Artillery fire ceremoniously marked the occasion when service members of Officer Candidate School bid farewell to their commanding officer Col. Harold R. Van Opdorp, Jr. who relinquished command to Col. Julie L. Nethercot, July 8, aboard Marine Corps Base Quantico.

During his two year term as commanding officer at OCS, Col. Van Opdorp oversaw over 200 personnel and assisted in screening and selecting candidates for graduation. Over 4,000 officers graduated during his time at OCS

“[At OCS] we are constantly looking at everything and he did it with an eye for what’s best for the Marine Corps, not only OCS, with a sense of standard,” said Brig. Gen. Renforth, commanding general of training command, during the ceremony.

Outgoing commander Col. Van Opdorp expressed deep thanks to his Marines at OCS, emphasizing their dedication and hard work.

Brig. Gen. Renforth described incoming commander, Col. Nethercot as an experienced and inspirational leader. 

Col. Nethercot recently served as the executive officer for the Ground Combat Element integrated task force in Camp Lejeune, NC.

— Writer: cbrown@quanticosentryonline.com