Signal Corps Flags

THE UNITED STATES ARMY
SIGNAL CORPS OFFICER CANDIDATE SCHOOL ASSOCIATION

Click here to hear hidden Army march music: U.S. Army Signal Corps Regimental March

Organization Information

Our Association is a not-for-profit fraternal organization. It's purpose is a) to foster camaraderie among the graduates of Signal Corps Officer Candidate School classes of the World War II, Korean War, and Vietnam War eras, b) to archive for posterity the stories and history of all of the Signal Corps OCS Officers who served this great country, and c) to organize and offer scholarships and other assistance for the families of Officer and Enlisted OCS cadre in need.

The categories of membership in the Signal Corps OCS Association, Inc., as defined by the association by-laws are as follows:

  • Regular Membership shall be open to (i) any person who graduated from any U.S. Army Signal Corps Officer Candidate School or (ii) any person who graduated from “another” OCS program but was commissioned Signal Corps or (iii) any person who served on the instructional staff, cadre, or as permanent party of any U.S. Army Signal Corps OCS.
  • Life Membership shall be open to any person eligible for Regular, or Associate Membership, who pays such one-time dues as may be prescribed from time to time by the Board of Directors.
  • Associate Membership shall be open to (i) the surviving spouse or child of any person who would have been eligible for Regular Membership, and (ii) such other persons with some connection to any U.S. Army Signal Corps OCS as the Board of Directors may from time to time determine.
  • Charter Members shall be those persons who enrolled in this category of membership under the previous version of these By-Laws and who continue to pay their annual or have paid lifetime dues. No new charter members shall be enrolled after the adoption of these By-Laws and any Charter Member who fails to pay his annual dues or lifetime dues thereafter shall cease to be a Charter Member. Any Charter Member who can establish that he has paid his previous Charter dues may convert his Charter Membership to a Life Membership by payment to the Association of the difference between the current Life Membership dues and the $50.00 he previously paid to become a Charter Member.
  • Honorary Members shall be those persons designated as such by the Board of Directors for exemplary service to the Association or to any Signal OCS program.

Feel free to contact us at any time with any questions you may have. You can contact us at Info@ArmySignalOCS.com.

Key Officer Contact Information

Photo Name Duties Contact
Richard A. Green, Major (Ret)
Class 02-67
President, Secretary, Membership Coordinator, Historian, Director Contact information available from Webmaster
Leonard M. "Sam" Herb, Esquire
Class 02-67
Association Counsel Contact information available from Webmaster
Rick McDonald
Class 10-67
Webmaster, Director 1-540-597-8268
Webmaster@ArmySignalOCS.com
810 9th St. Apt. 223
Durham, NC 27705
Rev. (Dr.) Pat Polis (Captain)
Class 02-67
Assistant Chaplain Contact information available from Webmaster
Preas L Street, Colonel (Ret)
Class 18-67
Treasurer, Director, Scholarship Chairman Contact information available from Webmaster
Earl L. Tingle, Jr., Colonel (Ret)
Class 09-67
Quartermaster, Director Contact information available from Webmaster
R. Lee Wheless, Major (Ret)
Class 13-66
Director, Newsletter Editor Contact information available from Webmaster

Note: Names in Bold Army Green are linked to a separate page with a personal bio for that person. Click the name to read the bio.


How To Become A Member:

The categories of membership, as specified in the association by-laws are outlined above. Dues are minimal, and the proceeds are used by us to support good causes and those in need of assistance. One of our best programs is a scholarship program, where proceeds from dues and other sources are used to support continuing education for those in need. If you enjoy this site, if your memories of your time in OCS are strong and warm, if you yearn for those days of youth when you felt bulletproof, then come join us. We'll help you rekindle those memories, reconnect with old friends, start new life-lasting friendships, and in the process help a few people along the way.

We need you to become a member today! Join us!

Dues
Annual: $35.00 per year
WWII Era Lifetime: $75.00
Korean War Era Lifetime: $150.00
Vietnam War Era Lifetime: $200.00
Join our Association today!
Submit your application today. Once we receive your membership application and payment, we will send a contact list of your OCS classmates, the TAPS listing for your class in some format, Lapel Pin, Membership Card, back issues of newsletters if available, a Data DVD with as much information as possible regarding other classes from your time frame in OCS, photos that we have of your class and other classes you may have interacted with...and more. Come, join us today.
To become a member simply click on the PDF icon at right, print the form, fill it out, and mail it to the address included. DON'T FORGET TO INCLUDE YOUR CHECK or we won't be able to process your request.

Special Announcement

Contingency Plan for Future USASCOCS Dissolution

Previously Presented at the 2015 Annual Reunion, San Antonio, TX

Several years ago at an Annual Reunion several people asked what the plans were for eventually dissolving the Association, given the likelihood that no more Signal Corps OCS graduates will ever be produced by the Army.   

The Board of Directors has researched the most appropriate approach to planning the eventual dissolution of the Association; the results are listed below. These are general plans that will have to deal with the inevitable decline in our membership and the future unknowns as Association membership and financial assets decline.

The obvious truth is, we are all getting older and someday the last guy will have to turn out the lights. So, these plans are in response to the ongoing question about how best to handle Association assets when the Association can no longer function as an organization. These general plans are:

1. When registrations decline so that the Annual Reunion can no longer provide enough revenue to cover Reunion costs, that Reunion will be cancelled. At this point our Reunion Coordinator says that the break-even point is currently about 15 room reservations. A second consideration is how the registered attendees would view the value of traveling to be with such few fellow graduates, given the time and expense. Individual members will have to answer that question.

2. When two Reunions in a row have to be cancelled, the next Newsletter will include a survey of the membership to determine interest in attending a reunion the next year. If interest is sufficient we will plan one; if not, then we will skip another year.

3. When the Association can no longer sustain any reunions we can still provide the important functions of our organization: The Newsletter, Awarding Scholarships, keeping the Roster current by locating & relocating members and keeping the Deceased Roster current while ministering to their families. However, we project that the income generated by annual renewals of memberships will diminish rapidly and donations to the Scholarship Fund will taper off, particularly as membership declines. Of the approximate 900 members, about 600 are Lifetime Members and no longer have to renew annually.

4. As income declines, the Board will employ cost-cutting measures to sustain an Association presence; such as, reducing newsletters from 3 to 2 annually, still maintaining the quality you have come to expect. It currently costs about $2,400 for each edition. An additional measure at some point would be to revert to a Black & White newsletter, saving another 1/3 of the cost per edition. When the Operating Fund can no longer pay for the newsletter it will be stopped. (As a reminder, NONE of the Board Members or Association Officers receive any compensation for their service to the Association…they are all volunteers.) 

5. Obviously, when the Scholarship Fund is depleted, no more scholarships will be awarded.

6. In preparation to finally close down operations completely the Board will have to dispose of any remaining funds and dispense of the property of the Association; namely, the memorabilia we display at reunions and the left-over supplies in the Store (hats, jackets, etc). 

a. The Store supplies will be given away to members at what can be determined to be a final reunion, if possible, or donated to an organization such as the Salvation Army or Goodwill.

b. The memorabilia will be donated to an Army organization that has an ongoing future plan to maintain a presence as a museum-type entity. The Board has identified several such organizations but will not decide on one at present because of the changing nature of such organizations… relocations, combining with other organizations, etc.

c. If Operating Funds remain they will be transferred into the Scholarship Fund. Any remaining Scholarship Funds will be donated to an Army organization that has plans for a long-term future goal of awarding scholarships to descendants of military personnel. 

7. The most difficult question is, WHEN should we put these plans into action. For that, we will have to depend on our OCS training…be flexible and make the best decision possible based on the circumstances at hand. So, I’ll just say that you elected the Board to make the best decisions possible for the Association. We are committed to doing what’s right when the time comes.

8. Comments/Suggestions can be addressed to the address below.

Max Holt, 02-67, Chairman of the Board
MaxHolt@ArmySignalOCS.com

Thank You


Crisis Line Badge

Signal OCS


Original Site Design and Construction By John Hart. Ongoing site design and maintenance by WebSpecks Incorporated, courtesy Class 09-67. Content and design Copyright 1998 - 2016, by ArmySignalOCS.com.