NEW SHARON – On Jan. 17, Nicholas E. Watson, son of Elbridge and Terry Watson of New Sharon, was commissioned as a second lieutenant of the United States Marine Corps.
Nicholas Watson has been a reserve marine for the past four and a half years with the intention of becoming an officer. As an officer candidate in the Platoon Leaders Class program, he was required to receive his bachelor’s degree.
In December 2014 Watson achieved this goal receiving his criminal justice degree from the University of Maine at Augusta. In addition, he was required to withstand the rigors of Officer Candidate School (OCS) for 10 weeks this past summer in Quantico, Virginia.
OCS is when the Marine Corps screens, trains, and evaluates officer candidates to determine if they possess the leadership qualities necessary to become an officer in the Marines. It is a physically, mentally, and emotionally demanding test, and not all who attempt it succeed.
This coming May, Watson will make the journey down to Quantico, Virginia to attend The Basic School (TBS) for six months. This is where the Marine’s are groomed by experienced officers in preparation for advanced schooling in a particular career field and their subsequent first assignment as a Marine Corps officer. At TBS they will study everything from in-depth leadership and war fighting philosophy, to how to conduct humanitarian operations.
Nice job Nick!