By Alabama Public Radio
Anniston, AL – About 300 soldiers from across the country will begin officer candidate school in Anniston this weekend. It will occur at the Army National Guard Training Center. Captain Josh Cloud, the school's operations officer, says the school is one of the most intense in the nation. National Guard soldiers will train for 57 consecutive days to prepare for service in Iraq. It's the only school in the country that conducts all officer training in one place. Cloud says he expects about 80 students to fail. He says most failures occur because soldiers get injured and can't keep up.