Twenty-six officer candidates of the Florida Army National Guard will graduate as the state's newest military leaders during a formal ceremony today, Aug. 20, at Kennedy Bullard Armory, Camp Blanding Joint Training Center, Starke.
Officer candidates usually enter the Florida Army National Guard officer training program as enlisted soldiers and go through a grueling 14-month school that mirrors the U.S. Army's active duty curriculum. Two of the candidates participated in an accelerated eight-week officer candidate class.
The new lieutenants will join Army National Guard units to serve in leadership positions. Some will become full-time military members with the Guard while some will perform their traditional Guard role by attending unit training one weekend per month and two weeks each year.
This year the Florida National Guard's Officer Candidate School (OCS) program will present its first Distinguished Alumni Award to the family of former Florida OCS graduate Maj. Rocco Barnes. Barnes, who served with the California Army National Guard and U.S. Army Special Forces community, died in Afghanistan in 2009.
Officers graduating from class and the accelerated class live in and represent communities throughout Florida. The officer candidates and their hometowns include:
Class:
David Arnett, St. Johns
Naisha Baron, Gibsonton
Kent Berus, Ponte Vedra Beach
Stephen Brown, Riverview
Trevor Chase, Jacksonville
Brian Dahlstrom, Mt. Dora
Mery Downing, Jacksonville
William Dozier, Fernandina Beach
Eduardo Figueroa, Orlando
Matthew Flashenburg, Seminole
Andrew Gaden, Edgewater
Adam Kapetanis, Orlando
Kyle Kettinger, Wesley Chapel
Juan Maldonado Jr., Melbourne
Jose Martinez, Pinellas Park
Micheil McElvey, Tampa
Christopher Middleton, Pomona Park
Elkin Parrales, St. Augustine
Tory Perfetti, Oldsmar
Patrick Rubly, Tampa
Jeremy Sockwell, Winter Garden
Zachary Tedder, Fort Myers
Tumeka Turner, Tampa
Erik Vidal, Miami
Accelerated Class:
Jeffery Negrotto, Milton
Jason Schwartz, Oviedo
