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Comment by Lindsay on November 11, 2013 at 7:25pm

My fiancé left for OTCN in September and I was curious because I know it was brought to his attention by his recruiter, his weight.  He worked hard before he left, but I am not sure it was enough.  What happens if they are not the right weight?  He told me they have like a "fat camp."  Do they and how long would that be?  Would it also mean he doesn't graduation or continue with the class he was assigned?

 

Anything information would be greatly appreciated and helpful.  I am new to this whole process and haven't gotten much from my fiancé.

Thanks :)

Comment by Lindsay on November 11, 2013 at 6:44pm

My fiancé is there right now in Class 05-14.....any others on here have a loved one in that class? 

I have gotten 2 letters that haven't contained all too much information, so if anyone has anything to share, I'd love to hear it!

Comment by Marmie on October 17, 2013 at 10:12am

Just realized that Christmas is just around the corner!  I don't believe my LO (class starting Oct. 27)  will be able to make it home for the holidays - any suggestions on what can be sent to him?  I do know that whatever I send can be disposal - after he opens it he can trash it.  Can they get "personal" stuff like socks?  Or just keep with the candy, food, toys that can be thrown away?  Thaxnks

Comment by M's mom on October 15, 2013 at 11:22pm

Marmie-- Yes, it might be a good idea to wait until your son writes and tells you it is OK to send a phone card in his letters.  The DI's vary in their strictness, but their word is LAW.  You can, however, send several "high minutes" phone cards WITH him and he will be allowed to keep those.  We bought ours at Walmart.  I'm not sure the brand makes any difference as long as they are national coverage.  They have moved into a new barracks since  my son went to OCS, so hopefully the phones are better.  The ones my son used charged his card 15 minutes just to CONNECT the call, and then you could hardly hear him-- the connection was so bad. Not sure if collect calls are possible.   After that first short  phone call the night they check in (or the next day) they usually can't call again for another 3 weeks or so, and then only on weekends. They usually are given email privileges after week 4, and then you hear from them more often.  Kids today don't like to write letters by hand!!!!!  Make sure he knows your phone # and email address from memory, as he will have to actually type it in. No "contacts list" access.

Comment by Marmie on October 15, 2013 at 6:45am

M's mom - thanks for the heads up.  I had not planned to send anything fancy.  My LO was saying he didn't want anything and I told him that it would be like camp - an opportunity to step away from everything via a short note.  I had even been hesitant about the phone cards and was going to wait to hear from him.  In fact I looked up to see if one can still make collect calls!  Thanks for the suggestions on copying or adhering loose information to the letter as well as the candio boxes after week 9.

 

Comment by M's mom on October 14, 2013 at 11:08pm

Marmie:  As far as letters to your son at OCS, be aware that this is NOT the same as camp!  Do not send ANYTHING, no gifts or food or books, except maybe prepaid phone cards for the pay phones, in your letters to him for the first nine weeks until he is a Candidate Officer (Candio) at week ten.  The drill instructors vary in their strictness as to what they allow to be sent, but my son's class had these mail rules: Letters ONLY in plain white envelopes.  No colored or decorated envelopes.  Definitely NO musical cards!!!  The idea is to not have their mail stand out and catch the DI's attention in any way. No loose enclosures like photographs or cartoons, only phone cards.  We were able to photocopy and/or computer-print pictures and cartoons and newspaper clippings onto the same-sized paper as the letter and send that with the letters, and that was OK.  ABSOLUTELY NO FOOD OR CANDY, not even gum, until they are Candios at the beginning of week ten. If anything other than letters is sent before then, it will be confiscated as contraband and the receiver is punished, even if they didn't request it!  In my son's class, someone's dear Auntie sent him cookies at week three and he had to do 800 pushups!!! (You read that right- 800!)  So tell ANYONE that you give your son's OCS address to about these rules, so they don't innocently get him in trouble--letters ONLY in plain white envelopes.  This is NOT camp!  Some DI's are more lenient, but best to err on the side of caution.  However, when they graduate to being Candios at the end of week nine, THEN they can receive "Candio Boxes" with as many goodies stuffed into them as you can pack.  Most people use a US Postal Service flat-rate mailing box that makes a box 12"x12"x6" and decorate it inside in a Navy theme, and pack it with cookies, and whatever snacks the Candio is craving by now.  The only rules are: NO alcohol, NO tobacco, and NO weapon-like items, like no squirt guns, laser-tag guns, rubber-band guns, etc.   Feel free to copy and paste these "OCS Mail Rules" into your class's Facebook pages so the families know.  None of this info was posted on the OCS website when my son went--just the mailing address!!!!

Comment by M's mom on October 14, 2013 at 10:14pm

As gordons4 said, make sure you don't make any non-refundable reservations until you're sure your loved one won't  be "rolled" back.  If Southwest Airlines flies out of where you live, they don't charge a fee like most to change your reservations. You will fly into Providence, and then it's about 30-40 min drive to Newport. To folks in warmer climates, beware that there can be blizzards and flight delays in New England in January, and it WILL be cold!  Shouldn't have any trouble getting hotel reservations in January in Newport.  It's those summer OCS graduations that have to compete with all the tourists in town. Any of the hotels in Middletown, RI are actually cheaper and closer to the Base than Newport hotels.

Comment by gordons4 on October 14, 2013 at 11:11am

My son entered OCS October 26 a year ago and graduated at the end of January, so I can let you know what happened last year as far as timing and holiday schedule. OCS basically shut down for 2 weeks at Christmas and the candidates from his class were able to select one of two weeks to take leave. (I cannot remember all the particulars as for as earned leave time vs "borrowed" leave time.) My son opted not to take either week and save up his leave time. (His wife was able to fly in and be with him for a few days after Christmas so he did end up using some leave time.) We talked to our son on Christmas morning and I will say it was hard because he did sound pretty down. He had to be on duty most of the day and I think it really hit him what he was missing "back home." We were able to Face Time with him a couple of days later, however, and he looked and sounded really good.

For graduation we stayed at the Residence Inn in Middletown. It is only a couple of miles from base and worked out real well because they have suites, which was nice with our teenage son. The good thing about a January graduation is the prices are low and you are not competing with tourists for lodging. The bad thing--it was never over 0 degrees! Us So Cal natives had a hard time with that weather. It was absolutely beautiful but bone-chilling cold. Many of the graduation activities were cancelled or moved inside due to the cold. A bummer, but the whole experience was amazing anyway. Don't book anything non-refundable until they have made it through the first few weeks. There are a number of "rollable" events along the way--especially the first week--and you never know injury-wise what might happen to move your loved one back a class. We made hotel reservations early on, but made sure we could cancel without a problem. At some point your loved one will let you know they feel pretty confident that they will be graduating with their class and then you can really start the planning. We flew in on Tuesday because of the potential for weather delays. We were able to see our son for a bit on Wednesday, but that is not always the case.

Your football thing is a great idea. I love college football, as does my son. I would watch the games with my computer on my lap and type a running commentary of the game--including all the little quips and funny comments we would be making to each other. My letters were numerous pages long. He said he loved those 'cause it made him laugh and he felt like he was actually watching the game. And it was a great way for me to feel connected to him.

Good luck. This is a scary but exciting time. You will survive...and so will your loved ones! I will go join your FB page so maybe I can be of some help to others going through the same timeline as my son did a year ago. I know FB was my saving grace during this time.

Blessings, Sheri

Comment by Marmie on October 14, 2013 at 6:55am

Eightsonthemove - My son isn't as communicative as your husband but goes without saying :).  I did find out from the FB group page that graduation is Jan 31.  We aren't sure about the holiday week but with both my husband and I growing up as military brats we aren't too worried about the holidays - if we see him, we see him. If we don't, we don't.  Although my daughter lives close to Newport so he has a place to go if he wants.  I am putting together my ideas for letters to him - he used to go to camps a lot so it will be something similar.  Although he likes a football team I don't like but I will follow the team so I can send updates :).  And thanks M's mom for the timeline.  Finally any suggestions/recommendations on making hotel reservations for graduation/Hi Moms weekend (especially how soon they can/should be made!). 

Comment by eightsonthemove on October 13, 2013 at 8:55pm

M's mom: Thank you SO much for the information! I feel much better after reading your detailed description of your experience :)

Marmie: How exciting!!! I'm so happy to have someone to touch base with as we get started :) My husband said his graduation date is Jan 31...with an extra week built in for potential 'Holiday break' week. Is your son prior enlisted? Hope this finds you well, soaking up time with your son!

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