Army National Guard Staff Sgt. Paul Pennell, a Clarence Resident, picked for Warrant Officer Candidate School

Related Media

Army National Guard Staff Sgt. Paul Pennell receives his Warrant Officer Candidate certificate from Brig. Gen. Raymond Shields during a Sept. 24 ceremony at New York National Guard headquarters.

LATHAM, NY (10/09/2014)(readMedia)-- New York Army National Guard Staff Sgt. Paul Pennell, a Clarence resident, has been accepted into the Army National Guard's Warrant Officer Candidate program.

Pennell, an Iraq War veteran, joined the Army in 2006 and served in Korea and Fort Drum before joining the New York Army National Guard in 2012. He has served as an intelligence analyst and is currently assigned to the 27th Infantry Brigade Combat Team headquarters in Syracuse.

Army warrant officers are technical experts who posses special skills and expertise they range from intelligence specialists, to administrative experts, to artillery fire support technicians to helicopter pilots. They receive their name because they receive a "warrant" appointing them to their positions and not the commission that traditional officers receive.

Warrant Officers fall between the non-commissioned officer corps (sergeants) and the commissioned officers (lieutenants to generals) in the Army chain of command.

Pennell has been awarded the Combat Action Badge and the Army Commendation Medal. He is currently working on a master's degree in intelligence management.

After completing Warrant Officer Candidate School he will become a human intelligence collection specialist.