OCS Graduate Moms

it is nerve racking, hang in there.  My son really liked getting mail so write as often as you can.  He wont be able to talk to you for the first 3 weeks but can send you letters when he has time.  They are very busy studying and getting ready for inspections so dont worry too much if he doesnt write often.  I know the first 3 weeks are the hardest on them and on their love ones at home so hang in there it does go by pretty fast.

TxNavyWife: I agree with Tiggermanic and use 01-16. You may hear later that his is in Alpha or Bravo company.  Then, start addressing his letter 01-16A or 01-16B. But don't worry, the letters find their way to them.  He won't receive mail the first week but do write.  He will need to get some mail after that first hard week.  As for the Facebook page, there could be one but it is set to "secret" so then, unfortunately you can't find it.  Next week when the OTC page (hopefully) posts pictures and starts an album for 01-16, you can comment on that album asking if there is a Facebook page for that class.  Someone maybe able to give you a pointer or get you invited to the group.  Or you may want to start one yourself.  I bet other Friends and Family are looking for one as well! The last few classes have used the name format "Navy OCS xx-xx Friends & Family" and set their privacy to "closed".  Closed lets people see there is a group, ask to join, but not what the posts are.  Hang in there.  Feel free to ask questions on here, even if you find a Facebook page.

Thanks guys! I knew this site would be helpful again! I never thought we'd be doing the whole boot camp thing again, but here we are! If I don't see a fb group sometime this week I may go ahead and start one. 1 day down 81 to go! lol  

My son reported seven months the after he was accepted.  He is Civil Engineering Corps.  

I think it depends on what job they will be doing.  It took them almost a year before he got his date to report but he is a pilot.

Doreen: OCS tends to group the candidates into classes with similar designators, for instance my son's OCS class were all either aviators (pilot or NFO) or nuclear officers.  They may be gathering a class of supply officers before they schedule your son.  Things can change quickly.  My son graduated in May 2012, and was told he would not be reporting until maybe December.  Then, his recruiter called and said they had moved him up to June 14th!   So your son should memorize NOW all that Navy knowledge they are expected to know, and work out like crazy to get in excellent shape, and he will be glad he did when he gets to OCS!

TxNavyWife:  I agree with the others-- I think the OCS class started on July 26 is 01-16.  Looks like that class is set to graduate (provided some don't "roll" back) on October 16.  The reason for the confusing class numbering is that the Navy begins their new fiscal year on Oct 1.  So the first OCS class to graduate after October 1, 2015 becomes 01-16, and so on, every three weeks.

You will not hear much from your LO (loved one) for three weeks, but do write letters as much as you can.  Letters are the candidates' only connection to the outside world for several weeks until they pass the dreaded RLP inspection at 3-4 weeks, then they are usually allowed email.  You will hear much more from him after he gets email.   

Make sure everyone you give his address to knows to send ONLY letters, in plain white regular or business-sized envelopes.  NO musical cards or decorated envelopes and no "contraband" (which is anything but letters)   Some DI's don't even allow them to be sent loose photographs, but you can photocopy or print photos into the letter itself.  I believe they can also be sent postage stamps and phone cards, because they are allowed to have those, but do not let anybody send him treats of any kind before he becomes a Candi-O at week ten, or he will be punished!

Thanks everyone for your advice.  My son is doing all his PT work prior to reporting and is in great shape.  He goes in spurts on memorizing the stuff.  He is just ready to get there and start that next phase in his life. 

GalleyMom:  Hope you are planning some extra time in Newport so you can maybe tour some of those "summer cottages" of the late 1800's old rich, like The Breakers or Marble House.  (Which folks like me would call "fabulous mansions" and not summer cottages!  haha) 

Help! I was running some errands today and realized that we forgot to pick up a phone card for my husband who started OCS last Sunday.  Am I allowed to send him one in the mail? Would it be better to just photo copy the front and back so it's not detected as something other than paper? 

Will he even need one? Or will they send him to the nex if he didn't have one?  Things at OCS sound so much stricter than we had to deal with when he was at boot camp, I don't want to do anything wrong, or get him unfavorably noticed. 

I checked the OCS website packing list and didn't see phone cards on there, but I swear I saw it somewhere that they needed one (maybe this was left over info/thinking from our bootcamp days)

Any experience on this? Thanks

As of a few classes ago (14-15 or 15-15), they didn't call until the end of week 3.  So you have time.

I can't say with 100% certainly if it would be better to photocopy it. If you don't want to worry about getting on the wrong side of a rule, I would say to photocopy it. I can tell you that he should be fine, at least the first week or two of calling without one.  My son said that there were a lot of cards by the phones. Once the OCs get their phones back, I am guessing they leave their phone cards by the phones.  

I didn't know anything about the need for phone cards and had a similar panicked moment.  I didn't even know where to get a phone card. I found https://attprepaidcard.amssupport.net/ and got one online.  They don't actual mail you a card. They just show you the information on your screen.  I printed that out and mailed it to my son.  You will also see they have a discount for military.  I actually used that.  It just asked for my son's name.  His name is on the credit card I used (leftover from when he was in college). I don't know if it would work if the name you enter isn't on the credit card you use but worth a try, if you haven't already purchased one.

But whatever you decide, I am sure it will be just fine! 

TxNavyWife:  I don't think they actually NEED to have phone cards, but if you want him to call you when he is allowed to do so, after week three or so, he will have to do it from a pay phone, so he will need a pre-paid phone card.  I think you are allowed to send those in the mail because the candidates are allowed to have those in their possession.

  If they are allowed to go to the NEX, he could buy one there.  I think some folks on here said you could buy the cards at Walgreens stores.  I'm not sure I would be comfortable just buying an "image" of a card online like CL, ---just "old school" me!!!     Get a card with LOTS of minutes, because when my son was at OCS, the pay phones charged the cards 15 minutes just to connect the call before you even talked!!!!!!!   My son's class were not given their cell phones back until they became Candios at week ten, but it varies with what their DI allows.

Thanks CL and M's mom! 

I will go ahead and try to find a pre paid phone card to tomorrow. I'll sleep on whether to just send the card or send a copy of it. Since there's no mail Sunday I've got some time. I figured they don't get their phones back til their last phase, but I definitely want a phone call if he's given the opportunity. I think it would feel pretty miserable on his end to not be able to call if he didn't have one (and was unable to get one via by the phone or from another candidate). Thanks for your experience and expertise! It's different being back on the learning side again. I considered myself pretty knowledgeable after boot camp, but I feel like I'm having to learn this all over again!

GalleyMom, thank you SO much for that little tidbit! Almost made me cry! (First week with no contact I think is the hardest). I will probably go ahead and just send the phone card. I've been keeping a look out for any photos on the FB page but have yet to see anything. I'm a little jealous of the families from the class before his, as it looks like they even had pictures of the first day just a week in! I understand it's not guaranteed to happen, but it would be nice to see. 

Thanks again, would you let me know if your son feeds you anything else about that class?  

>The person in charge of posting photos has been busy taking photos of your husband's class since day one. They should appear this next week

Even just hearing this is a huge relief, thanks!

Hi GalleyMom!  My son is a Civil Engineer.  Since they are part of the SeaBees, they are considered "The Warriors" of of Naval officers.  A retired CO recommended a sword and that's what's we did.  He was thrilled.  We had it mounted with engraving of his graduation information and a quote he closed all of his OCS correspondence.  All the best in your Navy family experience.

GalleyMom:  My son asked that we NOT get him a sword because he said unless he used it for a military wedding, that it would just hang on the wall gathering dust. We got him an "Ensign box" made of oak to store his ribbons, pins, and medals while his uniforms are at the cleaners.  It looks like a women's jewelry box with lots of felt-lined compartments.  We had it engraved with his name, the Navy emblem, and OCS graduation date.  He loved it and still uses it today.  Go to "The Good Wood Store" online and search for "military  graduation boxes"

We also got our son a large, durable, folding garment carrier, (luggage -style) and took that with us to graduation.  We also took several soft, collapsible pieces of luggage which my husband and I stuffed into our own suitcases for the flight to Providence.   My son arrived at OCS with just a small carry-on suitcase and then they issued him a sea bag.   There is NO WAY they can stuff five sets of uniforms and matching shoes/boots, and hats and all the gear they've had to buy at OCS into that sea bag and carry-on.   Many families hit the local Walmart in town after graduation to buy more luggage, so we went prepared.  My son was able to fly home with us, and he had the sea bag, garment carrier, and two soft duffle bags stuffed full of his gear.  So I always recommend a gift of luggage!    My son appreciated the garment carrier and still uses it for his uniforms whenever he travels with them, because it keeps things relatively unwrinkled vs. a suitcase.

Some parents who have the means to do so, pay off their new ensign's uniform bill at the NEX, which is usually three thousand dollars or more.  Coincidentally, (or not,) the candidates are paid just about that much for "duty" at OCS, so most of them just break even, after paying their NEX bill.

Note to TXNavyWife: If your husband was issued his first set of uniforms for free as an enlisted sailor, it may come as a surprise to you that the officers have to BUY them!  My son even had to pay for his meals when he was on an aircraft carrier for ten months!   (Don't get me started on a rant about how our military cannot afford to feed our officers for free while they are deployed on a ship.)    I will stop now before my humble opinions get me in trouble!     ;-)

GalleyMom, we gave our son a travel garment bag for his uniforms.  A good one, which will last, can be expensive, but it is a needed item for all their uniforms.  There were a lot of OCS families running to the local Walmart to pick up a cheap one for their graduates.  

It held his blues & whites, with room for more.  I got him one with wheels & a handle.  Hopefully it will last him the 8+ years he will need it.

no worries - I had to learn too - they are their uniforms (a blue/black one & a white one), which are quite heavy & bulky

Mimi: Yes, a 3-4 business suit bag would not be too big!  When my son deployed, he had to take ALL of his uniforms with him, so he was prepared for whatever the occasion, even dress uniforms.  What you're looking for is not just a vinyl bag like a new suit would come in, but an actual piece of luggage that unfolds to about 50-55" long that they can put uniforms in on hangers, and then fold it over and zip it or strap it together.  My son's has lots of interior and exterior pockets on it for more gear.  Search Amazon for "folding garment bag."

My son is in his 8th week as well and doesn't yet have his orders.  He is SWO so he chose his ship but doesn't yet know when he will report. There is another SWO in his class who will be on the same ship. The other candidate received his orders a week or so ago. I have heard that some candidates have received their orders just a day or two before graduation. So I don't think it is something to be worried about. I am learning that everything with the Navy is "normal".

Mimi: Oops - My son is not week 8, he is week 11! How did I lose 3 weeks?? Yikes! My son is in 15-15.  They chose their ships around week 7 or 8. Have the SWOs in 16-15 chose their ships? If so, that is strange that your son didn't get a ship at that time.  But it is probably best to assume it is just "Navy-normal" for your sanity!

Mimi: Actually, I think 16-15 is mainly Sub/Nukes (based on something my son said).  So I wonder if there are just not enough SWOs in that class to do the selection process.  That may be why he doesn't have his ship yet. 

Mimi: I think my son would say it was more tiring that stressful. I think that is part of the Navy's plan to see how they function and handle stress without much sleep. If there are a group of SWOs in the class and none of them have their ship yet, I think that means they just haven't had a chance yet to do the selection process. At this point, I have to believe they will wait until after all their tests this week.

Mimi:  They wind up with about 5 different uniform sets. In the summer they wear "whites" which are white slacks, white shirt, white shoes, and a white billed hat ("cover.")   For formal summer occasions (like OCS graduation) they wear a high-collared white coat (called a "choker"--obvious when you see one), and even white gloves!  In winter they wear dress blues, which are like a dark "navy" blue business suit with white shirt and black tie, and black shoes.  They also have a khaki-colored shirt/slacks uniform with khaki "cover," and a blue camouflage uniform with black boots and camo hat.  I think my son also has a black short jacket that is worn over the khaki uniform in chilly weather.  With all the boots and shoes and coats and hats and pants, it's quite a lot to pack. 

Mimi and CL:  Sometimes their orders don't come in until graduation week, or later.  My son's orders did not arrive until the Wednesday of grad week. Some of them actually graduate without orders and then have to stay at the base in Newport until they arrive.  Don't worry, the orders will show up eventually.  Then, they will have to hustle and report to their next duty station, only to be put on "stash duty" (basically doing nothing) until their class starts in 3-4 weeks!   "Hurry up and wait" is pretty much normal for the military.

M's Mom, 

We are counting on him having to buy uniforms so it's not much of a shock. He did take some of his NWU's with him though. I'm hoping he was able to just get his labels changed out rather than having to buy more of them. But I'm preparing to hear him say that they made him buy new ones along with everyone else. So we'll see! - Do you know if the uniforms are taken directly out of their pay check? Or how they're supposed to pay for the stuff while they're there? (In charge of the banking while he's gone and if I need to keep a little extra in his checking account it would be good to know!)

TxNavyWife: I believe they settle up their uniform account before they leave the base after graduation.  My son is just starting week 11 and he has not yet paid for his uniforms. I have been watching his bank accounts. There have been the occasional charges at the NEX for haircuts and other incidentals every week or two. So far no large charges or checks for uniforms.

TxNavyWife - I know they got a 10% discount if they applied for and used their Star Card to buy their uniforms.  The uniform allowance covered about 2/3 and my son got his in his pay shortly before graduation.  I don't know if the discount applied if they used an existing Star Card and don't know how/if being prior enlisted affects the uniform allowance.

TXNavyWife:  They are allowed to run a "tab" at OCS, but it must be paid before they leave.  I'm not sure if this is still done or not, but my son's classmates 3 yrs ago were offered NEX credit cards a week or two before graduation with a "20% off your first purchase" deal.  My son and most of them took the card, then made their "first purchase" by paying their uniform bill with the card, which my son said saved him about $700.  Then he had 30 days to pay off the card balance without incurring interest, which he had enough saved to do.  I think he said he was paid about enough while at OCS to buy his uniforms.   So tell your husband to take the credit card deal if it's still offered.  He can then use the NEX credit card at any NEX in the world.

Happy Birthday to me!  The OCS fb page just posted photos of my husband's class, and he's in a couple! Knowing I wouldn't be getting a letter or phone call today, it was hard not feeling just a little bit bummed out, but  having the pictures posted has brightened my day a bit! One week down!

TxNavyWife: Happy Birthday! That is a nice birthday present! Pictures and (even better) pictures that he is in. Did you find a Facebook group for the class? That could be the frosting on your birthday cake!

I have not seen a FB group for them yet. I'm not sure whether I want to take liberty and do it myself or not. 

Thank you for the birthday wishes! 

bkell32, I'll admit that I Identified one of his by his butt up in the air in a push up! lol (and also his sneakers)

TxNavyWife: Just noticed that someone posted the group name in the comment of that album: https://www.facebook.com/groups/ocsclass0116/?hc_location=ufi

bkell32: When I first started looking at pictures of my son's class, I was wishing I had taken a picture of his sneakers before he left. He has gotten some that wouldn't stand out and I was really regretting that! Bright pink would have been my choice in hindsight.

Awesome, I didn't see that! Maybe I looked through before the comment was there. Thanks!

Well hell must have frozen over! Not only did I get facebook pictures, but I got a LETTER! I didn't think I'd receive anything for at least 3 weeks. What a special day!

TxNavyWife: I can address this one, at least one of your two questions because I did the same thing and I was really worried. Turns out I didn't need to worry. I knew I was suppose to use OC and thought I was. I was using an online service (where you can just send an email, they print it out and put it in the mail near their base so it took a couple of days off of the delivery time) and I didn't realize that I didn't pick the correct "name format" in the tool so it wasn't adding the OC title I had included.  I think I noticed it sometime at the end of week two. It turns out it was just fine and it didn't cause my son to get any extra attention and he got all the letters. 

Using that experience, I can't imagine it would be a problem to have last name first.  I did use first name first and last name second. If that was incorrect, it didn't cause any problems.I am glad you got all your jitters out of the way this first week so you can relax for the next 11 weeks! :-) Ok, you won't...but wouldn't it be nice if you could!

Thanks! I wrote that post and deleted after I checked the mail and found his letter. He's got the OC and his name written like normal people, so I'll start doing that.....His second set of zip he sent is -1644 though, and everything else I've seen says -1641. Being it's the last of the second set of numbers I'm hoping it doesn't matter.  I'm assuming I should keep using the 1641?

And I can't thank you ladies enough for answering all these things for me! You have been SO wonderful and patient with all my questions!

Just knowing that he'll get my mail, and he can write now (in the first week?!  wow!) just takes a huge weight off. It should be a breeze from now :)

Thank you, Galley Mom! It has indeed been quite a day! Surprise after surprise of the best kinds! 

TxNavyWife: I guess I would use 1644 for future letters.  The address on the website says 1641 but looking back, the picture of the address card my son send us when he checked in used 1644.  That is what I used and I know he was getting them.  I am sure he will get the 1641 letters as well but you might as well help the post office deliver the letters as quick as possible.

bkell32 my LO (son) is in the nupoc program too. he just finished week 8 at OCS. he is in class 16-15F. count down has started till our trip to the east coast for graduation.

not sure when yet but yes he will be eventually going to SC in dec or feb. He is trying to fit in sub school first and i am not sure where that is. it is getting close enough that i amplanning what to wear to Hi moms on thurs and then graduation. plane ticket bought and motels booked. just sent his candi-o box yesterday with homemade goodies just as he requested. you have so much to look forward to watching your daughter process thru OCS the waiting for news from them and waiting for pictures on the officer command training fb page. 

Navyblessing2015 i am not sure what my LO gpa was i do know he graduated Cum Laude and to get that you must have at least a 3.65. I do know in just he major his gpa was much higher closer to 3.8 

 navyblessing2015,  My LO's GPA was 3.6. He graduated with a  professional pilots degree. He graduated OCS this past summer and is now starting Flight school. It also took just a little over a year for the application process. OCS is tough... when you graduate from OCS you are among the elite. Have your LO work out as much as possible. My LO worked out with a Navy Seal for 7 months.  Physically he was prepared. He was the class Guidon (class flag bearer) but and I mean BUT.... Mentally he went in thinking "I've got this" in the 4th week he failed RLP (by 1 point..Room,Locker, and Personal Inspection, and it's a lot harder than it sounds!!) and was sent back 4 weeks!! That ended up being the best thing for him... yes he was devastated, yes he questioned should he be there... but he stuck to it!! So yes physically he was prepared.. they couldn't break him...mentally they did what it took to break him.. You will become very aware of Rollable Events (test that will send your LO back 4 weeks) if that happens, just breathe, and write your LO everyday.  Rollable events happen throughout OCS, we knew nothing about them!!! We found out the hard way..so prepare yourself and your LO before entering OCS.   You are about to climb abroad the most exciting Roller Coaster of your Life!! Best of Luck to your LO we are so proud of all the LO's coming out of OCS!! 

Quilter:  Good to hear from you again, and glad to hear your son is starting flight school.  I'm sure he is "chomping at the bit" as they say, to get going!!   I'm sure he will do well, since he is already a pilot.

Class 01-16 could use some prayers and good vibes for tomorrow. They should be doing their RLPs. Yikes!

TxNavyWife:  Hope your hubby and the rest of his class passed RLP.  It's always a big relief to the candidates (and the families) when they pass that.  They will now get email privileges so you will hear more from him than with snail  mail. There are still more big inspections to come but RLP is the worst!

As far as I know 5 out of 56 in his group did not pass the first go around, and 6 out of the other (likely equally sized group). I'm hoping they all managed to pass their do over. 

Some got phone calls from their SO's who needed some missing paper work, and they said that we should be getting a phone call this weekend, so the phone is glued to my hand.  Can't wait for that email to start coming though!