Army Guard commissions 5 officers

The Nevada Army National Guard commissioned five new second lieutenants from its Officer Candidate School Saturday at the state military headquarters in Carson City.

The new officers from classes 49 and 50 include Daniel Barraza, Reno; Michael Bordallo, Henderson; Dennis M. Flynn, Las Vegas; David M. Jennings, Las Vegas; and Luis A. Muruato, Las Vegas.

For 18 months, they attended one weekend drill per month. They then either completed two, two-week schools at Fort Meade, S.D., and Fort Lewis, Wash., or enrolled in the fast-track program to finish the coursework in one year. The next step for the lieutenants will be attending an officers' basic training course for specialization in an area such as armor, military police or military intelligence.

Brig. Gen Randall E. Sayre, former commander of the Nevada Army Guard, told the OCS graduates they will assume a moral compass that will be with them 24/7.

"Expect to perform up to presidential expectations," Sayre said.

Sayre said he began his career in the mid-1970s during the height and later demise of the Cold War. He compared the Cold War era and the current one of fighting terrorist in Iraq and Afghanistan.

"There is a chilling threat that is global in nature," he said.

Sayre, who has logged more command time than anyone else in the Nevada Army National Guard, said the lieutenants graduated from one of the most difficult schools in the military. When the weekend classes first started, more than 30 candidates enrolled.

"The rules are too high to graduate numbers," Sayre said.

He warned the officers to learn from their mistakes and do the best they can with each assignment.

Brig. Gen. Francis Gonzales graduated from OCS in 1979. He said the success rate is highest for the men and women who complete the Nevada Army Guard's program.

The Guardsmen who completed OCS in August said the training was worth all the months of classroom work and field training.

"I was working toward (becoming an officer) before I enlisted eight years ago," said Jennings, who spent a tour in Kosovo. "This is a great program."

Muruato came to the United States from Mexico in 1993 as a 12-year-old. After graduating from Western High School in Las Vegas, he enlisted in the U.S. Army Reserve.

"It was worth the 18 months of hardship. It was worth it at the end," he said of the OCS process. "I like the field training, and that's why I like the Army so much."

Barraza, a native of Winnemucca, is attending the University of Nevada, Reno. He spent three years on active duty with an infantry unit in Germany.

"This is an excellent leadership development course," he said.

Because he served as a platoon leader during field exercises, Barraza said, he improved his decision-making process under stress.