a ceremony held Oct. 26, 2013, 10 officer candidates enrolled in Class 55 of the Virginia Army National Guard’s Officer Candidate School earned their commissions at Fort Pickett’s 183rd Regiment, Regional Training Institute. The ceremony marked the end of a nearly two year journey for the candidates as they received their OCS diplomas, took their oaths of office and earned their second lieutenant bars... MORE

Ten officer candidates enrolled in the Virginia Guard’s Officer Candidate School receive their commissions and graduated from OCS Oct. 26, 2013, at Fort Pickett’s 183rd Regiment, Regional Training Institute in front of family, friends and Virginia Army National Guard senior leaders. The candidates heard remarks from Col. Douglas R. Messner, 183rd RTI commander, and Maj. Gen. Daniel E. Long, Jr., the Adjutant General of Virginia, before taking their oath of office, affixing their new rank and receiving their first salute as lieutenants from a member of the enlisted ranks. (Photo by Staff Sgt. Terra C. Gatti, Virginia Guard Public Affairs)

Virginia Guard officer candidates get close encounter with history
May 19, 2013 — FORT PICKETT, Va. – In 21 years, Col. Thom Morgan has only missed teaching Virginia Guard officer candidates military history one time, and that was when he was deployed to Afghanistan in 2011. He and his father, Lonnie Morgan, work together each year to give the officer candidates a unique first-hand look into Virginia’s military history, and have been doing so since 1992... MORE

Students of the Virginia National Guard’s Officer Candidate School Class 55 participate in a military history class April 21, 2013 at the Fort Pickett-based 183rd Regiment, Regional Training Institute. The course was taught by Col. Thom Morgan, Virginia Guard director of manpower and personnel, and included more than 75 pieces of primarily Civil War-era military weaponry from the personal collection of Morgan’s father. (Photo by Staff Sgt. Terra C. Gatti, Virginia Guard Public Affairs)

Virginia Guard officer candidates clean up for local charity
May 9, 2013 — RICHMOND, Va. -- Officer candidates from the Virginia National Guard’s Officer Candidate School worked together May 4, 2013, clearing debris, mowing grass, trimming hedges and blowing leaves at two homes operated by a local charity called SupportOne, as part of their class community project. Twelve OCs participated in the event, dubbed “Extreme Yard Makeover Day,” and made use of tools and equipment lent by a local landscaping firm co-owned by one of the candidates. ... MORE

Officer candidates from Class 55 of the Virginia National Guard’s Officer Candidate School clear debris and work on landscape improvements May 4, 2013, as part of their class community project in Richmond, Va. (Photo by Staff Sgt. Terra C. Gatti, Virginia Guard Public Affairs)

OCS Class 54 conducts service project in Blackstone
August 29, 2012 — Virginia Officer Candidate School Class 54 conducted a community service project at the Blackstone Volunteer Fire Department Aug. 25 2012 as part of the Phase Two requirements of their course curriculum. Candidates coordinated with the Fire Department Chief and applied a fresh coat of paint to the station’s hallways... MORE

Soldiers from Virginia Officer Candidate School Class 54 pose with cadre and members of the Blackstone Volunteer Fire Department Aug. 25, 2012 after applying a fresh coat of paint on the walls of the station’s hallways. The project was part of the Phase Two requirements of their course curriculum. (Contributed photo)

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