%g& &&#TNPP2OMi & TNPP &&TNPP    --- !---------G'--/gw@ 0IwIw0- @"Arial Rounded MT Boldw0- .g2 X1@The idea for the modern Officer Candidate School for Infantry wa     . .F2 X*s conceived in June 1938, when a plan for  . .2 h1 an officer. . 2 hf-. .g2 hj@training program was submitted to the Chief of Infantry by Briga     . .02 hdier General L. Singleton,   . .g2 w1@Commandant of the Infantry School, Fort Benning, Georgia. No act      . .=2 w$ion was taken until July 1940, when   . .g2 1@Brigadier General Courtney Hodges, Assistant Commandant of the I       . .F2 *nfantry School, submitted a revised plan.   . .g2 1@The new program went into effect in July 1941, as the Infantry,    . .N2 /Field Artillery, and Coastal Artillery Officer     . .g2 1@Candidate Schools. Other branches later followed with their own      . .E2 )Officers Candidate Schools. On September      . .g2 1@27, 1941, the first Infantry OCS class graduated 171 second lieu . .H2 +tenants out of the 204 men who started the   . . 2 117. . 2 ?-7. .2 C week course. . .g2 1@The man credited with establishing the format, discipline, and c   . .E2 )ode of honor still used in OCS today was   . .g2 1@General Omar Bradley, then Commandant of the Infantry School. As      . .B2 'the Commandant of the Infantry School, 1   . .g2 1@General Bradley emphasized rigorous training, strict discipline   . .O2 0and efficient organization. These tenets remain  . .U2 14the base values of todays Officer Candidate School.   . .g2 .1@Between July 1941 and May 1947, over 100,000 candidates were enr    . .@2 .&olled in 448 Infantry OCS classes, of  . .g2 >1@these approximately 67 percent were commissioned. After World Wa      . .H2 >+r II, Infantry OCS was transferred to Fort   . .g2 N1@Riley, Kansas, as part of the Ground General School. All other O       . .H2 N+fficer Candidate Schools were discontinued.   . .g2 k1@On November 1, 1947, the Infantry OCS program was discontinued.      . .E2 k)The final class graduated only 52 second . .2 {1 lieutenants.. .g2 1@A shortage of officers during the Korean conflict caused Infantr  . .I2 ,y OCS to reopen at Fort Benning on February   . .g2 1@18, 1951. At this time, the course was lengthened from 17 to 22     . .?2 %weeks. The name was changed from The    . .g2 1@Infantry Officer Candidate School to the First Officer Candidate     . .C2 (Battalion, Second Student Regiment. The     . .g2 1@strength of OCS increased rapidly. As one of eight branch progra . .C2 (ms, Infantry OCS included as many as 29   . .g2 1@companies with a class graduating every week. During the Korean      . .H2 +War, approximately 7,000 infantry officers  . .<2 1#graduated from OCS at Fort Benning.e   . .g2 1@On August 4, 1953, OCS was reduced from eight to three programs:      . .:2 "Infantry, Artillery, and Engineer.  . .g2 1@Shortly before the onset of the Vietnam Conflict OCS had been re     . .F2 *duced to two programs, Infantry and Field   . .g2 /1@Artillery. During the height of the Vietnam Conflict, Infantry O      . .E2 /)CS was one of five programs and produced   . .g2 >1@7,000 officers annually from five battalions at Fort Benning. To  . .K2 >-wards the end of the conflict OCS reduced to  . .g2 N1@two programs, Infantry and Female OCS. Infantry OCS was reduced       . .F2 N*to two battalions and presently maintains   . .2 ^1one battalion.. .g2 z1@In April 1973, a Branch Immaterial Officer Candidate School was        . .B2 z'created to replace the branch specific . .g2 1@courses and the length of the course was reduced to 14 weeks. OC   . .E2 )S for female officer candidates remained   . .g2 1@at Fort McClellan, Alabama until December 1976, when it merged w         . .E2 )ith the branch immaterial OCS program at    . .(2 1Fort Benning, Georgia.  . .g2 1@Todays officer candidates enter the school from throughout the  . .72  force. OCS continues to provide  . .g2 1@commissioned officers to the total force for all sixteen basic b . .%2 ranches of the Army.  . .g2 1@On June 12, 1998 to further integrate the Army, the Army Nationa      . .B2 'l Guard OCS Phase III candidates began    . .g2 1@training alongside their active duty counterparts at Fort Bennin . .L2 .g. Officer Candidates from the National Guard      . .g2 1@and Army Reserve conduct the final phase of training before comm    . ..2 issioning during their two . . 2 @-7. .2 D week annual . .g2 "1@training period. Over 650 future officers were trained for the A   . .R2 "2rmy in the first year, with similar numbers being     . .12 21trained in subsequent years.. .g2 N1@The mission of OCS remains; to train selected personnel in the f   . .F2 N*undamentals of leadership; basic military   . .g2 ^1@skills; instill professional ethics; evaluate leadership potenti. .N2 ^/al; and commission those who qualify as second   . .X2 n16lieutenants in all sixteen basic branches of the Army.  .@"Arial Rounded MT Boldw0- ..2 Standards! No Compromise!!     .--G ?-- @Times New RomanIwIw0- .2 8 OCS HISTORY ! !!.--"System 0-&TNPP &