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Warrant Officers Heritage Foundation

'WO Heritage Net''

Preserving Army Warrant Officer History

A Publicly Supported 501 (c) (3) Non-Profit Corporation

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ARMY WARRANT OFFICER HISTORY

"The Legacy of Leadership as a Warrant Officer"

Part I - 1918 to 1996

| Dedication | Introduction | 1918 - The Birth of the Army Warrant Officer Corps |

| 1936-1949 | 1950-1974 | 1975-1983 | 1984-1988 | 1989-1991 | 1992-1996]

| 1997-2004 | 2005-2007 | 2008-Present | Summary | Credits |

| Warrant Officer Programs of Other Services |

| Additional Resources | Related Web Sites |

 Please be patient while the pictures load

 (Many files throughout this site are a PDF files. A free reader is available for download.)

Dedication

 

This History is dedicated to Chief Warrant Officer Four Donald E. Hess, United States Army Retired, to commemorate his twenty-five years of continuous and selfless service to the U. S. Army Warrant Officers Association (USAWOA) during his tenure as Founder, first President, and later Executive Vice President. In October 1997 he was designated as USAWOA President Emeritus, a position in which he continues to serve date. In July 2007 he was designated as Historian Emeritus of the Warrant Officers Heritage Foundation and appointed as Advisor to the Board of Directors .

 

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Introduction

 

The rank of Warrant Officer has a long history. There is some evidence to suggest that Napoleon used Warrant Officers as communications links between his commissioned officers and the rank-and-file soldiers.

 

The military grade of Warrant Officer is one of the oldest in Western military systems dating back two centuries prior to Columbus, during the fledgling years of the British Navy. At that time, Nobles assumed command of the new Navy adopting the Army ranks of Lieutenant and Captain. These royal blood officers often times had no knowledge of life on board a ship, let alone how to navigate such a vessel or operate the guns. They would often rely on the technical expertise and cooperation of a senior sailor who tended to the technical aspects of running the ship and operating the cannons. These sailors, some times referred to as ‘Boat Mates’ or ‘Bosun's Mates’ became indispensable to less experienced officers and were subsequently rewarded with a Royal Warrant. This Royal Warrant was a special designation, designed to set them apart from other sailors, but not violate the strict class system that was so prevalent during the time.

 

Based on the British model, the U.S. Navy has had Warrant Officers among its ranks, in some form or another, since its conception. The American military heritage of the Warrant Officer can be traced back to December 23, 1775 when a seaman by the name of John Berriman was appointed as a Warrant Officer to act as purser aboard an American ship. The rank was considered one of trust and honor but was not considered a commission to command. Since this first appointment, Navy and Coast Guard Warrant Officers have held positions as surgeons, master mates, boatswains, carpenters, and chaplains. In the U.S. Navy, Warrant Officers have traditionally been the technical experts whose skills and knowledge were an essential part of the proper operation of the ship.

 

In the U.S. Army, the Warrant Officer can be traced back to 1896, specifically to the headquarters clerk. 

 

During World War I, also known as the First World War, the Great War and the War To End All Wars, between 1914 and 1918, a position of Field Clerk, aka Headquarters Clerk, existed which is believed to be a predecessor of the Warrant Officer. See insignia at the right.

 

In 1916, congressional action established Marine Corps grades of Warrant Officer Gunner, Quartermaster Clerk and Pay Clerk.

 

The official birthday of the Army Warrant Officer Corps is July 9, 1918. During this time Warrant Officers were not commissioned officers; but in reality were considered civilians. The Judge Advocate General later determined that Warrant Officers held military status.

 

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Birth of the Army Warrant Officer Corps

1918

 

 

An act of congress in 1918 established the Army Mine Planter Service as part of the Coast Artillery Corps. Implementation of the Act by the Army was published in War Department Bulletin 43, dated 22 July 1918 - see extract of the Bulletin.

• A total of 40 Warrant Officers were authorized to serve as masters, mates, chief engineers, and assistant engineers on each mine planting vessel. Although only one rank of Warrant Officer was authorized by Congress, in effect, three grades were created because of the varying levels of pay authorized for masters, 1st mates, 2nd mates, and corresponding levels of marine engineer personnel.

• This is also when the official color of the Army Warrant Officer Corps came to be brown. It emanated from the brown strands from burlap bags that the Mine Planter Service personnel wore as their insignia of rank. Also, in 1918 the Army opened a school to train their mariners at Fort Monroe, VA, commanded by an officer who had graduated for the Naval Academy.

• In World War I, the Coast Artillery Corps was responsible for mine defenses in major ports. Vessels ranging in size from small motor boats to 1,000-tom ocean-going ships were used to lay and maintain minefields. Conflict between solders and civilian employees who manned these vessels revealed the need to ensure that the vessels were manned by military personnel.

The National Defense Act of 1920 provided for Warrant Officers to serve in clerical, administrative, and band leader positions. This act also authorized 1,120 Warrant Officers to be on active duty. During this time Warrant Officers were excluded from performing duties from which enlisted personnel were also excluded.

 

On May 12, 1921, a distinctive insignia was approved for Warrant Officers.

 

It consisted of an eagle rising with wings displayed, adapted from the great seal of the United States. The eagle is standing on two arrows, which symbolize the military arts and sciences. The eagle rising is enclosed within a wreath. Warrant Officers of the Tank Corps were the first to wear this new insignia.

| Download or print the above picture with description of the Eagle Rising |

 

Eight of the original 40 Army Mine Planter Warrant Officers 

Appointed in 1922 and pictured at Fort McPherson, Georgia

 

In 1922, Warrant Officer strength authorization was reduced from 1,120 to 600, exclusive of the number of Army Mine Planter Service Warrant Officers and Army Bandmasters. No Warrant Officer appointments other than bandleaders and the Mine Planter Service were made between 1922 and 1935. Despite the authorized strength remaining at 600, subsequent laws authorized appointment of additional classes of certain personnel with specific qualifications to exceed authorized Warrant Officer strength.

 

In 1926, the first two female field clerks became the first female Warrants. They were Jen Doble, on duty at IX Area in San Francisco and Olive Hoskins, on duty at the VII Corps Area headquarters in Omaha, Nebraska. Both women then had about 20 years service and there were no more female warrants after they retired.  Not until WWII did the Army again appoint women as warrants. [Source: "Encyclopedia of US Army Insignia and Uniforms" (Univ. of Oklahoma Press, 1996) by Bill Emerson].

 

In 1934, Music Under the Stars (MUTS) Concerts at Fort Monroe, Virginia, were initiated by CWO Michael A. Quinto, Bandleader of the 2nd Coast Artillery Regiment Band from 1932-1938. CWO Quinto was appointed a Warrant Officer in 1921, and Bandmasters were some of the earliest Warrant Officers in the U.S. Army. The building in which The United States Continental Army Band now resides is named after CWO Quinto. A room in Quinto Hall contains a display and biography of CWO Quinto’s 42 years in the Army.  See http://fort.monroe.army.mil/band .

 

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1936 - 1949

In 1936,  the Army was uncertain about what an Army Warrant Officer was and whether there was a place for Warrant Officers in the Army's personnel structure. although it had give the rank to such specialties as band leaders, marine engineers, field clerks, and pay clerks, it had also used the rank and the Corps as a reward for former commissioned officers who no longer met the officer educational requirements, and as a reward for outstanding enlisted personnel who were too old to be commissioned and who otherwise could look to no further advancement.

 

Also, in 1936, the Army held  competitive examinations to replenish lists of eligibles for Regular Army appointment. The Army appointed Warrant Officers against vacancies from this 1936 list until the beginning of World War II.

 

In 1939, Warrant Officers who were qualified pilots were declared eligible for direct appointment to lieutenants in the Army Air Corps. This action caused a serious decline in the Warrant Officer corps. As of 30 June 1939 there were 775 Warrant Officers serving on active duty. Also in 1939 a memorandum from the Army G-1 to the Chief of Staff stated "The Warrant Officer grade continues to be used as a reward to enlisted men of long service and special qualifications rather than to fill essential military requirements." [During World War II, prior to becoming an independent service in 1947, the US Army Air Force created the rank of Flight Officer[1] [2], equivalent in rank and in the pay grade of "Warrant Officer Junior Grade" (today's WO1). Some of the first men who held this rank were Americans serving as Sergeant Pilots in the British Royal Air Force and were transferred to the US Army Air Force after the US entered the war. Most were later graduates of various US Army Air Force flight training programs, including pilot, navigator and bombardier ratings. A portion of each graduating class were appointed as Flight Officers while others were commissioned as 2nd Lieutenants. Once reaching operational units and after gaining flying experience, many Flight Officers were later offered direct commissions as officers. With the end of WW 2 in 1945, creation of Flight Officers ceased (Source: Wikipedia).]

 

In 1940, Warrant Officers began serving as disbursing agents. Warrant Officer appointments began to occur in larger numbers for the first time since 1922. However, overall strength declined due to a significant number were transferred to active duty as regular commissioned officers.

 

In 1941, Public Law 230 authorized appointments up to one percent of the total Regular Army enlisted strength. This law also established two pay rates for Warrant Officers, Warrant Officer Junior Grade (W-1) and Chief Warrant Officer (W-2). One other benefit of Public Law 230 was the authorization of flight pay for those involved in aerial duties. In November of 1941, an executive order further extended the Warrant Officer positions and provided the following additions:

1. Warrant Officers can be assigned as prescribed by the Secretary of the Army.

2. When such duties included those normally performed by commissioned officer, the Warrant Officer would be vested with all the powers usually exercised by commissioned officers in the performance of those duties.

In November of 1942, the position of Warrant Officer was defined by the War Department in the rank order as being above all enlisted personnel and immediately below all commissioned officers. January 1944 saw the authorization of appointment of women as Warrant Officers and by the end of WW II, forty-two female Warrant Officers were serving on active duty. Warrant Officers were filling 40 different occupational specialties by early 1946 and approximately 60 specialties by 1951.

In January 1944, the appointment of women as Warrant Officers was authorized.

After World War II appointments of Warrant Officers virtually ceased because of the Army downsizing, dissatisfaction

with the decentralized appointment system, and confusion about the purpose of Warrant Officers.

 

By Early 1946, Warrant Officers were filling some 40 different occupational specialties.

 

During 1948 and 1949, competitive examinations were once again held to appoint or select for appointment

approximately 6,000 regular Army Warrant Officers.

In 1949, the Career Compensation Act brought about two new pay rates for Warrant Officers. The designations of Warrant Officer Junior Grade (WOJG) and Chief Warrant Officer (CWO) were retained, the grade of Chief Warrant Officer was provided with pay grades of W2, W3 and W4.

 

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1950-1974

During the 1950s, studies determined there was a vital need for Warrant Officers, and proposed that appointment to Warrant Officer should be based on the needs of the Army and not simply a reward for long and faithful service. During 1950, approximately 900 Warrant Officer appointments were made using the 1948 and 1949 lists from competitive examinations.

 

In 1951. Major Commanders were once again authorized to tender temporary Warrant Officer appointments. Some 1,400 temporary appointments were tendered in some 60 occupational specialties under this authority.

 

In March 1952, termination of Warrant Officer appointments occurred due to budgetary considerations.

 

In 1953, the inception of the Warrant Officer Flight Program lead to the training of thousands who later became helicopter pilots during the Vietnam War.

 

In 1954, The Warrant Officer Personnel Act of that year established Warrant Officer grades W1 through W4, and officially eliminated the Mine Planter Service.

 

In April 1955, the 1st Aviation Class at then Camp Rucker, Alabama graduated.

(Pictured to the right is Class ACHPC 55-F on 30 April 1955)

(Picture contributed by CW4 (Ret) Don Joyce, a class graduate)

 

In July 1956, Camp Wolters Texas was transferred back to the Army from the Air Force and became the U.S. Army Primary Helicopter Center and School. Camp Wolters later became Fort Wolters and Aviation Warrant Officer Candidates were trained at this post from November 1956 until 1973. For more about the school and post visit the History page of the Fort Wolters Chapter, Viet Nam Helicopter Pilots Association (VHPA).

 

On 21 January 1957, a new Warrant Officer concept, resulting from a Department of the Army study, was announced and provided the following guidelines:

1. The need for Warrant Officers

2. The Warrant Officer category would not be considered a reward or incentive.

3. The first published definition for Warrant Officers was established in AR 611-112 and defined the Warrant Officer as follows: 

"The Warrant Officer is a highly skilled technician who is provided to fill those positions above the enlisted level which are too specialized in scope to permit effective development and continued utilization of broadly trained, branch qualified commissioned officers."

In 1958, the Air Force discontinued its Warrant Officer program following the passage of legislation (Military Pay Act of 1958) which created the grades of E8 and E9. After careful review of the duties performed by their Warrant Officers, Air Force leaders decided to restructure the Warrant Officer authorizations into the senior enlisted grades (E7/E8/E9). In the eyes of the Air Force leadership, loss of the Warrant Officers cut out an additional management layer and a separate personnel management system, and additionally created increased promotion opportunity for the senior enlisted force. [The last active duty Air Force warrant officer, CWO-4 James H. Long, retired in 1980 and the last Air Force Reserve warrant officer, CWO-4 Bob Barrow, retired in 1992. Since then, the Air Force warrant officer ranks, while still authorized by law, are not used (Source Wikipedia).]  See also "The In-Betweens" by Bruce D. Callander, published in November 1991 edition of the AIR FORCE MAGAZINE of the Air Force Association.

 

In April 1960, the Warrant Officer Program was outlined in Department of the Army Circular 611-7. This document covered utilization policies, criteria for selection, and instruction for conversion to the then new Warrant Officer Military Occupational Specialty (MOS) system.

 

In 1966, the Army conducted a review of Warrant Officer career progression and the first Warrant Officer Professional Development Program was published in Department of the Army Pamphlet 600-11. 

 

In 1967, early selection for promotion (below the zone) promotions were authorized for a limited number of Chief Warrant Officer W3 and W4.

 

In 1968, the Regular Army Program was reopened to Warrant Officer applicants after having been closed for 20 years. Additionally, service requirements were reduced and application procedures were simplified.

 

 

In July 1972, Army Warrant Officers began wearing newly designed silver rank insignia with black squares, where one black square signified WO1 and two through four black squares signified CW2 through CW4. Also in 1972, a tri-level education system had been established and provided formal training at the basic or entry level for Warrant Officers in fifty nine occupational specialties. The educational system further provided intermediate level formal training in fifty-three specialties and formal training for twenty-seven specialties at the advanced level. 

 

In 1973, the levels of the Warrant Officer Education were redesignated as entry, advanced, and senior level respectively. Because these courses were so successful the Warrant Officer Senior Course was established to provide Warrant Officers with access to the highest level of professional education.

 

In 1973, an Aviation training for women was authorized based on an Army Chief of Staff decision. The women followed the same academic, flight, and physical training programs as the men except that push-ups were substituted for pull-ups required for males. Initially, women did not participate in the survival and POW exercises, but that practice was changed late in 1974. The women pilots were assigned to general support, noncombat units, where they evacuated medical patients and transported routine passengers such as inspection teams. The first female Warrant Officer candidate entered this training program in fiscal year 1974 and the first completed the training and was appointed as a Warrant Officer in fiscal year 1975. The first female warrant officer aviator was Jennie A. Vallance.

 

In 1974, a Military Occupational Specialty Immaterial  Warrant Officer Senior Course was instituted to give mid-grade and senior Warrant Officers background on "how the Army runs."

 

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1975 - 1983

In 1975, a Warrant Officer Division at the then Military Personnel Center (MILPERCEN)  [later the Total Army Personnel Command (PERSCOM), then Total Army Personnel Command (TAPC), and now Human Resources Command - Alexandria (HRC-Alexandria)] was established to provide a centralized career management center for all Army Warrant Officers (excluding the Judge Advocate General and Medical Corps). 1975 also saw the Warrant Officer Civilian Education and Degree Completion Program authorized and established by the Department of the Army.

 

In 1978, Army National Guard & Army Reserve Warrant Officers were integrated into the Army Professional Development System. This satisfied the need for qualified, highly trained Warrant Officers to access to the active Army rapidly in times of emergency.

 

In 1982, the Warrant Officer Training System (WOTS) was established by the U. S. Army Training and Doctrine Command (TRADOC). WOTS consisted of three levels "Entry", "Advanced", and "Senior".

 

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1984 - 1988

In 1984, an entire new era for Warrant Officers began when the Army Chief of Staff chartered The Army Total Warrant Officer Study (TWOS). This was the first Department of the Army level comprehensive study of Warrant Officer management across the total Army. View the Cover Letter and Executive Summary of the final TWOS Report.

 

On 1 October 1984, all direct appointments of Army Warrant Officers ceased by direction of the Army Vice Chief of Staff. A Warrant Officer Entry Course was established at Fort Sill, Oklahoma. In the mid-1980s a Warrant Officer Entry Course - Reserve Components was established in the Warrant Officer Training Branch at the Army Reserve Readiness Training Center at Fort Mc Coy, WI. This course evolved into WOCS-RC and it was conducted until September 1994 when all WOCS courses were consolidated and transferred to the Warrant Officer Career Center, Fort Rucker, AL.

 

In 1985, the Army developed a clear and concise definition of the Warrant Officer that encompassed all Warrant Officer specialties.

"An officer appointed by warrant by the Secretary of the Army, based upon a sound level of technical and tactical competence. The Warrant Officer is the highly specialized expert and trainer who, by gaining progressive levels of expertise and leadership, operates, maintains, administers, and manages the Army’s equipment, support activities, or technical systems for an entire career." 

(Para 1-7 DA Pamphlet 600-11)

Also in 1985, Active Guard-Reserve (full-time Title 10 active duty) positions were established in the Personnel Directorate in the Office of the Director of the Army National Guard and in the Personnel Division of the Office of the Chief Army Reserve. These positions were the result of an approved recommendation in the Total Warrant Officer Study (TWOS). This resulted in the active Army, ARNG and USAR each having a Warrant Officer Program Manager, later renamed a Warrant Officer Policy Integrator in line with having the Total Warrant Officer System (TWOS), and the only singular personnel management system in The Army.

 

The Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 1986 amended Title 10 of the United States Code (U.S.C.) to provide that Army Chief Warrant Officers shall be appointed by Commission. The primary purpose of the legislation was to equalize appointment procedures among the services. Chief Warrant Officers of the Navy, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard had been commissioned for many years. Contrary to popular belief, the commissioning legislation was not a TWOS recommendation but a separate Army proposal. Further clarification of the role of an Army Warrant Officer, including the commissioned aspect, is found in FM 22-100.

"Warrant Officers are highly specialized, single-track specialty officers who receive their authority from the Secretary of the Army upon their initial appointment. However, Title 10 U.S.C. authorizes the commissioning of Warrant Officers (WO1) upon promotion to chief Warrant Officer (CW2). These commissioned Warrant Officers are direct representatives of the president of the United States. They derive their authority from the same source as commissioned officers but remain specialists, in contrast to commissioned officers, who are generalists. Warrant Officers can and do command detachments, units, activities, and vessels as well as lead, coach, train, and counsel subordinates. As leaders and technical experts, they provide valuable skills, guidance, and expertise to commanders and organizations in their particular field." 

(Para A-3, Field Manual 22-100)

In a 1988 message the Army established that, pending submission and approval of the new rank of CW5, that Warrant Officers selected by a Department of the Army board and designated as Master Warrant Officer  (MW4) would be senior to all Warrant Officers in the grade of CW4. The MW4 continued to be paid at the W-4 pay grade. In December 1988 the first Master Warrant Officer Training Course graduated and the first thirty CW4s were designated as Master Warrant Officers. (See below regarding the Warrant Officer Management Act and the rank of Chief Warrant Officer 5 (W-5)).

 

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1989 - 1991

In 1989, A Warrant Officer Management Act (WOMA) proposal was submitted by the U.S. Army Warrant Officers Association on behalf of the Army to the Congress. Then Congressman Charles Bennett of Florida submitted the proposed legislation to the House. Upon review, the Senate Armed Services Committee Report on the FY 1990/1991 Defense Authorization Bill referred the package to the Department of Defense (DoD) to evaluate the proposal for consideration in the 1991 bill. The Army was requested by the Defense Department to chair a special ad hoc committee to research and prepare the requested report for the Congress. The committee initiated deliberations on  September 22, 1989. Committee participants included representatives from the Office of the Secretary of Defense (Force Management) and from the personnel departments of each of the military services, the Reserve components, and the Coast Guard. The Committee's report was issued on 30 November 1989. The Assistant Secretary of Defense (Force Management & Personnel) forwarded the Defense Report to the Chairmen of the Senate and House Armed Services Committees on 9 March 1990. See the Executive Summary. (This is a large file, be patient while it loads)

 

In 1991 the WOMA proposal was considered by the Congress and it was incorporated into the National Defense Authorization Act for FY 1992. Six key provisions were enacted based on the Warrant Officer Management Act as signed by the President in December of 1991, these were as follows:

• A single promotion system for Warrant Officers.

• Tenure requirements based on years of Warrant Officer service.

• Establishment of the grade of CW5 with a 5% cap on the number of Warrant Officers on each service's active duty list at any one time.

• Selective mandatory retirement boards for retirement eligible WO.

        View House Resolution 36 , the actual bill as enacted into law.

 

Also in 1991, two more TWOS recommendations were implemented. Also, contrary to popular belief, the following resulted from TWOS recommendations and not WOMA provisions. They were:

• Coding of authorized positions by rank grouping of Warrant Officer (WO) [W1 or W2 authorized], senior Warrant Officer (SW) [W3 or W4 authorized], and master Warrant Officer (MW) [CW4 or MW4 authorized]

• Automatic Regular Army Integration upon selection and promotion to CW3.

In May 1991, the Warrant Officer Leader Development Network was activated by the Training and Doctrine Command (TRADOC) to produce a coordinated Warrant Officer Leader Development Action Plan (WOLDAP) to address the three pillars of Leader Development. The WOLDAP was charged to be applicable to both the active and reserve components in line with TWOS concepts.

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1992 - 1996

In February 1992, WOMA provisions went into effect.

 

In February 1992, the Army began appointing Physicians Assistants as regular commissioned officers. In the mid-1980s the Office of the Army Surgeon General proposed to convert Warrant Officer Physician Assistants to regular commissioned officers. This would bring the Physician Assistants program of the Army in line with the other services, all of which required a Baccalaureate. It had been recognized that Warrant Officer Physicians sometimes suffered a credibility gap with commissioned nurses and some other commissioned officer non-medical professionals who were regular commissioned officers. The Army submitted legislation to the Congress which was passed and signed into law by the President. The physician assistants in the active Army were conditionally appointed to commissioned officer grades with five-years to medical the BA and other certifications. Reserve component physician assistants were conditionally appointed and allowed 10-years to complete the education and credentialing requirements. For more information go to the Society of Army Physicians Assistants web site at http://sapa.org. 

 

On February 27, 1992, the Warrant Officer Leader Development Plan (WOLDAP) was approved by the Chief of Staff of the Army. The purpose was to incorporate a smooth transition of TWOS and WOMA into a seamless personnel management system for the Army Warrant Officers. It is a total Army plan designed to ensure that active and reserve component Warrant Officers are appointed, trained, and utilized to a single standard. See approved WOLDAP.

 

In March 1992, the Army Deputy Chief of Staff for Personnel recommended that the Master Warrant Officer rank insignia be approved for wear by both MW4s and CW5s. This was in light of the fact that MW4 selection boards would be replaced by CW5 selection boards in accordance with WOMA. It was also felt that the CW5 insignia proposed Institute of Heraldry might not be recognizable as a Warrant Officer rank. On March 28, 1992, the Army Chief of Staff approved the recommendation. On the other hand, the U.S. Marine Corps did adopt the Institute of Heraldry proposed CW5 insignia upon implementation of that rank. That insignia is a silver bar with a red enamel strip in the center down the length of the bar. See also the Evolution of Current Army CW5 Insignia - by CW5 (Ret) Don Howerton with Addendum by CW5 Ed German and CW5 Dave Welsh.

 

On October 1, 1992, MW4 Ted Reno, Warrant Officer Proponent at the Army Ordnance Center and School became the first active Army CW5. Among the first Reserve Component Warrant Officers to be promoted to CW5 were MW4 John F. "Jack" Lynch, Warrant Officer Policy Integrator in the Personnel Directorate in the Office of the Director Army National Guard; MW4 David P. "Dave" Welsh, Warrant Officer Policy Integrator in the Personnel Division of the Office of the Chief of the Army Reserve; and the first female Warrant Officer was promoted to CW5.  MW4 Donna L. Foli, then serving as Chief, Technical Warrant Officer Recruiting for the Army Reserve at the U.S. Army Recruiting Command was the first female to be promoted to CW5. All the foregoing officers are now retired

 

On October 1, 1992, the pin-on-point for appointment of Army Warrant Officer Candidates as WO1 was established as the graduation date from Warrant Officer Candidate School. Prior to that date, Army WOC were not appointed until completion of the then Warrant Officer Technical and Tactical Certification Course (WOTTCC) for their military occupation specialty (MOS). Since WOTTCC for various MOS were of various lengths, the length of time spent as a WOC varied greatly.

 

In October 1993, a new Warrant Officer Education System (WOES) went into effect. Warrant Officer Candidate School (WOCS) retained that name. Warrant Officer Technical Training Certification became the Warrant Officer Basic Course (WOBC). Senior Warrant Officer Training became the Warrant Officer Advance Course (WOAC). The Warrant Officer Staff Course (WOSC) was added by reduction in length of MWOTC. The Master Warrant Officer Training Course was renamed the Warrant Officer Senior Staff Course (WOSSC).

 

In 1993, consolidation of Warrant Officer Candidate schooling at the U.S. Army Warrant Officer Career Center (WOCC), Fort Rucker, Alabama was directed by the Army Chief of Staff. Class 345-95 was the last Reserve Component (RC) class conducted for Army National Guard and Army Reserve candidates at the Army Reserve Readiness Training Center at Fort McCoy, Wisconsin. This class graduated on 30 September 1994 and the guidons of the Warrant Officer Candidate Company were furled for the last time. Since October 1, 1994 the WOCC is responsible for conducting a six-week version of WOCS for active Army and all aviation candidates, and a four-week version for RC candidates in the technical Warrant Officer specialties.

 

On January 1, 1994, the Warrant Officer Advance Course (WOAC) or equivalent became a requirement for selection to CW4 in the Army Reserve.

 

In 1995, Painting of "The Quiet Professional" was commissioned by the U. S. Army Warrant Officers Association (USAWOA). The print, by the noted military artist Don Stivers, commemorated the 75th Anniversary of the Army Warrant Officer Corps. The setting is historic Fort Meyer, Virginia and features early period uniforms and the Caisson Platoon horses and equipment of the 3rd U.S. Infantry, "The Old Guard". This limited edition print is now sold out.

 

See the Origin of the Title "The Quiet Professional."

 

(A follow-on print entitled "LET GO!" commemorating the birth of the Army Warrant Officer Corps with the establishment of the Army mine Planter Service in the Coast Artillery Corps was commissioned by USAWOA and is now available - see more for details and ordering information.)

 

In 1996, the U. S. Army Warrant Officer Career Center accepted full responsibility for the Warrant Officer Candidate Museum at Fort Rucker, AL. Since then, the museum has been moved from a WW II Building to a two story brick building housing Headquarters Company of the Warrant Officer Career Center.

 

 

Also in 1996, a U.S. Army Warrant Officers History Book was undertaken by the U. S. Army Warrant Officers Association to tell the story of the Corps.

 

(This History Book is now sold out)

 

 

WARRANT The Legacy of Leadership as a Warrant Officer continues at the links below:

• 1997-2004

• 2005-2007

• 2008-Present

• Summary

• Credits

• Warrant Officer Programs of Other U.S. Uniformed Services

• Additional Resources

• Related Web Sites

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WO Heritage Net 7/10/2008