Green to Gold: Alaska Guardsman Embarks on Path to Leadership

Sept. 26, 2025 | By Army Pfc. Azavyon McFarland, Alaska National Guard |

The leaves aren't the only thing changing in Alaska this fall. For Cadet Gabriel Gravel, an Alaska National Guardsman attending the University of Alaska Anchorage, transformation is also happening on his journey from enlisted soldier to officer candidate through the Army's Green to Gold program.

Gravel joined fellow ROTC cadets from his school, as well as the University of Alaska Fairbanks, for the annual joint fall field training exercise at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska, Sept. 17-20. During the multiday event, cadets were challenged with land navigation, patrolling and obstacle courses, all while developing the leadership traits needed to earn a commission. 

The Green to Gold program provides enlisted soldiers with the opportunity to pursue a college degree while preparing to become Army officers. For Gravel, the transition builds on years of exposure to the Army, first in Junior ROTC, then as an enlisted soldier before stepping into the cadet role. 

"When I was in JROTC, I talked to senior and retired officers — lieutenant colonels and majors," he said. "I picked their brains, and it led me toward something I wanted to do." 

Additionally, Gravel said his enlisted experience provides an advantage in ROTC training and defines the type of officer he wants to become.

"I want to be a humble officer [who] can work together with [noncommissioned officers]," he said. "Overall, officers' knowledge complements NCOs' skills." 

That perspective guided him through the field training exercise as he leaned on lessons learned from the enlisted side of the Army. The exercise reminded Gravel that leadership is about teamwork, not individual achievement.

"No matter how you think — it should end up with one common goal and you're all going to get it done together," he said. 

Gravel credits his peers for building his confidence, even when facing obstacles like the rope climb. 

"By the end of the [exercise], I was way more confident," he said. "Everybody trusted me more than I trusted myself." 

Looking back, Gravel said the experience reinforced both humility and resilience. He encourages other cadets to embrace the challenge. 

"Don't be afraid to embrace the suck," he said. "It might be raining, it might be 120 degrees, but the best thing is that you're doing it with other cadets next to you." 

Ultimately, for Gravel, the Green to Gold program is more than a path to a commission. It is a journey where lessons from enlisted service meet the challenges of officer training, shaping a leader who values trust, teamwork and courage. 

"They are going to rely on me, so I have to believe in myself to achieve the mission," he said. "No matter what, I'll always do what's necessary for both me and my battle buddies to accomplish our mission." 

Marine Corps Dedicates OCS Battalion Command Post

By James Johnson, NAVFAC Washington Public Affairs

QUANTICO, Va. (NNS) -- The Officer Candidates School Battalion Command Post, designed by Naval Facilities Engineering Command Washington, was dedicated during a ceremony held aboard Marine Corps Base Quantico, May 4.

The dedication of Wilson Hall, named after former Marine Corps Commandant Gen. Louis H. Wilson, was presided over by current Marine Corps Commandant Gen. James F. Amos.

"I want you to look at this building, because this is almost a miracle that the United States Marine Corps would have something this nice, this new. It even smells like a new car," said Amos. "I'm very grateful to Sauer and NAVFAC for doing this for us. It is absolutely wonderful."

The dedication marked completion of the 13,024 square foot Wilson Hall and Bobo Hall, a 29,600 square foot mess hall, which will serve 2,400 Marines per meal. Geothermal wells at Wilson Hall and photovoltaic cells and solar water-heater panels at the Bobo Hall will help reduce the amount of energy the buildings take from the power grid.

"We had a great team," said Ensign Anna Hallais, project manager. "A lot of typical construction challenges, but it was a very rewarding project. The final product is excellent. The quality is superior-quite possibly the finest facility at [MCB] Quantico," said Hallais of Wilson Hall.

Col. Kris J. Stillings, commanding officer of the Officer Candidates School also noted how well-constructed the building is. "The name Wilson Hall is very fitting for a building of this magnitude," he said.

NAVFAC Washington awarded Sauer Inc. a contract Dec. 30, 2009, to build the two facilities which cost $17,577,300.

Ham encourages enlisted Soldiers to earn their commissions as officers

Army Courtesy report

WASHINGTON (3/12/12) - Army Gen. Carter Ham, the commander of U.S. Africa Command, is urging enlisted Soldiers who are looking for a new challenge to step up and become an officer through the Army’s Green to Gold program.

“Leadership exists at all levels of our Army - particularly among our junior enlisted ranks - there exists a deep pool of talent with the potential to contribute in another way as officers,” Ham said.

“How do I know? I used to be one of those enlisted Soldiers.”

Having been among the group of first Green to Gold members, Ham relishes opportunities like these.

“I’ve cherished serving as an officer for almost 40 years now. That opportunity can be yours now as well,” he said.

The following scholarships available for Soldiers to apply for are awarded for two, three, or four years:

•Soldiers with two years of college remaining to complete their degree are considered for two-year scholarships.

•Soldiers with three years of college remaining to complete their degree are considered for three-year scholarships.

•Soldiers without college credit who require four years to complete their degree are considered for four-year scholarships.

The deadline to apply for Army ROTC Green to Gold scholarships this year is April 1. More information can be found on GoArmy.com.

Army Works to Accelerate Leader Development

By Donna Miles
American Forces Press Service

Oct. 10, 2007 - The Army is exploring new ways to accelerate the development of leaders prepared for the broad challenges they'll face in what's expected to be an era of persistent conflict, the Army's chief of staff said here yesterday. "We are committed to investing in our officer, warrant officer, noncommissioned officer and civilian leaders," Army Gen. George W. Casey Jr. told attendees at the annual Association of the U.S. Army convention. "In this era of persistent conflict, it is absolutely essential that we develop leaders that can handle the challenges of full-spectrum operations."

Full-spectrum operations include the broad range of missions soldiers can be called on to carry out: from supporting peacetime operations to conducting major combat operations, and everything in between.

This operating environment requires agile, adaptive leaders, able to shift quickly and smoothly between missions, Casey said.

"Our leaders in the 21st century must be competent in their core competencies, broad enough to operate across the full spectrum of conflict, able to operate in joint, interagency and combined environments, at home in other cultures and courageous enough to see and exploit opportunities in the complex environments they will be operating in," he said.

Just as warfare has changed, so too has the way the Army develops leaders, Army Lt. Gen. William Caldwell IV, commander of the Army's Combined Arms Center at Fort Leavenworth, Kan., said during a panel discussion about accelerating leader development.

"We don't want to teach you what to think," he said. "We want to teach you how to think."

This effort extends throughout the Army's education and professional development system, through a blend of formal education, operational experience and guided self-development, Caldwell said.

Officer candidates are getting more field and operational experience, Maj. Gen. W. Montague Winfield, commander of U.S. Army Cadet Command, told attendees. Officers are getting more educational opportunities and more access to joint, interagency, intergovernmental and multinational training, Brig. Gen. Mark O'Neill, deputy commandant of the Army's Command and General Staff College, told the group.

Warrant officers are attending more officer training courses, said Col. Mark Jones, command of the Army Warrant Officer Career Center. And recognizing that its enlisted force is "taking on more responsibility earlier in their careers than ever before, the Army is adapting its training programs so they're better prepared, said Col. Donald Gentry, commandant of the Army Sergeants Major Academy.

Meanwhile, the Army is tapping into best practices from the private and public sectors to accelerate training and development of its civilian work force that's filling critical positions and maintaining continuity, said Volney "Jim" Warner, director of the Army's Civilian Development Office.

How well the Army develops soldiers and leaders able to operate effectively and efficiently in an era of persistent conflict will have far-reaching impact on the force and its ability to succeed, the officials agreed.

"Soldiers are the strength of this Army, and they make this Army the strength of this nation," Casey said. "It will be our soldiers who lead us to victory over the nation's enemies, and it will be soldiers who preserve the peace for us and for our allies."