Thank you Noni and Gina for that information. I am guessing that housing is readily available being that they graduate on Friday and possibly need to report the next week.
My son had to report within a week after graduation, but did not actually start for a couple of weeks. First was his pre-flight indoctrination in where he had to fly Cessna solo. He is in API now with two weeks left. Last of academics is next week so pray he passes the last two finals, before survival training. Lots of studying.
Tess099, I know the waiting can be hard for a report date. My son was accepted to OCS right before his college graduation, but then he was told that it might be a year before OCS had room for him. So he was resigned to trying to find a job for a year, while being honest with employers that he was waiting to go to the military! All of a sudden, his recruiter called him the first of April, and said he was to report to OCS in 60 days in June!
Even if your LO has no estimate on when the OCS orders will come, he/she needs to use that time to get in the best physical shape ever, because they will greatly regret it if they show up to OCS out of shape!
The orders can come in any time even if they were given a long estimate like my son, so I know the uncertainty is hard, but this is the military--- wait, wait, wait, and now HURRY UP!!!
Thanks, M's mom! I appreciate your note. Did he get a letter of acceptance or was it just a phone call from the recruiter? My son's recruiter told him he would get his "orders?" in about 1 month. That was late-March. It's been almost two months. Someone told me all Navy review boards were halted due to some "problems" in one of them...
My daughter is at OCS in RI right now. She has been working hard to get into the program for either NFO or pilot. They told her two weeks ago she had 48 hours to show up for this last class. She declined because she had a trip planned, so she went on her trip and went the next class, which started this past Sunday. This morning, she called and was extremely upset because they told her that "her arms were 2" too short for NFO or pilot...and if she put on 2" of back-fat, she would pass". Do you think they're just jerking her around or what? She is tiny, but tough. She wants this bad. I encouraged her to hang in there, etc. She wasn't kicked out, just is facing choosing another route. Have you ever heard of something like this?
It's been 5 years ago, but I think my son's OCS orders came to his recruiter, who then called him, and then forwarded the printed orders to my son by email.
Hurry up & wait, or wait & now hurry up are the way it is in the military. Sometimes deployments are delayed after months of personal planning to leave, or worse, moved UP, so the military family has to scramble to get everything in place before the loved one leaves. Sailors and their families just have to learn to roll with it. "Semper Gumby" they say----Always Flexible!!!!!
Tell your son to use this time to memorize all the Navy knowledge, ranks, etc. that his recruiter should have given him, and work out hard daily. He will have a much easier time at OCS if he has all that stuff memorized and is in great physical shape going in.
SWAF: Sorry to hear that your daughter didn't "measure up," but I know they have certain size requirements that you can't be too big for the cockpit, or too small so you can't reach the controls. Seems pretty crass and unprofessional that someone made a lame joke about "putting on two inches of back fat so she would qualify."
Far be it for me to question the United States Navy, but it seems to me they could make sure these young people qualify in advance, before accepting them to OCS for a certain designator, then dashing their hopes once they get there and finding out they don't qualify. I mean, they couldn't have measured her arms at her MEPS physical and told her then that she wasn't big enough?
Something similar happened to my son. He also started OCS as a pilot candidate. He did extremely well on the aptitude tests and passed TWO different military physicals at the MEPS with flying colors. Then he went to OCS, and about 6 weeks in, they gave him a flight physical, in which they apparently scan every square inch inside and out. They determined that he has a minor congenital heart anomaly that one percent of the population have. It is not life-threatening, and he could stay in the Navy, but it DQ'd him from pilot or NFO. (Before they had the technology to scan for this, I'm sure there were hundreds of pilots who flew with it, but now that they can find it, they err on the side of caution, I guess.)
My son was pretty upset to say the least, but the Navy did allow him to transfer to Intelligence and graduate from OCS. It was probably a blessing in disguise for him since he now loves being an Intel officer, and I think he is probably better suited to it than he would have been a pilot.
I just wish they would screen the pilot/NFO candidates better before they even go to OCS. Unfortunately, this happens frequently. I hope your daughter is able to transfer to some other designator that she finds rewarding.
My daughter wanted pilot but got NFO instead. She was told she could never fly in jets tho cause she is too small and would never survive an ejection seat!!! So I'm not surprised to hear your daughter wasn't the right size for something.
Hello, OCS moms! My son just got to OCS, and I have a couple of questions. Is it appropriate to send anything to him other than letters? Are there "special occasions" when they can receive gifts at all? I miss him so very much already and he just started. Used to speaking with him two or three times a day and am in some serious withdrawal. Also, how much advance notice will I get to book flights, etc.? I am a planner, so all this wait and see stuff is pretty brutal. Thanks in advance <3
Rachel,
The answer is no , no and no. Just plane white envelopes no smelly stuff, no gifts, no food. Sorry this isn't what you want to hear. Best of luck to your son and congrats to your family. Follow the FB OCS web site and you may see your sons pictures in them. Try to spot your son gym shoes. Sounds funny but they start to look the same.
Rachel,
Don't plan any flights or trips just yet a lot happens when they are at OCS. He can roll, he can advance, he could be in holding for some sort of medical. You will get about three weeks notice from you son with info. NMH!
Noni is right. Don't send anything but letters, or he will have to do lots of extra exercise as punishment. Someone in my son's OCS class got sent cookies at week three, and he had to do 800 (that's eight hundred) pushups as punishment!!!! Make sure everyone to whom you give your son's mailing address knows this.
It used to be that when they reached the Candidate Officer (Candio) stage at week 10, ONLY THEN could they receive a box of goodies from home--called a Candio box--but, I think someone recently posted that they are now not allowed to receive any candy or cookies or junk food whatsoever, whenever. Maybe one of the moms of recent OCS grads can clarify this. Can they still receive goodies as a Candio?
When they are allowed email privileges after passing the big Room, Locker, and Personnel inspection at week 3-4, then you will hear more from him. If you think he doesn't know your email address from memory, sent it to him in a letter. He will not have access to his phone or his usual email program, so he'll have to type in the complete email address.
I know the lack of communication is hard, but remember, NO NEWS is GOOD NEWS. If he fails something and is "rolled" back to the next incoming class, he will be allowed to call and tell you. The lack of communication is deliberate, to wean the candidates AND their families off of constant communication. When he eventually will be deployed on a ship or sub, you will hear from him very seldom, so you have to get used to it.
At this stage of OCS, write a encouraging letter to him every day and include all the news from home! Those letters are the only connection they have with the outside world for a few weeks, so they treasure them. Don't expect many, if any, letters back from him, though. The only time they have to write is when they could be sleeping!
Best to hold off on plane tix until you know he will graduate on time. They can be rolled back at any point, but as Noni wrote, you can be fairly sure about three weeks from the end. We booked our flight to graduation on Southwest Airlines, which flies into Providence, about half-way through OCS. I don't believe Southwest charges a hefty fee to change your tickets, like the other airlines do, at least they didn't used to.
Hang in there! The first few weeks of OCS are the hardest on the families as well as the candidates, but it gets better when they are allowed more communication.
I'm a little more recent (08-17, March 31 grad), and these moms are correct about letters. They cherish the letters!! But they don't have time to write. No food allowed in Candio box. Someone even said the boxes were being phased out altogether. 09-17 still had candio boxes (without food) but I thought I heard somewhere that they would stop candio boxes altogether soon. Your class's facebook page would be helpful with this. There is an officer who comments on the facebook page occasionally when needed to clear up questions.
They are allowing phone calls from the base landlines earlier than ever now, like at the end of week 2. It was week 3 for us, but then they moved it up to week 2 with the 09-17 class. So keep your cell phone by you at all times beginning with the weekend after 2 weeks. Answer any calls from Rhode Island. They could be any time. We almost missed one at 6:45 am Sunday morning because my phone was turned down for sleeping. I only answered because I happened to be barely awake and saw the phone light up. When he calls, he will ask you to hang up and call him right back at that number. You will get to talk for 15 minutes. After they get email (end of week 3) they can tell you approximately when they will call. Don't despair if you don't get a call from him. Sometimes they have trouble getting a time slot to call.
Nancy - It is very interesting to hear about the changes to the OCS process! We were able to send food in our Candio boxes back in 2015 and when we arrived for graduation, I found that most snacks I had included hadn't been eaten anyway.
Rachel - You are in the most difficult portion of this journey right now. It does gets better, especially when you get a call from your LO. Hearing their voice again is wonderful! This group and your son's classes FB page are great resources. Your LO will really appreciate letters from family and friends at this stage. Best of luck to you and your LO.
Nancy---Thanks for clarifying about the Candio boxes. My son was at OCS in 2012, and one of the rites of passage was finally being allowed a box from home with cookies and treats, because they had not been allowed any sugar for nine weeks, not even desserts in the dining hall. So of course, they all gorged themselves on the treats and made themselves sick, but my son said it was worth it! haha He lost 20 pounds at OCS, and he wasn't overweight to begin with. I hardly recognized that scrawny kid at graduation! It's probably for the best though, to try to get them off sugar and eat a healthy diet for a change. (We all know college students aren't usually nutrition-focused.)
I just wish OCS made it perfectly clear to families that they are not allowed to be sent anything but letters. When my son was at OCS, there was no mention made of this on any OCS material. I had to find out on this site, and also his class Facebook page. Some families don't learn the rule and innocently earn their LO more pushups!
The change in the Candio box policy at OCS got me wondering... I think someone posted that OCS has also discontinued the First Salutes ceremony? For 200 years or so, the tradition in the Navy was that a new Ensign had to give a silver dollar to the first enlisted who saluted him/her. It was usually arranged so that the drill instructor was the first saluter. (You may remember this scene in the movie "An Officer and a Gentleman.") After my son's graduation, we all went down to the bay and the class Drill Instructor and Chief Petty Officer saluted each one of them, and were both given coins. My son used two old silver dollars that had belonged to his grandfather. OCS took official portraits of this, which we purchased. It was a really moving ceremony, but someone said they had discontinued it because the drill instructors were selling the coins and "making too much money from it." Well, I always thought that was an understood perk of the job! If they have also discontinued this at OCS, it is sad that they have let go of some of the old traditions.
BTW, if any of you have never seen the movie "An Officer and a Gentleman," it is worth seeing if only for Louis Gossett Jr.'s Academy Award-winning portrayal of the Marine D.I. It is certainly not an accurate portrayal of OCS, though, because in the movie, the candidates were able to leave the base all the time to hook up with local sweeties!! It's probably for the best that they can't do that any more! haha
Rachael - Search for "14MAY17 Navy OCS Class - Family & Loved Ones" on Facebook. Could that be the group for your LO's class? There is no set format for the name so you might need to search a bit. They usually have "Navy OCS" in the group name but after that may use based on report date or class number.
Rachel--- Search for "Navy OCS Class XX-17 Friends & Family" where XX is his class number. Usually the class FB pages are started by a family member, not OCS, so you may have to make one yourself. Also search for the FB page "Officer Training Command Newport." This is the official OCS page and they post pictures of the candidates doing training, so you might get to see your son, although the guys all look alike with their shaved heads!
Search for the Facebook pages of the OCS classes numerically before your son's class and ask to join those also. That helps for questions and to see what they are up to three weeks ahead of your son's class.
About the candio boxes, the reason (as we heard it) they stopped allowing food was that the drill instructors were disgusted at seeing the gorging on junk food, hahaha. I didn't mind not sending the food. At first I was disappointed I couldn't send treats, but then got past it and was able to put more thought into other items.
About the first salute, it is not done at OCS, but wherever you are after that. Some graduates got their first salute that very afternoon because they went to the NEX with their families and were still in uniform and were saluted outside. The graduates are given a coin to give to the person. For my son it didn't happen until a week later when he was on OHARP in Norfolk. He was saluted when he went on base for something and he returned the salute and then said, "excuse me <insert whatever rank the guy was>, I believe I owe you a coin for my first salute. I'm sure I don't deserve it, as you've been in the navy a lot longer than I have." To which the enlisted person replied "I'm sure you do deserve it, sir." And he was actually very pleased to receive the coin. So it is not an OCS tradition any longer, but this was really kind of cool for my son and the other guy.
Rachel, the unofficial family group on FB for your LO is 14MAY17 Navy OCS Class - Family & Loved Ones, where we give support and info. You'll find the official link there for the FB page for his actual class.
Thank you, GalleyMom! I will join the group for the class ahead of him! Wow, good to know about the coins! I will tell his dad about it, too! Thanks so much!
Nancy, That's a great story about your son and his first salute! My son's class also designed and ordered challenge coins, but most kept them as souvenirs and used some other coin, not necessarily a silver dollar, for the first salutes. Just kind of a shame that OCS doesn't do it as a formal ceremony anymore. Probably a good idea to discontinue the Candio boxes, because a lot of what they were sent just got thrown out because they couldn't eat it all.
I'm saddened to hear that OCS stopped the first salute tradition. Because they were doing that when my daughter commissioned in 2012, my sailor son and other sailor daughter (twin sisters), were able to attend in uniform and joined the DI and CPO for the first salute. My profile picture is all three of my sailors in the drill hall after the ceremony!!! I've never had all three together in uniform any other time because the enlisted daughter got out!!!!
I a new Navy mom. My son goes to OCS in late June. I don't know much about the process and what to do to support him. If anyone has any advice, I'd LOVE to hear it.
Read all of the recent post. Most of the new moms have asked the same questions.
Support is the biggest thing you have to offer to him right now and while he is in OCS. He will contact you the day he enters with his address. Always keep you phone volume up, you never know when they will get to call home and when they do they will give you a phone number to call them back. Write letters! Those are going to be gold for a while. Don't send letters with pictures etc. in them. White envelops only. No packages until Candio phase and from what Im learning is they are trying to phase that out. My daughter graduated on Halloween of 2014. Make sure you register for your sons OCS FB page and the class after it. This is just incase he rolls. I even joined the OCS Class before my daughter. If you have questions don't hesitate to ask.
Hi Liz! You will find this site very helpful. There is a vast support network and answers for almost all your questions. It helped me a lot just a few months ago, as you can see by all the questions I asked in the discussion forums! Don't forget to check those out! GalleyMom and Noni are right about everything. And do join the facebook page, and the classes before and after. I think I joined about 6 classes! I NEVER saw my son's picture on any of our class's facebook photos. It wasn't until after he had gotten home, and it was in the class 2 classes later and he was helping with their khaki inspection. So it pays to join all of them, the ones before for information, and the ones after for pictures. GalleyMom and Noni have great advice, particularly about memorizing as much stuff as he can before going and getting in shape.
I should start by saying that my son was in OCS about 2 years ago so some of my information may be out of date.
During the check-in process they will need to turn in their cells phones. They will not get it back until they become Candi-O’s at the end of week 9. Just before they have to hand their cell over, they will get to make one last call to let you know they arrived and to give you their mailing address. This call will come on the Sunday of their check-in so stay close to your phone(s). I don’t know if they are reminded to save important phone and email addresses before they turn their phone over, or if my son knew to do that one his own. But it is good advice to give your son before he goes.
Letters are very important, especially at the beginning. I didn't get many back (maybe 2) but he did say "write and send pictures/news". So I wrote every day or two using the service write2them.org to send letters and photos. The service took an email I sent to the service, printed it out and sent it in the appropriate white envelope. I think they mail it from closer to the base so it takes a couple of days off the mail time from where I am. At the time, it cost about $1.20 per letter (for a bit more than 2x a stamp) but for me, it is so convenient that I wrote more often. I often thought that writing to him was at least as therapeutic for me, if not more so, than it was for him. It may be good to include a list of phone numbers and email addresses in one of your letters.
Currently at the end of week 2 they will be able to sign up for a timeslot (10-15 minutes) to use the phone on weekends. I believe the possible times were Fri evening, Sat evening and all day Sun. They will not be calling from their cell phone, so be sure to answer any unknown caller from Rhode Island. They may need ATT prepaid phone cards to use for this. Don't worry, there are usually some available with minutes left from prior classes that they can use to make their first call (There was a recent note that they call you and have you return their call at a number they provide, so a phone card may not be needed.)
Navyformoms will be a good resource for you. The Friends and Family Facebook group for your son’s class will also be an excellent source of information and support. The "Officer Training Command Newport" Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/OTCNewport/?fref=ts) posts photos every week or two which were fun to see. You can start to watch that page now. It will give you a glimpse of life at OCS.
You can find a packing list here: http://www.ocs.navy.mil/ocs_requiredpaperwork.html I second GalleyMom’s note about good running shoes. And if you can talk them into bright colored shoes, it is a plus!
OCS is a challenging process for both the candidates and their families. But there seems to be a method to their madness. The men and women that develop during OCS and you meet at graduation are pretty awesome. These young men and women who volunteer and get selected for Naval Officers are so impressive. It gives me so much hope for our future.
Hi Liz, Everyone here has already given you such good advice; I don't have much to add. As Noni wrote, read back as far as you can on these posts, and we probably have answered many of your questions already. When you get to the bottom of this page, just click page 2 and keep going!
Also, above the Comments Wall here, you will see the Discussion Forum. Click on "View All," and read the most recent ones. Things change constantly at OCS, so some of the older posts may give incorrect info. My son went to OCS in 2012, and I found this site and the class Facebook pages invaluable, but I now have to defer to the newer OCS Moms for specific questions because so much has changed. Good luck to your son!
A question about travel after OCS commissioning! I have read that they won't get their orders until that day! Are travel arrangements already made by then or do you have to hurry and make them?
USNmom2017
They usually get their orders a week or so before. At least my daughter did. Your son is a NFO so he may have to wait.... majority of the Ensins know where they are going and when they need to be at post. Your son will let you know all details. As parents we want all the details now. Remember this is the Navy and they are Marine trained. When they say now it's now not later.
USNmom2017,
Welcome to the group!! It is so good to have this support, especially during OCS. My son just finished in March. The NFOs in his class received their orders and moved to Pensacola quickly in a week or less. It will depend on the needs how soon they move on. The pilots right now are waiting almost three months. That has been good for me since he has been home during that time on OHARP. He heads out this week for API finally. It is all very exciting for them. Good luck!!
I figured he would have to report that next week. We are about 6 hours from Pensacola. Hoping he can come home forest and get his car to take down. Do yiu know if that is possible? And are they able to find housing that quick? Thank you fir your answers. He is a grown young man, but you know wus mims, we like to find out.
There are different things that can happen. My son's experience was a little different because he graduated the week before Christmas in 2015. His medical paperwork had not been signed off by the flight surgeons in p'cola so he had to wait another week after graduation on that before starting OHARP. He opted to fly home for that time instead of sitting on base over the holiday. He was so ready to get off the base. OHARP is their assignment before going to flight school and is basically working at an office while he waits for a spot to open up in flight school. That can be a couple of months. He can request where he wants to do that. This time also gives him an opportunity to find housing which he has probably already discussed with some of his OCS classmates. I know as mom's we like to know what's going on but don't frustrate yourself. Hope I haven't totally confused you. I guess when we think military we think precision timing but when it comes to the moving and next assignment it is not always that way.
To all asking about travel arrangements after OCS, I think the Navy will pay for travel from OCS to their next duty assignment, but not to home. Our son got his orders the day before OCS graduation, which gave him 10 days to report to his next school. He had not driven to OCS, but flew, so he wanted to go home and collect his vehicle and worldly goods, and then drive to his next duty. His dad & I flew to OCS graduation, and when son got his orders, we were able to get him a plane ticket on the flight home with us. We had to pay for that, not the Navy. When he drove to his next duty from home, he MIGHT have gotten reimbursed by the Navy for mileage, but I don't remember. I know the Navy pays for travel or reimburses them from one duty assignment to another, but not to home.
Read back on these posts as far back as you can and we may have answered many of your questions already. Your daughter will be able to call you during the first 48 hrs at OCS to tell you she is there, then after that you won't hear much until she gets email at about week 3-4.
Send her only LETTERS in plain, white envelopes--no gifts, no treats, no musical cards, etc. Make sure all the friends and relatives to whom you give her mailing address know this. We have discussed this in recent posts below, so read those.
M's mom is correct when my daughter left OCS she drove home with us and stayed 10 day and she bought herself a car and drove to Cali. They reimbursed her for travel( mileage) ,food and lodging. All receipts must be kept and turned into the Navy.
Nukemom Carol,
Like M's mom said try to read back the previous messages. Both M's mom and I have children who graduated in 12 and 14. Things have changed for us but the new moms will be able to help with their LOs are either just in or just left Ocs. As a mother of a daughter. Join the Navy daughters blog. The only thing in that site is they don't understand us officer moms. We deal with different issues. If you want you can friend me. I tell all parent to know the color of there child gym shoes. That's is sometime the only way you can pick them out of pictures. Make sure you join OCS FB page. Join the class prior, present and Future. Prior to see what the class is presently doing. Then join your class to keep up an see pictures. The future class in case your daughter rolls. Bes of luck to your daughter in Nuke school. Goose island they say is beautiful. My daughter was going Nuke but instead is SWO/ ASWO / Nuke Engineering.
I have a group Moms of Daughters 2 and we have moms of both officer and enlisted. I myself have an officer daughter (and a veteran enlisted daughter, and an enlisted son) who did OCS in 2012. Enlisted or officer, we understand the differences with sending our daughters off to the military!!
My son graduated OCS in summer of 2015. There is a pretty good description of the routine at OCS on a day by day basis on Navydads.com. If you search on Navydads OCS it will give a detailed description of every day for the 1st week. Some of the info (gouge) is old but it seems to get the flavor of what they are going through (according to my son). It is a challenging time for the kids, but my son told me that in looking back on it, it wasn't so bad. Good luck to all of you and your LO's.
USNmom2017
May 13, 2017
Gina Mills
May 13, 2017
Tess099
Is anyone out there who's son/daughter is waiting for orders to actually go to OCS?
May 15, 2017
M's mom
Tess099, I know the waiting can be hard for a report date. My son was accepted to OCS right before his college graduation, but then he was told that it might be a year before OCS had room for him. So he was resigned to trying to find a job for a year, while being honest with employers that he was waiting to go to the military! All of a sudden, his recruiter called him the first of April, and said he was to report to OCS in 60 days in June!
Even if your LO has no estimate on when the OCS orders will come, he/she needs to use that time to get in the best physical shape ever, because they will greatly regret it if they show up to OCS out of shape!
The orders can come in any time even if they were given a long estimate like my son, so I know the uncertainty is hard, but this is the military--- wait, wait, wait, and now HURRY UP!!!
May 15, 2017
Tess099
Thanks, M's mom! I appreciate your note. Did he get a letter of acceptance or was it just a phone call from the recruiter? My son's recruiter told him he would get his "orders?" in about 1 month. That was late-March. It's been almost two months. Someone told me all Navy review boards were halted due to some "problems" in one of them...
May 15, 2017
SWAF
My daughter is at OCS in RI right now. She has been working hard to get into the program for either NFO or pilot. They told her two weeks ago she had 48 hours to show up for this last class. She declined because she had a trip planned, so she went on her trip and went the next class, which started this past Sunday. This morning, she called and was extremely upset because they told her that "her arms were 2" too short for NFO or pilot...and if she put on 2" of back-fat, she would pass". Do you think they're just jerking her around or what? She is tiny, but tough. She wants this bad. I encouraged her to hang in there, etc. She wasn't kicked out, just is facing choosing another route. Have you ever heard of something like this?
May 16, 2017
M's mom
Tess099:
It's been 5 years ago, but I think my son's OCS orders came to his recruiter, who then called him, and then forwarded the printed orders to my son by email.
Hurry up & wait, or wait & now hurry up are the way it is in the military. Sometimes deployments are delayed after months of personal planning to leave, or worse, moved UP, so the military family has to scramble to get everything in place before the loved one leaves. Sailors and their families just have to learn to roll with it. "Semper Gumby" they say----Always Flexible!!!!!
Tell your son to use this time to memorize all the Navy knowledge, ranks, etc. that his recruiter should have given him, and work out hard daily. He will have a much easier time at OCS if he has all that stuff memorized and is in great physical shape going in.
May 16, 2017
M's mom
SWAF: Sorry to hear that your daughter didn't "measure up," but I know they have certain size requirements that you can't be too big for the cockpit, or too small so you can't reach the controls. Seems pretty crass and unprofessional that someone made a lame joke about "putting on two inches of back fat so she would qualify."
Far be it for me to question the United States Navy, but it seems to me they could make sure these young people qualify in advance, before accepting them to OCS for a certain designator, then dashing their hopes once they get there and finding out they don't qualify. I mean, they couldn't have measured her arms at her MEPS physical and told her then that she wasn't big enough?
Something similar happened to my son. He also started OCS as a pilot candidate. He did extremely well on the aptitude tests and passed TWO different military physicals at the MEPS with flying colors. Then he went to OCS, and about 6 weeks in, they gave him a flight physical, in which they apparently scan every square inch inside and out. They determined that he has a minor congenital heart anomaly that one percent of the population have. It is not life-threatening, and he could stay in the Navy, but it DQ'd him from pilot or NFO. (Before they had the technology to scan for this, I'm sure there were hundreds of pilots who flew with it, but now that they can find it, they err on the side of caution, I guess.)
My son was pretty upset to say the least, but the Navy did allow him to transfer to Intelligence and graduate from OCS. It was probably a blessing in disguise for him since he now loves being an Intel officer, and I think he is probably better suited to it than he would have been a pilot.
I just wish they would screen the pilot/NFO candidates better before they even go to OCS. Unfortunately, this happens frequently. I hope your daughter is able to transfer to some other designator that she finds rewarding.
May 16, 2017
Anna
SWAF,
My daughter wanted pilot but got NFO instead. She was told she could never fly in jets tho cause she is too small and would never survive an ejection seat!!! So I'm not surprised to hear your daughter wasn't the right size for something.
May 16, 2017
Rachel
Hello, OCS moms! My son just got to OCS, and I have a couple of questions. Is it appropriate to send anything to him other than letters? Are there "special occasions" when they can receive gifts at all? I miss him so very much already and he just started. Used to speaking with him two or three times a day and am in some serious withdrawal. Also, how much advance notice will I get to book flights, etc.? I am a planner, so all this wait and see stuff is pretty brutal. Thanks in advance <3
May 17, 2017
Noni
The answer is no , no and no. Just plane white envelopes no smelly stuff, no gifts, no food. Sorry this isn't what you want to hear. Best of luck to your son and congrats to your family. Follow the FB OCS web site and you may see your sons pictures in them. Try to spot your son gym shoes. Sounds funny but they start to look the same.
May 17, 2017
Noni
Don't plan any flights or trips just yet a lot happens when they are at OCS. He can roll, he can advance, he could be in holding for some sort of medical. You will get about three weeks notice from you son with info. NMH!
May 17, 2017
M's mom
Rachel,
Noni is right. Don't send anything but letters, or he will have to do lots of extra exercise as punishment. Someone in my son's OCS class got sent cookies at week three, and he had to do 800 (that's eight hundred) pushups as punishment!!!! Make sure everyone to whom you give your son's mailing address knows this.
It used to be that when they reached the Candidate Officer (Candio) stage at week 10, ONLY THEN could they receive a box of goodies from home--called a Candio box--but, I think someone recently posted that they are now not allowed to receive any candy or cookies or junk food whatsoever, whenever. Maybe one of the moms of recent OCS grads can clarify this. Can they still receive goodies as a Candio?
When they are allowed email privileges after passing the big Room, Locker, and Personnel inspection at week 3-4, then you will hear more from him. If you think he doesn't know your email address from memory, sent it to him in a letter. He will not have access to his phone or his usual email program, so he'll have to type in the complete email address.
I know the lack of communication is hard, but remember, NO NEWS is GOOD NEWS. If he fails something and is "rolled" back to the next incoming class, he will be allowed to call and tell you. The lack of communication is deliberate, to wean the candidates AND their families off of constant communication. When he eventually will be deployed on a ship or sub, you will hear from him very seldom, so you have to get used to it.
At this stage of OCS, write a encouraging letter to him every day and include all the news from home! Those letters are the only connection they have with the outside world for a few weeks, so they treasure them. Don't expect many, if any, letters back from him, though. The only time they have to write is when they could be sleeping!
Best to hold off on plane tix until you know he will graduate on time. They can be rolled back at any point, but as Noni wrote, you can be fairly sure about three weeks from the end. We booked our flight to graduation on Southwest Airlines, which flies into Providence, about half-way through OCS. I don't believe Southwest charges a hefty fee to change your tickets, like the other airlines do, at least they didn't used to.
Hang in there! The first few weeks of OCS are the hardest on the families as well as the candidates, but it gets better when they are allowed more communication.
May 17, 2017
Nancy
I'm a little more recent (08-17, March 31 grad), and these moms are correct about letters. They cherish the letters!! But they don't have time to write. No food allowed in Candio box. Someone even said the boxes were being phased out altogether. 09-17 still had candio boxes (without food) but I thought I heard somewhere that they would stop candio boxes altogether soon. Your class's facebook page would be helpful with this. There is an officer who comments on the facebook page occasionally when needed to clear up questions.
They are allowing phone calls from the base landlines earlier than ever now, like at the end of week 2. It was week 3 for us, but then they moved it up to week 2 with the 09-17 class. So keep your cell phone by you at all times beginning with the weekend after 2 weeks. Answer any calls from Rhode Island. They could be any time. We almost missed one at 6:45 am Sunday morning because my phone was turned down for sleeping. I only answered because I happened to be barely awake and saw the phone light up. When he calls, he will ask you to hang up and call him right back at that number. You will get to talk for 15 minutes. After they get email (end of week 3) they can tell you approximately when they will call. Don't despair if you don't get a call from him. Sometimes they have trouble getting a time slot to call.
May 17, 2017
CindyN
Nancy - It is very interesting to hear about the changes to the OCS process! We were able to send food in our Candio boxes back in 2015 and when we arrived for graduation, I found that most snacks I had included hadn't been eaten anyway.
May 17, 2017
CindyN
Rachel - You are in the most difficult portion of this journey right now. It does gets better, especially when you get a call from your LO. Hearing their voice again is wonderful! This group and your son's classes FB page are great resources. Your LO will really appreciate letters from family and friends at this stage. Best of luck to you and your LO.
May 17, 2017
Rachel
I am so grateful for your comments!! I will find his class FB page, and get those letters going! Thanks, everyone!
May 18, 2017
Rachel
Looked for his class FB page, nothing available yet. How soon are those posted, usually?
May 18, 2017
M's mom
Nancy---Thanks for clarifying about the Candio boxes. My son was at OCS in 2012, and one of the rites of passage was finally being allowed a box from home with cookies and treats, because they had not been allowed any sugar for nine weeks, not even desserts in the dining hall. So of course, they all gorged themselves on the treats and made themselves sick, but my son said it was worth it! haha He lost 20 pounds at OCS, and he wasn't overweight to begin with. I hardly recognized that scrawny kid at graduation! It's probably for the best though, to try to get them off sugar and eat a healthy diet for a change. (We all know college students aren't usually nutrition-focused.)
I just wish OCS made it perfectly clear to families that they are not allowed to be sent anything but letters. When my son was at OCS, there was no mention made of this on any OCS material. I had to find out on this site, and also his class Facebook page. Some families don't learn the rule and innocently earn their LO more pushups!
May 18, 2017
M's mom
The change in the Candio box policy at OCS got me wondering... I think someone posted that OCS has also discontinued the First Salutes ceremony? For 200 years or so, the tradition in the Navy was that a new Ensign had to give a silver dollar to the first enlisted who saluted him/her. It was usually arranged so that the drill instructor was the first saluter. (You may remember this scene in the movie "An Officer and a Gentleman.") After my son's graduation, we all went down to the bay and the class Drill Instructor and Chief Petty Officer saluted each one of them, and were both given coins. My son used two old silver dollars that had belonged to his grandfather. OCS took official portraits of this, which we purchased. It was a really moving ceremony, but someone said they had discontinued it because the drill instructors were selling the coins and "making too much money from it." Well, I always thought that was an understood perk of the job! If they have also discontinued this at OCS, it is sad that they have let go of some of the old traditions.
BTW, if any of you have never seen the movie "An Officer and a Gentleman," it is worth seeing if only for Louis Gossett Jr.'s Academy Award-winning portrayal of the Marine D.I. It is certainly not an accurate portrayal of OCS, though, because in the movie, the candidates were able to leave the base all the time to hook up with local sweeties!! It's probably for the best that they can't do that any more! haha
May 18, 2017
CindyN
Rachael - Search for "14MAY17 Navy OCS Class - Family & Loved Ones" on Facebook. Could that be the group for your LO's class? There is no set format for the name so you might need to search a bit. They usually have "Navy OCS" in the group name but after that may use based on report date or class number.
May 18, 2017
M's mom
Rachel--- Search for "Navy OCS Class XX-17 Friends & Family" where XX is his class number. Usually the class FB pages are started by a family member, not OCS, so you may have to make one yourself. Also search for the FB page "Officer Training Command Newport." This is the official OCS page and they post pictures of the candidates doing training, so you might get to see your son, although the guys all look alike with their shaved heads!
Search for the Facebook pages of the OCS classes numerically before your son's class and ask to join those also. That helps for questions and to see what they are up to three weeks ahead of your son's class.
May 18, 2017
Rachel
Yes, CL! That's it! Thank you so much!!
May 18, 2017
Nancy
About the candio boxes, the reason (as we heard it) they stopped allowing food was that the drill instructors were disgusted at seeing the gorging on junk food, hahaha. I didn't mind not sending the food. At first I was disappointed I couldn't send treats, but then got past it and was able to put more thought into other items.
About the first salute, it is not done at OCS, but wherever you are after that. Some graduates got their first salute that very afternoon because they went to the NEX with their families and were still in uniform and were saluted outside. The graduates are given a coin to give to the person. For my son it didn't happen until a week later when he was on OHARP in Norfolk. He was saluted when he went on base for something and he returned the salute and then said, "excuse me <insert whatever rank the guy was>, I believe I owe you a coin for my first salute. I'm sure I don't deserve it, as you've been in the navy a lot longer than I have." To which the enlisted person replied "I'm sure you do deserve it, sir." And he was actually very pleased to receive the coin. So it is not an OCS tradition any longer, but this was really kind of cool for my son and the other guy.
May 18, 2017
SWAF
Rachel, the unofficial family group on FB for your LO is 14MAY17 Navy OCS Class - Family & Loved Ones, where we give support and info. You'll find the official link there for the FB page for his actual class.
May 18, 2017
Rachel
Wonderful, have sent a join request. Thank you, SWAF!
May 18, 2017
Rachel
Thank you, GalleyMom! I will join the group for the class ahead of him! Wow, good to know about the coins! I will tell his dad about it, too! Thanks so much!
May 18, 2017
M's mom
Nancy, That's a great story about your son and his first salute! My son's class also designed and ordered challenge coins, but most kept them as souvenirs and used some other coin, not necessarily a silver dollar, for the first salutes. Just kind of a shame that OCS doesn't do it as a formal ceremony anymore. Probably a good idea to discontinue the Candio boxes, because a lot of what they were sent just got thrown out because they couldn't eat it all.
May 18, 2017
Anna
I'm saddened to hear that OCS stopped the first salute tradition. Because they were doing that when my daughter commissioned in 2012, my sailor son and other sailor daughter (twin sisters), were able to attend in uniform and joined the DI and CPO for the first salute. My profile picture is all three of my sailors in the drill hall after the ceremony!!! I've never had all three together in uniform any other time because the enlisted daughter got out!!!!
May 18, 2017
Liz
I a new Navy mom. My son goes to OCS in late June. I don't know much about the process and what to do to support him. If anyone has any advice, I'd LOVE to hear it.
May 19, 2017
Noni
Hi Liz,
Read all of the recent post. Most of the new moms have asked the same questions.
Support is the biggest thing you have to offer to him right now and while he is in OCS. He will contact you the day he enters with his address. Always keep you phone volume up, you never know when they will get to call home and when they do they will give you a phone number to call them back. Write letters! Those are going to be gold for a while. Don't send letters with pictures etc. in them. White envelops only. No packages until Candio phase and from what Im learning is they are trying to phase that out. My daughter graduated on Halloween of 2014. Make sure you register for your sons OCS FB page and the class after it. This is just incase he rolls. I even joined the OCS Class before my daughter. If you have questions don't hesitate to ask.
May 19, 2017
Nancy
Hi Liz! You will find this site very helpful. There is a vast support network and answers for almost all your questions. It helped me a lot just a few months ago, as you can see by all the questions I asked in the discussion forums! Don't forget to check those out! GalleyMom and Noni are right about everything. And do join the facebook page, and the classes before and after. I think I joined about 6 classes! I NEVER saw my son's picture on any of our class's facebook photos. It wasn't until after he had gotten home, and it was in the class 2 classes later and he was helping with their khaki inspection. So it pays to join all of them, the ones before for information, and the ones after for pictures. GalleyMom and Noni have great advice, particularly about memorizing as much stuff as he can before going and getting in shape.
May 19, 2017
CindyN
Liz,
I should start by saying that my son was in OCS about 2 years ago so some of my information may be out of date.
During the check-in process they will need to turn in their cells phones. They will not get it back until they become Candi-O’s at the end of week 9. Just before they have to hand their cell over, they will get to make one last call to let you know they arrived and to give you their mailing address. This call will come on the Sunday of their check-in so stay close to your phone(s). I don’t know if they are reminded to save important phone and email addresses before they turn their phone over, or if my son knew to do that one his own. But it is good advice to give your son before he goes.
Letters are very important, especially at the beginning. I didn't get many back (maybe 2) but he did say "write and send pictures/news". So I wrote every day or two using the service write2them.org to send letters and photos. The service took an email I sent to the service, printed it out and sent it in the appropriate white envelope. I think they mail it from closer to the base so it takes a couple of days off the mail time from where I am. At the time, it cost about $1.20 per letter (for a bit more than 2x a stamp) but for me, it is so convenient that I wrote more often. I often thought that writing to him was at least as therapeutic for me, if not more so, than it was for him. It may be good to include a list of phone numbers and email addresses in one of your letters.
Currently at the end of week 2 they will be able to sign up for a timeslot (10-15 minutes) to use the phone on weekends. I believe the possible times were Fri evening, Sat evening and all day Sun. They will not be calling from their cell phone, so be sure to answer any unknown caller from Rhode Island. They may need ATT prepaid phone cards to use for this. Don't worry, there are usually some available with minutes left from prior classes that they can use to make their first call (There was a recent note that they call you and have you return their call at a number they provide, so a phone card may not be needed.)
Navyformoms will be a good resource for you. The Friends and Family Facebook group for your son’s class will also be an excellent source of information and support. The "Officer Training Command Newport" Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/OTCNewport/?fref=ts) posts photos every week or two which were fun to see. You can start to watch that page now. It will give you a glimpse of life at OCS.
You can find a packing list here: http://www.ocs.navy.mil/ocs_requiredpaperwork.html I second GalleyMom’s note about good running shoes. And if you can talk them into bright colored shoes, it is a plus!
OCS is a challenging process for both the candidates and their families. But there seems to be a method to their madness. The men and women that develop during OCS and you meet at graduation are pretty awesome. These young men and women who volunteer and get selected for Naval Officers are so impressive. It gives me so much hope for our future.
May 19, 2017
M's mom
Hi Liz, Everyone here has already given you such good advice; I don't have much to add. As Noni wrote, read back as far as you can on these posts, and we probably have answered many of your questions already. When you get to the bottom of this page, just click page 2 and keep going!
Also, above the Comments Wall here, you will see the Discussion Forum. Click on "View All," and read the most recent ones. Things change constantly at OCS, so some of the older posts may give incorrect info. My son went to OCS in 2012, and I found this site and the class Facebook pages invaluable, but I now have to defer to the newer OCS Moms for specific questions because so much has changed. Good luck to your son!
May 19, 2017
USNmom2017
May 22, 2017
Noni
They usually get their orders a week or so before. At least my daughter did. Your son is a NFO so he may have to wait.... majority of the Ensins know where they are going and when they need to be at post. Your son will let you know all details. As parents we want all the details now. Remember this is the Navy and they are Marine trained. When they say now it's now not later.
May 22, 2017
Noni
The Navy makes the travel arrangements. Your son will have his orders and everything will have to be checked off before leaving
May 22, 2017
LucyJo
Welcome to the group!! It is so good to have this support, especially during OCS. My son just finished in March. The NFOs in his class received their orders and moved to Pensacola quickly in a week or less. It will depend on the needs how soon they move on. The pilots right now are waiting almost three months. That has been good for me since he has been home during that time on OHARP. He heads out this week for API finally. It is all very exciting for them. Good luck!!
May 23, 2017
USNmom2017
May 23, 2017
LoniJ
May 23, 2017
NukeMomCarol
May 23, 2017
M's mom
To all asking about travel arrangements after OCS, I think the Navy will pay for travel from OCS to their next duty assignment, but not to home. Our son got his orders the day before OCS graduation, which gave him 10 days to report to his next school. He had not driven to OCS, but flew, so he wanted to go home and collect his vehicle and worldly goods, and then drive to his next duty. His dad & I flew to OCS graduation, and when son got his orders, we were able to get him a plane ticket on the flight home with us. We had to pay for that, not the Navy. When he drove to his next duty from home, he MIGHT have gotten reimbursed by the Navy for mileage, but I don't remember. I know the Navy pays for travel or reimburses them from one duty assignment to another, but not to home.
May 23, 2017
M's mom
Welcome NukeMomCarol,
Read back on these posts as far back as you can and we may have answered many of your questions already. Your daughter will be able to call you during the first 48 hrs at OCS to tell you she is there, then after that you won't hear much until she gets email at about week 3-4.
Send her only LETTERS in plain, white envelopes--no gifts, no treats, no musical cards, etc. Make sure all the friends and relatives to whom you give her mailing address know this. We have discussed this in recent posts below, so read those.
May 23, 2017
Noni
May 23, 2017
Noni
Like M's mom said try to read back the previous messages. Both M's mom and I have children who graduated in 12 and 14. Things have changed for us but the new moms will be able to help with their LOs are either just in or just left Ocs. As a mother of a daughter. Join the Navy daughters blog. The only thing in that site is they don't understand us officer moms. We deal with different issues. If you want you can friend me. I tell all parent to know the color of there child gym shoes. That's is sometime the only way you can pick them out of pictures. Make sure you join OCS FB page. Join the class prior, present and Future. Prior to see what the class is presently doing. Then join your class to keep up an see pictures. The future class in case your daughter rolls. Bes of luck to your daughter in Nuke school. Goose island they say is beautiful. My daughter was going Nuke but instead is SWO/ ASWO / Nuke Engineering.
May 23, 2017
Anna
NukemomCarol,
I have a group Moms of Daughters 2 and we have moms of both officer and enlisted. I myself have an officer daughter (and a veteran enlisted daughter, and an enlisted son) who did OCS in 2012. Enlisted or officer, we understand the differences with sending our daughters off to the military!!
May 23, 2017
NukeMomCarol
May 23, 2017
NukeMomCarol
May 23, 2017
navymom1304
My son graduated OCS in summer of 2015. There is a pretty good description of the routine at OCS on a day by day basis on Navydads.com. If you search on Navydads OCS it will give a detailed description of every day for the 1st week. Some of the info (gouge) is old but it seems to get the flavor of what they are going through (according to my son). It is a challenging time for the kids, but my son told me that in looking back on it, it wasn't so bad. Good luck to all of you and your LO's.
May 24, 2017
NukeMomCarol
May 24, 2017