FRANKFORT, Ky. –
Surrounded by 10 of his fellow classmates, 2nd Lt. Martin A. Goldey looked out across the grounds of the Kentucky Capital. Goldey and his comrades, Kentucky’s newest commissioned officers, spent 18 months getting to this point.
For Goldey, honor graduate, his commissioning ceremony from the Kentucky National Guard’s Officer Candidate School class 54-12 was bittersweet.
“Its been an honor and there was a lot of excitement and anticipation leading up to graduation,” he said.
With one combat deployment under his belt and more than nine years experience as a noncommissioned officer, Goldey said he is ready for the opportunity to lead.
“I decided to become an officer because of a desire to lead soldiers and have an impact on their lives,“ he said.
Goldey said he owed his successful completion of the Officer Candidate School and honor graduate status to his family. His wife, Courtney, pinned his lieutenant bar to his uniform. His sons, Jackson, Carson and Cameron, were also there to celebrate.
“Without the National Guard, I would not have the life, including the job that I have now,” he said.
Goldey said he learned a tremendous amount of knowledge from his cadre at the 238th Regiment (Combat Arms). He plans to take these new leadership skills and apply them to his position at the United States Property and Fiscal Office as a contract specialist for the Guard, and to the 138th Field Artillery Headquarters, his next assignment.