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Comment by 1after909 on February 17, 2016 at 2:23pm

Hello Shopgirl
My son graduated OCS 10/10/14. You will learn so much from his class FB page. I have so many happy memories from the graduation.

Comment by CindyN on February 17, 2016 at 2:10pm

Shopgirl - If you scroll through old messages here, you will find lots of good information. Things are always changing but I will pass on information from last summer.  OCS training is 12 weeks. Graduation events are usually the Thursday afternoon/evening (Hi Mom's Reception) and Friday (Graduation) of that 12th week. 

That said, your loved one could "roll" for any number of reasons such as failing a "rollable test" or getting injured. If they roll into H class or Med Hold, they roll back into a later OCS class on 3 week increments.  For example, if they fail the RLP test at week 6, they would move into H class. While in H class they study and make prepratations for attempting 3 weeks later to pass the test that they originally missed.  If they get injured, they could be out for longer.

The general advice is to not make any reservations you can not cancel without cost until after the RLP test at week 6. There are other rollable events/tests after that but, in general, it is more unusual to roll after week 6.

Your LO may not have orders until right before graduation, or even after, so it is hard to know if you should plan on heading home on Friday night or staying for the weekend. When they get orders, as others have said, they may go home and pack up or they may have to report directly to their first assignment.

It is difficult to know what is best for how long to stay. At a minimum, you will want to be in Newport Thursday noon through Friday about 6pm.

Hang on for the exciting, and occasionally bumpy ride! My son is now learning a lot and generally having a great time with his first ship assignment.

Best of luck and feel free to ask questions here. This is a helpful group.  You will also want to get connected into your LO's OCS class on Facebook. The Facebook group is usually something like "Friends and Family of Navy OCS Class xx-xx" but is occasionally named something slightly different.

Comment by navymom1304 on February 17, 2016 at 2:07pm

Welcome Shopgirl! My son graduated OCS July 2015. OCS is scheduled for 12 weeks but there are many reasons a candidate can roll (placed out of class for 3 weeks) which delays the graduation. The graduation usually takes place the fri of week 12. The Hi Moms evening celebration is usually the night before (thurs). 

The best way to stay informed is to join the class FB page. They are usually listed as Friends and Family of (your candidate's class number). For example, mom son's was friends and family of 1415

All the best

Comment by PAW on February 17, 2016 at 2:05pm

Congratulations Shopgirl, and welcome aboard.

My son's graduation took place on a Friday in 2014. In fact, we are leaving next week to fly out to Pensacola for his Winging Ceremony!

For OCS, we arrived 2 days before, and stayed a couple of days after.  There will be activities to attend the day before graduation, and the day of graduation. I know they have changed a couple of things since my son's ceremony, so I don't want to steer you wrong on what to expect.

 Since we traveled from the West Coast, we made it into a mini vacation. Be aware though, that some of the grads do not get their orders until the day of graduation (my son didn't get his until after the ceremony), so be prepared for some confusion/stress.

I would highly recommend you do not make any reservations until you know your son makes it through all the main tests. You don't want your son to have any added stress about passing then he will already have.

I found my biggest source of information/support came from my son's class Facebook page.  It will be labeled US Navy OCS Class (your son's class number here) Family, or something like it.  Your son's may be up and running now, but if not, you can do a search, and contact the site manager.  They are extremely helpful, and you will also get a chance to connect with other parents going through exactly what you are, then you will get to meet them at the graduation...pretty cool.  If you scroll down this comment wall, you will see other parents talking about their soon to be officers facebook groups.  You will need to know your son's class number.

It is quite the journey, with each phase seeming to take forever, until before you know it you are in another whole new place.  :)

Comment by JediGrey on February 17, 2016 at 12:57pm

My son graduated last winter. Truthfully it is a blur. We got into RI a day early, had the Hi Moms reception the next evening, graduation next morning. That happened to be the worst winter in memory and a lot of the activities that normally happen were canceled. It was difficult to book flights because our officer didn't get his orders until graduation. Then we had just enough time to get him home, pack his belongings and drive straight to Pensacola to check in just in time. As I recall graduation can get delayed due to weather, rolling, etc. So I wouldn't recommend booking flights yet. But you can research the area and figure out what you would like to see and do while you are there. Good luck. Stay calm. You are in for an interesting ride.

Comment by 1after909 on January 18, 2016 at 9:28pm

Hello,
My so. Graduated from Newport, RI a long time ago-OCS 01-15, but I have such happy memories of meeting with other families, attending his graduation, and exploring Newport!

Comment by Lauren on December 18, 2015 at 5:00pm

The Navy Friends and Family page for 08-16 is up on Facebook!

https://www.facebook.com/groups/521887187992172/

Comment by M's mom on November 11, 2015 at 9:39am

Happy Veterans Day to all of our sailors!   Let's all thank them for their service to our country.

Comment by lmc11 on October 26, 2015 at 4:56pm

There is now a Facebook group for "Friends and Family of Navy OCS Class 06-16".  These groups are a great resource for providing information and support. It is a closed group so you must request access to join. https://www.facebook.com/groups/865259606922283/

Comment by lmc11 on October 25, 2015 at 10:37pm

Thanks Doreen and CL! Blessings to all our LOs :-).

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