Excited for you, Nancy! I think I read my first letter 10 times.
Keep sending letters with all of the trivial info happening in your family, local, and the world. They really do not get much information from outside and have so little time to write to you.
Got my second letter from LO in 08-17B! It was written before the fast cruise. But I haven't gotten a phone call so I believe she's ok for now. She says the poopie suits make them all look like garbage men! She said they are all prepping for RLP inspection which come up this coming Friday
Does anyone know if RLP is Thursday of the 3rd week or Thursday of the 4th week? The NavyDads website says the 4th week. Something I saw on this site made me think the 3rd. Does anyone know for sure based on mail from LO or very recent experience from other classes?
RLP is the third week. First inspection is Thursday. If they don't pass, a second inspection is Friday. My son graduated last year so it is probably the same. Good luck! You will,receive an email if they pass.
Nancy - I can't answer your question as my experience is 1.5 years old. RLP was week 3 then. If you are in the Facebook group for your LO's class, ask on FB. There are likely some people in the group that are also in the FB group of a class or two prior (due to their LOs rolling). If there isn't anyone in your group who is also in the group from a class earlier, you may want to you join the previous group yourself. They shouldn't mind. There were family members from both old and newer classes in the FB group I was in while my son was at OCS. It was a great way to learn what was coming and to pass on helpful hints to those not yet there.
Is this week 2 or 3 for your LO? It is after RLP that (at least it use to be) that they can start to call home on weekends. Then your new stress will be staying close to your phone all weekend so you don't miss the call! Good luck!
Sooooo, 09-17 reports tomorrow! Our 08-17 kiddos are so relieved to be Junior Officer Candidates and no longer ICs. Fast cruise, RLP, done!! On to week 4. Feeling much better now! Thank you to this group for letting me ask so many questions.
Congrats to your Officer Candidate on making it to week four! Big relief for them as well as the families! When they are allowed email, you will have more communication, and that helps morale on both sides.
Congratulations Nancy on your LO's making it to week 4. Yes, when they get access to email you will have easier communication. But keep those encouraging and upbeat letters to your LO. My daughter still lived for mail from home. I would always include cute little pictures - like a ruler character to go along with the RLP!!!!
Hi moms, it's been awhile since my LO graduated from OCS, 2 years this June! It's hard to believe it's been that long already. I wish all of your LO's the best of Luck. Like M's Mom stated back in December, many things have changed since our LO's attended OCS, and it's hard to pass on good advise, mostly because procedures and timelines are always changing. I will say, this site was my lifeline when my LO was going through OCS! From RLP, Holding Class, Medicals, you name it, I learned so much. I wish you all the very best. My LO is doing amazingly well! He loves his career and we are so very proud of him! This past Sept. our family suffered a great loss, our middle son, Army ROTC Senior in college due to graduate this past December, was killed by a distracted driver that pulled out in front of him. He was on his motorcycle and the other driver in a truck. I am still grieving and it's hard to focus. I'm sorry I won't be as much help to this site anymore. But please know all of your LO's will continue to be in my prayers.
I am so very, very sorry for the loss of your son. Words cannot express, and I'm sure words cannot ease your sorrow, but know that we here are all thinking about and praying for you. Since we're all Moms, we get that special mother/child bond.
I am so happy to hear that your officer is doing well. I remember that we all had to reassure you during his time at OCS, but he made it!
My son and wife have been stationed in Japan for a year now and will probably be there two more. They absolutely love Japan. Hubby and I have plane tickets to Tokyo for eight days in July!!! We told the kids that we expect to be given the Grand Tour! haha Son is taking leave that week, so we hope to see some sights with them, and ride the Shinkansen ("bullet train" --200mph.)
M's Mom, have a wonderful time with your DS and DIL, that sounds like a wonderful trip!!
Our LO has his winging ceremony coming up very soon, and my husband and I will be there for sure!! He was 1st in his class and he was able to get his first choice of aircraft. He was born to fly just like his dad!! Like father like son, they both were flying cat age 15!!
Thank you for you words of sympathy, our family has forever been changed, but we have our faith and we lean on each other, and we know we'll be together again. 26 years of marriage and my husband is still my best friend and our Rock! He is hurting very much and missing our Son, but still comforts me daily.
Again have a great trip and prayers for all!!
Quilter, I am so sorry about the loss of your son. I am new to this group, but that doesn't mean I can't still pray for you. I am amazed at how the women in this group seem to genuinely care for each other even though we are complete strangers. Quilter, I have more questions for you concerning your LO, as mine is just beginning as SNA as soon as he gets through OCS. Be on the lookout for a friend request from me and a Private message in your inbox, or maybe you can direct me to another group on this site for SNAs. Not that I will desert OCS moms at all!! Just curious about the next phase.
Hi Nancy, Thank you for your kind words. Our LO graduated from OCS almost 2 years ago. Its the most rewarding ceremony you will ever see!! So much Pride for our LO's in one place!! After graduating he was home for about 3 months waiting for his class/ or place in line to start training. Then Pensacola for about 4 months, and then CRP for over a year. Lots of training/ but my LO loves it!! Now refresh my memory, what is SNA lol
Quilter, SNA is Student Naval Aviator. Is that what your son did? I have heard he will have a break, like you described, I think they call it OHARP, while waiting for his class to start training.
Yes OHARP is correct. As for SNA I never heard my LO say that term, but he is a pilot so it sounds right LoL. Our LO received his orders 1 hour after graduation!! We were sweating bullets! I didn't want to leave him there a minute longer, and he felt the same!! LoL It was nice to have him home for OHARP mostly because, during that time, we were able through this site, talk to other moms who help set up housing in Pensacola. Our LO's do most of it, they call each other up and arrange roommate status and I found the apartments that were highly recommended. We learned a lot. At first we thought our LO would remain in PNS for a while and we mistakenly moved everything down there....WRONG he was only there 4 months and then we helped move him again to CRP. So lesson learned, until they get their Aircraft assignment which takes about a year in half.. Move only what you need to survive. In other words... Need before Want!! Now our LO is about to move to his permanent address, but that will require us to help again, because of the BIG MISTAKE we made as a New Family of a Pilot in the Navy way back in the PNS days!! My advise, Load your LO's car up with little things, that way when the time comes to move again he/she can do it on their own. Of course as a Mom, I enjoyed setting up house for our LO it was fun and if we had to do it all again, most likely, we would have followed him there in our car, picked up a few things THERE and vacationed a few days later!! We rented a UHaul our LO drove his car and my husband and I flew home. Had I known that he would have only been there 4 months in the beginning, he would have had a car load, and our car load and been just fine!! LOL I did learn, pilots on stay in PNS a short time, and move for training. NFO's stay longer in PNS. Hope this helps a little!!
That actually does help a lot. Just what they need for 4 months in PNS, then they move to CRP. Got it.You are correct about NFOs. They do stay in Pensacola longer. Thanks for the advice.
To all the moms on this thread. A great resource and support group that you may want to look into is Blue Star Mothers. Blue Star Moms are moms of active duty military (all branches). There are chapters all over the country. My LO entered the Navy over 2-1/2 years ago. He completed OCS and was commissioned as a Naval Flight Officer in October 2014; did his flight training in Pensacola and was winged in January 2016; and was assigned to his Fleet Replacement Squadron and then permanent squadron in Jacksonville. I just joined Blue Star Moms in June and they have been a wonderful group for helping me through the this journey - especially through his first deployment. As moms, we can use all the support we can get. And we can also use pointers on how best to support our LO's and other heroes currently serving our country.
Nancy, Search at "All Groups" above for the group "Naval Aviation." They are Moms of pilots and NFO's. They are the voices of experience about flight school, and can answer your questions about the process. I'm sure Quilter is a member of that group also.
Quilter, What aircraft did your son choose to fly? First in his class!!! You & your hubby should be justifiably proud! (And you were worried that he wouldn't make it through OCS, and just look at him now!)
I too am so very sorry to hear about your son!!! I know there are no words that can I can offer other than I will be keeping you and your precious family in my prayers. I know how strong the mother/child bond is and can not imagine your grief. I am so glad to hear your officer son is doing well. I cherish the memories of my daughter's winging and she is now deploying regularly with her squadron. Where is your pilot assigned??? God Bless You and bring you peace and comfort.
Thank you Anna, for your Kind words they mean a lot. I'm glad to hear all is well with your daughter, and shes doing well. M's Mom, our son choose the E6 aka 707. He is thrilled!! Thank you ladies for all of your support, It feels good to be back!!
Nancy, I can give you some info about the condo my son and his OCS roommate rented while in flight school at P'cola. He is in Corpus Christi now for primary. We live about 40 miles from the area. Message me if you would like.
I received a message from someone asking for a packing list for OCS. I guess I'm just not up to speed with this site, because I can't figure out how to message back. So thought I'd just post it here:
ITgal: I also got the message but it isn't showing up on the Comment Wall. In the upper right hand corner of this page I see a "send message to the group" which, it seems, doesn't add the message to the comment wall so you can not reply.
I just wanted to highlight an item on the list you sent:
"Running Shoes - Please invest in a quality pair of running shoes less than six months old. You will be running several miles per week, depending on where you are in training."
Good running shoes are very important. I believe they run more than the "several miles per week" and GOOD running shoes are crucial to minimizing injuries. My son ran so much at OCS that he bought a new pair during the week he was home between graduation and reporting to his ship. His shoes weren't worn out but running shoes do have a "mile" life and his OSC shoes were nearing that.You will be looking at pictures on the Newport OCS Facebook page searching for your LO when they all look the same in the exact same uniform. Getting shoes that fit well and are extremely comfortable is the first consideration but if those good shoes also happen to be really brightly colored, it will help you in the hunt for your LO in a few of those Facebook pictures!
I'm a new OCS Mom, my sons class starts Mar 12th. I'm excited for him, very proud and so happy to find this site where there are others Mom's to talk to. Can anyone tell me if they really do post pictures on the Facebook page weekly when they're in class?
NicoleM: They do post photos. When my son was there, I think there might have been a week where they didn't post photos but they were good about posting regularily on a Monday or Tuesday. They put the photos in albums by class. Take a look and you will see pictures from the current classes. If you haven't found the page yet, search for "Officer Training Command Newport".
NicoleM, My son is there right now in week 9. CL is correct. Also, each class has a facebook support group. Search OCS Class ??-17 Family in your facebook search bar. Use whatever class number they assign him. We started back in January and they were great at the beginning about posting pictures every Tuesday morning. Then about week 4 they were late (on Thursday) with only a few pictures. And since then there have been only one or two pictures added. We were spoiled at first, so it's been a little disappointing. Maybe they will get better by the time your son gets there. The same pictures are also posted here in an easy format. You can copy and paste the link. http://www.navydads.com/page/ocs-class-photos
Hi Nancy, Thank you, that's great to know. Maybe they're trying to ease us into not seeing them. That's the part that I think will be the hardest, not being able to call and see how he's doing. Like most kids and especially boys he's not a big communicator and when he was in college I used to have to tell him I was going to report him missing if he didn't call me and check in but this isn't college. I'm happy to know about the family support page, that'll be very helpful. I hear some classes are allowed to call at week 10, do you know if that's true? Congrats that your son only has a few weeks left to go!
NicoleM, Week 3 is the big RLP test. If they pass that, they are given phone priviledges (not their cell but a bank of landlines which they use a phone card to pay for the long distance charges) on weekends to call home for 10 or 15 minutes.
My son was also not a great communicator via phone while in college. But at OCS he fully used all the phone privileges. I think he craved some outside world contact! You should answer any call from the Newport, RI area code. Even after he started calling home on weekends, I wrote every couple of days just so he would have mail and world news than you can't communicate in a 10 minute call.
At the end of week 9/start of week 10. They usually get their cells back and then can call whenever they have free time (if they get reasonable cell reception) however they are really busy working with the new class that just showed up. So I actually heard from my son less the last three weeks. But that is OK as we knew we would see him soon.
Yes, to all that but there is a new change. My son is in the 08-17 class and did not get phone calls until after RLP as CL said. But starting with the 09-17 class, they are allowed phone calls after Fast Cruise which is Friday of second week. The calls are once a week, 15 minutes, from a Newport number. You will never know when to expect it but they are usually on the weekend at first. It could be as early as 6:45 on Sunday morning if no other time slots are available. That happened to us and we almost missed it because my phone was on silent for sleeping, but I happened to be awake and see it light up by my bed. When they get email privileges back (after RLP of third week) then they can give you advanced warning of when to expect the call. CL is right, they do get busy, sometimes too busy to send a quick email, so don't worry!! I have just realized that your son's class will be the indoc class that my son's class works with. My son graduates March 31. Good luck to your boy!
thank you both so much this is great information! I feel a bit more prepared now and so does my son. I will be sure to write him often and will keep my phone close by while he's away. Nancy, will your son's class be working with my son's class when he starts?
My sailor just started OCS today. She has been enlisted for 20 months, so I've got a basic understanding. (I understand about 3/4 of what she is talking about now when she uses Navy Speak...I'm improving. But I still have questions. Hope you can help me out.
Welcome cdav!! First, have you joined Facebook and looked for the Officer Training Command Newport page? It is a good source of information straight from OCS where you can get a little idea of what your daughter is doing and maybe even see a picture or two of her. Also, you should look for a group called, "US Navy OCS Class xx-xx (your daughter's class # here) Friends and Family." Not sure if they've changed the name a little or not as my daughter was in OCS in 2012. There may not be a group set up yet if your daughter just started, but look for groups that are 1 and 2 classes ahead of her and ask to join those groups. This will give you some good information about what your daughter will be doing next!! So what did your daughter do as an enlisted sailor and what does she hope to do as an officer?? I am curious to know what she thinks of bootcamp compared to OCS?!?!?!
If you have any specific questions you need answers to, post them here and I know there are several very supportive moms on here that will be willing to help you out!!! Including me!! :) (I also sent you a welcome message as admin of the Moms of Daughters 2 group!!)
Welcome cdav! My son is there now in 08-17! Anna is right. Join the pages for 08-17, 09-17 and 10-17. We don't talk much on 08-17 but 09-17 and 10-17 talk a LOT. There is not a page yet for 11-17, but I am sure there will be soon. Search for "OCS Class xx-17" and you will find them. Also, things change CONSTANTLY at OCS. Some of the information here is outdated, but most is accurate. What is your daughter's designation?
She was an E-4 and Aviation Machinists Mate working on Helicopter engines in San DIego. Yes I noticed a lot of the info on the website is outdated. I'll be watching for the 11-17 page. Sounds like they're going to be hit with quite a blizzard there tomorrow!
PortMom
Thank you everyone for your comments, I am starving for information about OCS, since this is my first time with my LO there.
Thank you myvampress for the info - very helpful!
I am grateful for this site, found lots of tips from experienced moms/dads! Keep these coming please!
Jan 18, 2017
Nancy
Got first letter from LO in 08-17!!
Jan 20, 2017
bkat3
Excited for you, Nancy! I think I read my first letter 10 times.
Keep sending letters with all of the trivial info happening in your family, local, and the world. They really do not get much information from outside and have so little time to write to you.
It does get better once they get to email!
Jan 20, 2017
Shelby
Jan 21, 2017
Nancy
No phone calls here either, so that is good I guess. Letter was very positive! LO actually having a good time! Makes me feel so much better.
Jan 21, 2017
Nancy
Does anyone know if RLP is Thursday of the 3rd week or Thursday of the 4th week? The NavyDads website says the 4th week. Something I saw on this site made me think the 3rd. Does anyone know for sure based on mail from LO or very recent experience from other classes?
Jan 23, 2017
Doreen
Jan 23, 2017
CindyN
Nancy - I can't answer your question as my experience is 1.5 years old. RLP was week 3 then. If you are in the Facebook group for your LO's class, ask on FB. There are likely some people in the group that are also in the FB group of a class or two prior (due to their LOs rolling). If there isn't anyone in your group who is also in the group from a class earlier, you may want to you join the previous group yourself. They shouldn't mind. There were family members from both old and newer classes in the FB group I was in while my son was at OCS. It was a great way to learn what was coming and to pass on helpful hints to those not yet there.
Is this week 2 or 3 for your LO? It is after RLP that (at least it use to be) that they can start to call home on weekends. Then your new stress will be staying close to your phone all weekend so you don't miss the call! Good luck!
Jan 23, 2017
Nancy
Thank you CL and Doreen. CL, this is week 3. Thanks for the good advice!
Jan 23, 2017
Nancy
Sooooo, 09-17 reports tomorrow! Our 08-17 kiddos are so relieved to be Junior Officer Candidates and no longer ICs. Fast cruise, RLP, done!! On to week 4. Feeling much better now! Thank you to this group for letting me ask so many questions.
Jan 28, 2017
M's mom
Nancy,
Congrats to your Officer Candidate on making it to week four! Big relief for them as well as the families! When they are allowed email, you will have more communication, and that helps morale on both sides.
Jan 28, 2017
myvampress
Sounds like your LOL is doing great! Congrats and just keep cheering him on!
Jan 28, 2017
CindyN
Nancy - Glad to hear those first 3 stressful weeks (for both you and your LO) are done! Thanks for letting us know.
Jan 28, 2017
Anna
Congratulations Nancy on your LO's making it to week 4. Yes, when they get access to email you will have easier communication. But keep those encouraging and upbeat letters to your LO. My daughter still lived for mail from home. I would always include cute little pictures - like a ruler character to go along with the RLP!!!!
Jan 29, 2017
Quilter
Jan 30, 2017
M's mom
Quilter,
I am so very, very sorry for the loss of your son. Words cannot express, and I'm sure words cannot ease your sorrow, but know that we here are all thinking about and praying for you. Since we're all Moms, we get that special mother/child bond.
I am so happy to hear that your officer is doing well. I remember that we all had to reassure you during his time at OCS, but he made it!
My son and wife have been stationed in Japan for a year now and will probably be there two more. They absolutely love Japan. Hubby and I have plane tickets to Tokyo for eight days in July!!! We told the kids that we expect to be given the Grand Tour! haha Son is taking leave that week, so we hope to see some sights with them, and ride the Shinkansen ("bullet train" --200mph.)
We'll be thinking of you.
Jan 30, 2017
Quilter
Our LO has his winging ceremony coming up very soon, and my husband and I will be there for sure!! He was 1st in his class and he was able to get his first choice of aircraft. He was born to fly just like his dad!! Like father like son, they both were flying cat age 15!!
Thank you for you words of sympathy, our family has forever been changed, but we have our faith and we lean on each other, and we know we'll be together again. 26 years of marriage and my husband is still my best friend and our Rock! He is hurting very much and missing our Son, but still comforts me daily.
Again have a great trip and prayers for all!!
Jan 30, 2017
Nancy
Quilter, I am so sorry about the loss of your son. I am new to this group, but that doesn't mean I can't still pray for you. I am amazed at how the women in this group seem to genuinely care for each other even though we are complete strangers. Quilter, I have more questions for you concerning your LO, as mine is just beginning as SNA as soon as he gets through OCS. Be on the lookout for a friend request from me and a Private message in your inbox, or maybe you can direct me to another group on this site for SNAs. Not that I will desert OCS moms at all!! Just curious about the next phase.
Jan 30, 2017
Quilter
Hi Nancy, Thank you for your kind words. Our LO graduated from OCS almost 2 years ago. Its the most rewarding ceremony you will ever see!! So much Pride for our LO's in one place!! After graduating he was home for about 3 months waiting for his class/ or place in line to start training. Then Pensacola for about 4 months, and then CRP for over a year. Lots of training/ but my LO loves it!! Now refresh my memory, what is SNA lol
Jan 30, 2017
Nancy
Quilter, SNA is Student Naval Aviator. Is that what your son did? I have heard he will have a break, like you described, I think they call it OHARP, while waiting for his class to start training.
Jan 30, 2017
Quilter
Yes OHARP is correct. As for SNA I never heard my LO say that term, but he is a pilot so it sounds right LoL. Our LO received his orders 1 hour after graduation!! We were sweating bullets! I didn't want to leave him there a minute longer, and he felt the same!! LoL It was nice to have him home for OHARP mostly because, during that time, we were able through this site, talk to other moms who help set up housing in Pensacola. Our LO's do most of it, they call each other up and arrange roommate status and I found the apartments that were highly recommended. We learned a lot. At first we thought our LO would remain in PNS for a while and we mistakenly moved everything down there....WRONG he was only there 4 months and then we helped move him again to CRP. So lesson learned, until they get their Aircraft assignment which takes about a year in half.. Move only what you need to survive. In other words... Need before Want!! Now our LO is about to move to his permanent address, but that will require us to help again, because of the BIG MISTAKE we made as a New Family of a Pilot in the Navy way back in the PNS days!! My advise, Load your LO's car up with little things, that way when the time comes to move again he/she can do it on their own. Of course as a Mom, I enjoyed setting up house for our LO it was fun and if we had to do it all again, most likely, we would have followed him there in our car, picked up a few things THERE and vacationed a few days later!! We rented a UHaul our LO drove his car and my husband and I flew home. Had I known that he would have only been there 4 months in the beginning, he would have had a car load, and our car load and been just fine!! LOL I did learn, pilots on stay in PNS a short time, and move for training. NFO's stay longer in PNS. Hope this helps a little!!
Jan 30, 2017
Nancy
That actually does help a lot. Just what they need for 4 months in PNS, then they move to CRP. Got it.You are correct about NFOs. They do stay in Pensacola longer. Thanks for the advice.
Jan 30, 2017
nickstermom
To all the moms on this thread. A great resource and support group that you may want to look into is Blue Star Mothers. Blue Star Moms are moms of active duty military (all branches). There are chapters all over the country. My LO entered the Navy over 2-1/2 years ago. He completed OCS and was commissioned as a Naval Flight Officer in October 2014; did his flight training in Pensacola and was winged in January 2016; and was assigned to his Fleet Replacement Squadron and then permanent squadron in Jacksonville. I just joined Blue Star Moms in June and they have been a wonderful group for helping me through the this journey - especially through his first deployment. As moms, we can use all the support we can get. And we can also use pointers on how best to support our LO's and other heroes currently serving our country.
Jan 30, 2017
M's mom
Nancy, Search at "All Groups" above for the group "Naval Aviation." They are Moms of pilots and NFO's. They are the voices of experience about flight school, and can answer your questions about the process. I'm sure Quilter is a member of that group also.
Jan 30, 2017
M's mom
Quilter, What aircraft did your son choose to fly? First in his class!!! You & your hubby should be justifiably proud! (And you were worried that he wouldn't make it through OCS, and just look at him now!)
Jan 30, 2017
Anna
Quilter,
I too am so very sorry to hear about your son!!! I know there are no words that can I can offer other than I will be keeping you and your precious family in my prayers. I know how strong the mother/child bond is and can not imagine your grief. I am so glad to hear your officer son is doing well. I cherish the memories of my daughter's winging and she is now deploying regularly with her squadron. Where is your pilot assigned??? God Bless You and bring you peace and comfort.
Jan 30, 2017
Quilter
Thank you Anna, for your Kind words they mean a lot. I'm glad to hear all is well with your daughter, and shes doing well. M's Mom, our son choose the E6 aka 707. He is thrilled!! Thank you ladies for all of your support, It feels good to be back!!
Jan 30, 2017
Anna
Quilter,
That is the same aircraft my daughter is on!!!! Is he going to OK?? And will he be in 3 or 4?
Jan 30, 2017
Quilter
Jan 30, 2017
Anna
Quilter,
Sent you a friend request - maybe our aviators will be in the same squadron!!
Jan 31, 2017
LoniJ
Nancy, I can give you some info about the condo my son and his OCS roommate rented while in flight school at P'cola. He is in Corpus Christi now for primary. We live about 40 miles from the area. Message me if you would like.
Jan 31, 2017
ITgal
I received a message from someone asking for a packing list for OCS. I guess I'm just not up to speed with this site, because I can't figure out how to message back. So thought I'd just post it here:
http://www.ocs.navy.mil/ocs_requiredpaperwork.html
Mar 3, 2017
CindyN
ITgal: I also got the message but it isn't showing up on the Comment Wall. In the upper right hand corner of this page I see a "send message to the group" which, it seems, doesn't add the message to the comment wall so you can not reply.
I just wanted to highlight an item on the list you sent:
"Running Shoes - Please invest in a quality pair of running shoes less than six months old. You will be running several miles per week, depending on where you are in training."
Good running shoes are very important. I believe they run more than the "several miles per week" and GOOD running shoes are crucial to minimizing injuries.
My son ran so much at OCS that he bought a new pair during the week he was home between graduation and reporting to his ship. His shoes weren't worn out but running shoes do have a "mile" life and his OSC shoes were nearing that.You will be looking at pictures on the Newport OCS Facebook page searching for your LO when they all look the same in the exact same uniform. Getting shoes that fit well and are extremely comfortable is the first consideration but if those good shoes also happen to be really brightly colored, it will help you in the hunt for your LO in a few of those Facebook pictures!
Mar 3, 2017
karenmof2
Thank you, do you know if they are allowed to use barefoot type running shoes?
Mar 3, 2017
karenmof2
Never mind I just noticed that the barefoot shoes are not allowed.
Mar 3, 2017
NicoleM
Mar 7, 2017
CindyN
NicoleM: They do post photos. When my son was there, I think there might have been a week where they didn't post photos but they were good about posting regularily on a Monday or Tuesday. They put the photos in albums by class. Take a look and you will see pictures from the current classes. If you haven't found the page yet, search for "Officer Training Command Newport".
Best of luck to you and your son!
Mar 7, 2017
Nancy
NicoleM, My son is there right now in week 9. CL is correct. Also, each class has a facebook support group. Search OCS Class ??-17 Family in your facebook search bar. Use whatever class number they assign him. We started back in January and they were great at the beginning about posting pictures every Tuesday morning. Then about week 4 they were late (on Thursday) with only a few pictures. And since then there have been only one or two pictures added. We were spoiled at first, so it's been a little disappointing. Maybe they will get better by the time your son gets there. The same pictures are also posted here in an easy format. You can copy and paste the link. http://www.navydads.com/page/ocs-class-photos
Mar 8, 2017
NicoleM
Mar 8, 2017
NicoleM
Mar 8, 2017
CindyN
NicoleM, Week 3 is the big RLP test. If they pass that, they are given phone priviledges (not their cell but a bank of landlines which they use a phone card to pay for the long distance charges) on weekends to call home for 10 or 15 minutes.
My son was also not a great communicator via phone while in college. But at OCS he fully used all the phone privileges. I think he craved some outside world contact! You should answer any call from the Newport, RI area code. Even after he started calling home on weekends, I wrote every couple of days just so he would have mail and world news than you can't communicate in a 10 minute call.
At the end of week 9/start of week 10. They usually get their cells back and then can call whenever they have free time (if they get reasonable cell reception) however they are really busy working with the new class that just showed up. So I actually heard from my son less the last three weeks. But that is OK as we knew we would see him soon.
Mar 8, 2017
Nancy
Yes, to all that but there is a new change. My son is in the 08-17 class and did not get phone calls until after RLP as CL said. But starting with the 09-17 class, they are allowed phone calls after Fast Cruise which is Friday of second week. The calls are once a week, 15 minutes, from a Newport number. You will never know when to expect it but they are usually on the weekend at first. It could be as early as 6:45 on Sunday morning if no other time slots are available. That happened to us and we almost missed it because my phone was on silent for sleeping, but I happened to be awake and see it light up by my bed. When they get email privileges back (after RLP of third week) then they can give you advanced warning of when to expect the call. CL is right, they do get busy, sometimes too busy to send a quick email, so don't worry!! I have just realized that your son's class will be the indoc class that my son's class works with. My son graduates March 31. Good luck to your boy!
Mar 8, 2017
NicoleM
Mar 8, 2017
PortMom
Mar 8, 2017
Nancy
NicoleM, Yes, in a manner of speaking. Accept my friend request and I will message your inbox.
Mar 9, 2017
NicoleM
Mar 9, 2017
cdav
My sailor just started OCS today. She has been enlisted for 20 months, so I've got a basic understanding. (I understand about 3/4 of what she is talking about now when she uses Navy Speak...I'm improving. But I still have questions. Hope you can help me out.
Mar 13, 2017
Anna
Welcome cdav!! First, have you joined Facebook and looked for the Officer Training Command Newport page? It is a good source of information straight from OCS where you can get a little idea of what your daughter is doing and maybe even see a picture or two of her. Also, you should look for a group called, "US Navy OCS Class xx-xx (your daughter's class # here) Friends and Family." Not sure if they've changed the name a little or not as my daughter was in OCS in 2012. There may not be a group set up yet if your daughter just started, but look for groups that are 1 and 2 classes ahead of her and ask to join those groups. This will give you some good information about what your daughter will be doing next!! So what did your daughter do as an enlisted sailor and what does she hope to do as an officer?? I am curious to know what she thinks of bootcamp compared to OCS?!?!?!
If you have any specific questions you need answers to, post them here and I know there are several very supportive moms on here that will be willing to help you out!!! Including me!! :) (I also sent you a welcome message as admin of the Moms of Daughters 2 group!!)
Mar 13, 2017
Nancy
Welcome cdav! My son is there now in 08-17! Anna is right. Join the pages for 08-17, 09-17 and 10-17. We don't talk much on 08-17 but 09-17 and 10-17 talk a LOT. There is not a page yet for 11-17, but I am sure there will be soon. Search for "OCS Class xx-17" and you will find them. Also, things change CONSTANTLY at OCS. Some of the information here is outdated, but most is accurate. What is your daughter's designation?
Mar 13, 2017
cdav
She was an E-4 and Aviation Machinists Mate working on Helicopter engines in San DIego. Yes I noticed a lot of the info on the website is outdated. I'll be watching for the 11-17 page. Sounds like they're going to be hit with quite a blizzard there tomorrow!
Mar 13, 2017