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Comment by jsefamily on May 16, 2018 at 12:43pm

jesnavymom, most of the experiences of the moms here may be outdated on Candio boxes. The best insight for current Candio boxes rules would be your class Facebook page. There is usually an admin that can and does provide current protocol. As for the boxes themselves, Pinterest is loaded with great ideas and examples. It’s a fun project and expression of love and fun to your LO. Enjoy!

Comment by M's mom on May 16, 2018 at 12:27pm

jesnavymom:

I believe that is now correct.  When my son was at OCS six years ago, they COULD receive food in their boxes, so of course, we moms all sent our candidates boxes stuffed with homemade cookies and other sweet treats.  Since they were all sugar-deprived at that point, having not been allowed any desserts or between-meal snacks for 9 weeks, they all gorged themselves on the goodies and made themselves sick.  (My son said it was worth it, though. ha!)  So, I think that is why they don't allow food anymore.

Anyway, DO NOT send anything but letters, until they officially become CANDIOs (Candidate Officers) at week ten.  Write CANDIO on the outside of the box, so the mailroom will know they are allowed to have it. 

Some families have sent magazines of interest and books, but the CANDIOs will be running the training regiment then, and have little time for reading anyway.  I suppose you could ask your LO if there are any non-food items that they would like you to send.   It kind of takes the fun out of it if we can't send homemade goodies, but this is just a baking Mom talking here!

Comment by jesnavymom on May 16, 2018 at 10:43am

Do we send CANDIO boxes for our LOs in OCS? If so, I was told it CANNOT include food. Correct?

Comment by PKM on May 14, 2018 at 1:33pm

Regarding the Hi Mom's Dinner. Some people dressed very formally, long dresses (but no tuxedos).  Others had on very nice dresses and the men wore suits and ties.  Wear what is comfortable and just have a good time.

Comment by PKM on May 14, 2018 at 1:26pm

So as I read these postings, I realize that anyone who has made it it OCS Graduation has run the gauntlet of things that can and often do go wrong. I agree with the items that should have been cleared, or "fixed" or will just DQ them before the candidates go off to OCS. I am learning that what we see as reasonable or common sense is seen very differently by the military. Good luck to all new supporters of an OCS son/daughter, 

Comment by M's mom on May 13, 2018 at 9:29pm

Allison,

Good for him!!  I know the military can issue waivers on a case-by-case basis, so I'm glad your son insisted they try for him. 

I understand that pilots/NFO's must have certain physical size and abilities for their own and everyone's safety when flying, but it seems to me, before being accepted to OCS as SNA/NFO, they could be given a full flight physical.  It just seems so wrong to accept these kids to OCS, and then DQ them for flight in the middle of OCS, after all they've put into it.

There was one Mom here in this group a while back who said her son was medically DQ'd for flight at OCS, and was told there were no other open designators he could switch to. He was told he had to leave OCS, and was discharged!!!!!!!  That's just ridiculously cruel.  The poor kid.

Comment by Allison on May 12, 2018 at 5:15pm

My DS was told by OCS doctors that he had "virtually no chance" of becoming a pilot because of some medical history and they showed him the written regulations. But he convinced them to send in the paperwork anyway to see what would happen. He is a Patriots fan and he kept telling us, "28 to 3, you never know." (Pats fans will know what I mean). Two months later, he called us screaming "Touch down! I made it." :-)

Comment by Andy'sMom on May 12, 2018 at 3:16pm

One more for the crazy side:  a daughter of a friend went to OSC as a pilot. During her physical, her arms were measured and found to be less than an inch too short to be a pilot!  She appealed the findings and was told she could still go thru as a pilot, however, because her arms were too short, she ran a high risk of injury and/or death in training and she would waive all her beneficiary rights!  She also was able to switch to a different designator.

Comment by Andrea S on May 12, 2018 at 1:39pm

My son is a PP and we still went to 2 different flight surgeons that were military just to make sure he would pass the flight physical before he started this process.  Even a FAA medical doctor may not give the same flight physical that they do in the military. So if you know anyone wanting to be a SNA tell them to find a FAA medical doctor that is ex-military and get a full exam!! 

Comment by M's mom on May 12, 2018 at 11:44am

jsefamily:

That's just nuts.  The military has some screwy policies.  What if an OCS candidate is waiting to report and has an attack of acute appendicitis?  Are they allowed to have their appendix removed?

For the pilot candidates, they apparently don't give them a complete flight physical at MEPS, which is more stringent than the usual one.  Then they get to OCS, and are given a flight physical and then some are medically DQ'd for flight, after all that work it took to get to OCS!!!! 

That happened to my son.  He went to OCS as a pilot candidate, then was medically DQ'd for some minor anomaly that wasn't caught in two different MEPS physicals.  Fortunately, he was allowed to remain at OCS and switch to a different designator.  If he would have been thrown out of OCS at that point, after all the hoops he had to jump through to get there, we all would have been furious.  (Not that it would have done any good!)  But how cruel to let these kids into OCS, and then DQ them for something that should have been caught before.

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