RAPID CITY – The South Dakota Army National Guard inducted five new second lieutenants during a commissioning ceremony at Camp Rapid, Aug. 17.
The ceremony commemorated the five officers’ completion of Officer Candidate School, which consisted of 16-18 months of drill weekends and two, two-week training periods.
“A lot of time, effort and hard work has been put in by each one of these candidates to get to this stage to be commissioned,” said Lt. Col. Troy Ness, commander of 1st Battalion, 196th Regiment (Regional Training Institute). “This is just the beginning of their careers and from this point, there’s going to be many more challenges and leadership opportunities.”
The evening’s ceremony included several traditions, including the pinning of rank on the officers’ uniform, their first salute, and taking the Oath of Office led by Brig. Gen. Thomas Croymans, SDARNG assistant adjutant general.
“It’s an honor for me to be here – we’re looking forward to their commissioning and seeing them move on to be great leaders in the South Dakota National Guard,” said Croymans. “The RTI has done a fantastic job bringing these candidates up, taking them through the course and getting them qualified; I think they’re doing a fantastic job.”
The candidates being commissioned get to choose who pins on their rank and receives their first salute, and many selected family members and military friends that have had an impact on their lives and careers. Newly promoted 2nd Lt. Leslie Wangeman chose Sgt. Maj. Phil Lakner, G3 aviation operations sergeant major for Joint Force Headquarters, for her first salute.
“Sgt. Maj. Lakner has been a huge influence for me – his actions speak louder than his words and that’s the kind of leader I hope to be,” said Wangeman.
The second lieutenants of OCS Class 62, their hometowns, and South Dakota Army National Guard assigned units are:
2nd Lt. Kory Bromley, Yankton, 211th Engineer Company
2nd Lt. Nicholas Dumke, Volga, Bravo Battery, 1/147th Field Artillery Battalion
2nd Lt. Mackenzie Foss, Milbank, Alpha Company, 139th Brigade Support Battalion
2nd Lt. Joshua Wangeman, Spearfish, 200th Engineer Company
2nd Lt. Leslie Wangeman, Spearfish, 842nd Engineer Company
From Sgt. Daniel Ward - 129th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment
U.S. Army National Guard photo by Staff Sgt. Austin Pearce
U.S. Army National Guard officer candidates from South Dakota stand with their graduation certificates from Class 18-01 Officer Candidate School in Rapid City. From left to right, Officer Candidates Nicholas Dumke, Joshua Wangeman, Mackenzie Foss, Leslie Wangeman and Kory Bromley.
