Many of those "low sugar" protein bars are sweetened with compounds called sugar alcohols such as maltitol, xylitol, etc. While these products don't have any effects like liquor alcohol, they can cause, um, "gastrointestinal distress," to put it nicely. Read the labels and "sugar alcohols" should be listed in the sugar section of the nutrition label.
These compounds adversely effect me in a bad way, so be wary about sending a whole load of them to your loved one without a warning to go easy on them until they know how they go with their digestive system. It would be really bad for a candidate to be standing in formation and suddenly be stricken with "gastrointestinal distress!"
So if everything goes according to plan, my son will be graduating from OCS Sept. 21. I was wondering what did most of you do after the graduation? Did you go out to a nice lunch, or a nice dinner with your family and new ensign? It is the Newport Food and Wine Festival that weekend so thinking every place will be crowded and maybe I should be making reservations at some restaurant. Suggestions?
Redheadlass
Most don’t stick around. Right after graduation the candidates are sent back to their barracks to pack up. My daughter was able to come home with us but most go to their duty station right after graduation.
Well I think we will be sticking around the area for the weekend as we are coming a long ways from California. Another Navy Mom on this site said her son stayed with them over the weekend and flew to OHARP location on Sunday. I think my son will probably be able to do the same. We are planning on flying out on Monday.... Can visit the area even if our son cannot.
Hi Redheadlass my son graduated from PCS about 18 months ago in April We also had a long trip. We are from El Paso Tx. I guess we were lucky because my son was able to pack up and then spend 3 days with us. After graduation we went downtown to a nice restaurant. The next day we drove into Boston. There is so much to do in this area I'm sure it will be a great trip for you and your family
I think they pack up earlier now. Seems like they are out of their barracks before graduation, or very little left. We were able to get most of his stuff on Wednesday night, and got to talk with him about 20 minutes outside the barracks. Then we went to dinner with a few couples we met through this site. Then hubby and I did some sightseeing Thursday morning and we were able to pick up LO and rest of gear Thursday afternoon. We went together to Hi moms, and he was able to spend Thursday night with us in the hotel room, as long as he was back next morning by something like 4:30 am. At this point he had practically nothing left in the barracks. He caught a ride back to base with another one staying in the same hotel as we were. Then after graduation he just wanted to come back to hotel room and crash. He napped several hours, then we had a nice dinner and did some sightseeing together Saturday morning before catching a late flight home. It's pretty much up to you to do whatever. He didn't have to report to OHARP until Wednesday, so he still had a few days with us. Depends on their designation and their orders. Most NFOs report right away with no OHARP at all, SNAs might get a little longer and have OHARP to boot. Have no idea about the others.
Redheadlass: Our experience/schedule was similar to Nancy. My son was exhausted after graduation and slept for a good 4+ hours. As we didn't know when we bought our tickets where/when he would go next after graduation, we planned to stay the weekend and spend time/sightsee with our son in the event he wouldn't be coming back home to pack up. In the end, he did come home to pack up and drive back to VA with his car. But we spent Satuday and part of Sunday playing tourist.
My son graduated 01-18 last October. The message we got was he was NOT allowed to go back into the barracks because he was now an officer. He gave us his last few belongings right before he headed to graduation (we had picked up the rest earlier before hi-moms dinner) after the graduation run that morning. If they have orders they can leave right after graduation and if not they move to a different barracks while they await orders. We had the luxury of time with our son as we had done sightseeing earlier in the week. We did take him out to eat and visited the Tennis Hall of Fame and drove out to see Plymouth Rock that afternoon. He came home with us as he had delayed orders to start Nuclear Power School in February.
Redheadlass, my son commissioned in May this year. As the other 3 have stated, he had to be out of his room as of Commissioning, so we went there early Thurs afternoon to pick up all of his belongings. He got leave Thurs night after Hi Moms so he was able to stay with us. We had to get him back to base by 5:45 Fri! We were a big group - 9 plus him - so we rented a house. We chose to do all our cooking at the house so it was easier to socialize. Plus he was wanting some home cooking! He was exhausted as well - fell asleep on the floor as we were cooking! He is an SNA, so his orders were to report for OHARP on the following Monday. We stayed in the area until Sunday and did some sightseeing.
Redheadlass, we just returned from Class 14-18 graduation. We drove from Illinois. My son did not receive orders and is still in Newport. If I had it to do over again, I would do 2 things differently. We made dinner reservations for Friday evening. I would recommend lunch reservations instead. We were dressed-up already and hungry. Our 3 kids were hungry after graduation so we had to get lunch. Every place was crowded and it was tough to find a parking spot. Then, dinner seemed too close to lunch. We toured The Breakers in between because we didn't know what else to do so dressed up...which brings me to my second point. Make reservations at a closer hotel. Because of cost and our choice in hotels, ours was a 35 minute drive away from base. The drive got old. We couldn't go back and forth because of the distance, but we did anyway - 15 times over the toll bridge! We still had a lovely vacation and, of course, a wonderful time with our son!
Jesnavymom is totally correct. My son was in the 11-18 class so here are my words of wisdom:)
First, I would say to get a place as close to base as possible.There are plenty of places to stay the area close to base. We rented a house on VRBO but there are hotels & AirBB is a good option. Just to give you an idea how many times you will go on base...you will be getting all his stuff in the afternoon before Hi Mom's, you will go back to base for Hi Mom's around 5, you will go back to base to drop him off before 5:30 if he stays with you (my son wanted to be back by 11 so he got sleep for the last run), the last run is around 6:30 am and you don't want to miss that, then you need to be changed and back for graduation around 9:30 (if graduation is in the morning). We actually came back by 9 to pick up the last of our sons belongings before graduation, and then he had to go back to the uniform shop before he left to get some last minute items. So you will find the base to be a home away from home for 2 days..lol.
Second, you will get dressed up for 2 events: Hi Mom's & Graduation. Some chose to go out and eat/celebrate after Hi Mom's (especially if your LO has an immediate duty assignment) and others went out on Friday. We were originally going to go out after Hi Mom's (that event was only light finger foods) but then decided to eat at the house to be able to visit more. We made reservations for after graduation at 1:30 thinking that would give us enough time and it was plenty (we did take lots of pictures after). I would have made the reservations for more like 12:30. We had the Volvo boat regatta in Newport that weekend so it was very crowded. Some restaurants downtown have their own parking so that is something to look into.
I have to tell you that the coolest experience of the whole thing for me was when I got to sign him out after Hi Moms. I was his "buddy" while he was on shore leave. To see him salute the flag and ask for permission to come aboard (their building is treated like a ship) was inspiring. It was then that I realized just what OCS is about and how it will change his life forever.
Parking in downtown Newport is a challenge, at least in the summer. I have been to Newport/Middletown twice, once for my son's OSC graduation 3 years ago and then again this summer while he is there for training. We stayed at hotels in Middletown both times and used Uber/Lyft if we were going out to dinner in Newport. Lots of Uber drivers around so never waited long for ride, even from our hotel. The weekend we were there this time (3rd week in June) there were fewer Lyft cars around so the wait was longer if we happened to use that app. Not sure if that is normal for the area. Given you pay for most parking in downtown Newport, using Uber/Lyft wasn't that much more and worth it to avoid driving around looking for parking.
These are all excellent suggestions, ladies. Thank you all so much! Now I am thinking of maybe asking my son and see if he would want to have nicer lunch on Friday or wait till Friday night. It is the Newport Wine and Food Festival that weekend so I imagine everything will be crowded. But your point about being all dressed up and no where to go makes sense. So, anyone have any restaurant suggestions for lunch or dinner in the area? I do have hotel reservations in Middletown, not Newport.
We went to The Mooring in Newport for dinner. Excellent but expensive. Three of us had the Uptown Salad. Yum! If you go, ask for a table with a view. We ate at The Landing for lunch. They are also on the water with a good view. Excellent lobster rolls. Another place we enjoyed was Newport Vineyards. They have very good wine and two restaurants. On Wednesdays, they have live music on their patio. May I also suggest a boat tour. We did Newport Harbor Sightseeing Tour. It was reasonable and wonderful. My son loves to fish. So we also booked their fishing trip on their sister boat. Don't miss The Breakers or the Cliff Walk.
I have another question. For those of you whose LO's were Naval Avaitors, I know after OCS they go to OHARP. Can anyone out there tell me about what time ahead of OCS graduation did your LO receive his/her orders for OHARP? And do they have to make their own plane reservations to OHARP or does the Navy do this? I understand most of the time they have to report to their OHARP location on Monday morning immediately after the graduation.
OHARP orders come along with the orders to Pensacola. They are not separate. SNAs usually get their orders sometime within the final week of OCS. My DS got his about 3 or 4 days before graduation. My son drove his car so he would have it. Also, it was in the location of his previous residence, so not far away and air travel not needed. I imagine most would drive to their OHARP duty so they can have a car, but I could be wrong. They can request a location for OHARP, which could help in planning. It doesn't always mean they will get it, but it is somewhat likely.
redheadlass, it was almost four years ago for our DS, but his orders came AFTER the graduation ceremony. None of the SNA received their orders until after lunch and they trickled in. We were preparing for our DS to not come home with us but rather move into other living quarters on the base when they finally arrived. I think generally the orders arrive just before graduation events, but there is no hard and fast rule or timing. As with everything in the Navy, we all learn to be flexible! ;)
My DS graduated OCS in 2017, then stayed on base in Newport for several weeks waiting for his OHARP orders. He then spent nearly four months with OHARP waiting for his slot in Pensacola. His OHARP location was near our house so he lived at home during that time. In each case, he drove so he would have his car.
Well my son was living in Alabama prior to going to OCS, and he left his car with a friend there. . I think he will be doing OHARP there (at least that is what his recruiter told him) so he will need to get back there so I think he will have to fly as he flew from Alabama to Providence to begin OCS.
ArNaMa: There is no limit that I know of for guests at graduation, but it is open seating. (Get there EARLY.) Your officer candidate will have to submit in advance a list of all those coming on base, and OCS used to (I'm not sure now) require the social security numbers of all guests attending, to be checked for security risks.
As far as the Hi Moms reception the night before, the candidates themselves, not OCS, make arrangements for and pay for that themselves, so the candidates must pay a certain amount for each of their guests. My son's class had an early evening reception at a downtown Newport hotel with just appetizers, and I think it was about $30 per guest. It's up to the candidates how many guests they can afford to invite!!!!
The Hi Moms reception was more dressy than graduation. I wore a "church" dress; my husband wore a dress shirt and slacks. Some of the men wore blazers/sportcoats and many women wore cocktail dresses to Hi Moms. Nobody was dressed formally. There were even some jeans, but nobody cared, really.
At graduation, I wore a nice blouse and dress slacks, but again, some were in shorts and jeans. (It was hot out.) You will want to take photos afterwards with your new Ensign in his/her dress uniform, so consider what you want to be photographed wearing standing next to such a spiffy Navy officer!
Our graduation was indoors in the auditorium/gymnasium, but I'm not sure if they have it outdoors now in the summer.
I have sent a couple of letters already. One comment I saw said they wouldn’t get mail for 3 weeks then another said they would tomorrow. Any mail sent will be held and given to them when they can start receiving mail
Melissa: "H class" is holding class. This is where a candidate goes if/when they "roll" or fail an event. They will stay in holding until the next class is to the point where they rolled and then will commission with that class. OCS also has companies when they have enough enrolled. There is a Hotel Company. Much different than H Class.
"Hotel" simply refers to the letter H in the phonetic alphabet used by the Navy and anyone spelling out by letters over a radio to avoid confusion: alpha, bravo, charlie, etc.
Meadow, if the classes are too large for just one group, OCS creates 2 groups and then differentiates them with letters ie A (Alpha) Company and B (Bravo) company all the way thru H (Hotel) Company. If this doesn't apply to your LO, then there is only one class. My son was class 11-18 Golf Company.
LO means Loved One. Here that usually means son, daughter or spouse. There will definitely be new things to learn and oh so many acronyms! Regarding the address, I would address letters as you got the mailing address sent to you. I suppose they may not have split the class up yet. You can ask in your next letter, although you may not get a reply very quickly. Your LO [ just trying to give you some practice with your new acronyms ;-) ] will still get the mail. Good luck!
I was so confused when my son was OCS last year-he was in C (Charlie) company not Delta. He told me there is never a class over Hotel. At any given time there are really 3 classes or phases there: indoc, OC (officer candidate) and CO (Candidate Officer or Candio). To help keep them all separate they each have a different designator of class although there may be 2 "classes" of the same phase. So usually the first group of indocs is say Alpha while the second would be bravo. When they move up to CO about week 3, a new group of Indocs come in and would be Charlie and Delta, then A/B move up to Candios and C/D move up to CO's then a new class of incocs come in and are Echo, Foxtrot. Then the A/B group graduates out as new ensigns and as everyone moves up again the new class of indocs would be Golf/Hotel. And the cycle continues. If they are put in H class for some reason (fail something, medical restrictions, etc.) then they would roll into the next group coming up and switch to that classes designaton (if you are put in Holding-roll OUT from C class then you would roll into either Echo or Foxtrot class if they are deemed ready) and finish out with the new class they rolled into.
Make sure you send ONLY letters to OCS. NO food or gifts of any kind, or it will be confiscated as contraband, and the candidate will be punished with many extra pushups, even if they didn't ask for it to be sent!!!! Make sure everyone to whom you give your candidate's mailing address knows this!
True story: when my son was in OCS, someone's dear Auntie innocently sent him cookies at week three. The poor kid had to do 800 (yes, EIGHT HUNDRED) pushups as punishment, and he didn't even get to eat the cookies! I can only imagine how bad his aunt felt about that! The Drill Instructors (DI's) can be as ruthless as they want to about things like that, so make sure nobody sends anything but letters. In the last few weeks of OCS, I think the current Candidate Officers can receive a "Candio Box" from home, but it still can't contain any food.
Don't make reservations for graduation too early, especially if you are flying. The candidates can and do "roll" back for failing an inspection or some other infraction, or getting injured. They are in "Holding Class" until they get up to speed or get well, then they join the class coming up behind them, so this will put their graduation back at least three weeks. Hotels reservations can be changed, but airlines usually charge a hefty fee to change flights, so don't book flights too early.
Since we don't know if your officer candidate is your son, daughter, spouse, grandkid, etc., we just refer to them all as Loved Ones (LO's) because that is certain!
We stayed at the Howard Johnson hotel. It was clean, rooms were good. Great lobby and breakfast. Close to base and easy to get to base from. Friendly staff. Great price!
I put in the Candio Box the Tide pen, chapstick, black shoe polish, a magazine, a book, ear buds, lint roller, a small photo book in which I had printed out some of the photos that were posted on Facebook of his class. He was only in one of the photos but I did print out other ones that he might enjoy seeing of the rest of his class. He did seem to enjoy the photo book. Also he really liked the reading material and the ear buds. I also got some of his relatives to send me a short note to offer him congrats on his Candio status and I put them in the box.
On the Candio Box sheet that is on here somewhere feom one of the admins, it included food items Can be sent. im a little confused. Can we send food items or not? Any help would be appreciated!
I don't think you can send any food items. Although I think my son told me that some people got candy in their Candio Boxes and they were able to keep it. But I would have your son check with his class team about the candy first before sending it.
The thing my DS seemed to appreciate most in my mail besides family news was news of the world (current events - they weren't allowed any internet news) and news of his local professional sports team.
My son also said he didn't want anything (01-18) when he was finally a candio. I sent him a book he had mentioned about subs, shapstick, lint roller (a backup one), a magnet from home, a big 10 sports magazine so he could see what I had been emailing him about once he earned that, some pictures from home in a small album and some bubble wrap to pop when he got super stressed. We were told last year NO food items as they had earned the right to go to the NEX and could get snacks from there.
I will have to say I sent a warning with the bubble wrap to alert his room mates and others so they didn't think something awful was going on (sounds like pop guns sometimes) and he had to share-the report was they loved it.
Hello - My son is currently scheduled to attend the upcoming OCS class starting on 11/4. I am hoping I found the correct site to communicate with other Mom's (past and present)...
I'm a Navy newbie. My son is scheduled to attend the 10/14 OCS class. My list of questions is getting longer as that date is getting closer. Thankful to have this group.
Do you know if there is a facebook group for their class? How do we know the class number/name?
Welcome Kristina86. My son just graduated OCS on 9/21/18 so if you have any questions please feel free to ask them here or send me a private message. I would be happy to help you in any way I could.
Kristina86: The class will be something like x-19, possibly 05-19. Sometimes the Facebook groups use the start date rather than the class number. So another good search string would be 2018Oct14. I do see a group that was likely started for people those who will be in the Oct 14th class: https://www.facebook.com/groups/2153959201544640/
You might have you son join that group and ask if there is a Friends and Family group started. If the group is set to the secret privacy setting, it doesn't show up on a search.
M's mom
Many of those "low sugar" protein bars are sweetened with compounds called sugar alcohols such as maltitol, xylitol, etc. While these products don't have any effects like liquor alcohol, they can cause, um, "gastrointestinal distress," to put it nicely. Read the labels and "sugar alcohols" should be listed in the sugar section of the nutrition label.
These compounds adversely effect me in a bad way, so be wary about sending a whole load of them to your loved one without a warning to go easy on them until they know how they go with their digestive system. It would be really bad for a candidate to be standing in formation and suddenly be stricken with "gastrointestinal distress!"
Jul 6, 2018
New2blue
Looking for Class 15-18. Anyone else LO in that class?
Jul 9, 2018
redheadlass
So if everything goes according to plan, my son will be graduating from OCS Sept. 21. I was wondering what did most of you do after the graduation? Did you go out to a nice lunch, or a nice dinner with your family and new ensign? It is the Newport Food and Wine Festival that weekend so thinking every place will be crowded and maybe I should be making reservations at some restaurant. Suggestions?
Jul 22, 2018
Noni
Most don’t stick around. Right after graduation the candidates are sent back to their barracks to pack up. My daughter was able to come home with us but most go to their duty station right after graduation.
Jul 22, 2018
redheadlass
Well I think we will be sticking around the area for the weekend as we are coming a long ways from California. Another Navy Mom on this site said her son stayed with them over the weekend and flew to OHARP location on Sunday. I think my son will probably be able to do the same. We are planning on flying out on Monday.... Can visit the area even if our son cannot.
Jul 22, 2018
Charlene
Hi Redheadlass my son graduated from PCS about 18 months ago in April We also had a long trip. We are from El Paso Tx. I guess we were lucky because my son was able to pack up and then spend 3 days with us. After graduation we went downtown to a nice restaurant. The next day we drove into Boston. There is so much to do in this area I'm sure it will be a great trip for you and your family
Jul 22, 2018
Nancy
I think they pack up earlier now. Seems like they are out of their barracks before graduation, or very little left. We were able to get most of his stuff on Wednesday night, and got to talk with him about 20 minutes outside the barracks. Then we went to dinner with a few couples we met through this site. Then hubby and I did some sightseeing Thursday morning and we were able to pick up LO and rest of gear Thursday afternoon. We went together to Hi moms, and he was able to spend Thursday night with us in the hotel room, as long as he was back next morning by something like 4:30 am. At this point he had practically nothing left in the barracks. He caught a ride back to base with another one staying in the same hotel as we were. Then after graduation he just wanted to come back to hotel room and crash. He napped several hours, then we had a nice dinner and did some sightseeing together Saturday morning before catching a late flight home. It's pretty much up to you to do whatever. He didn't have to report to OHARP until Wednesday, so he still had a few days with us. Depends on their designation and their orders. Most NFOs report right away with no OHARP at all, SNAs might get a little longer and have OHARP to boot. Have no idea about the others.
Jul 22, 2018
CindyN
Redheadlass: Our experience/schedule was similar to Nancy. My son was exhausted after graduation and slept for a good 4+ hours. As we didn't know when we bought our tickets where/when he would go next after graduation, we planned to stay the weekend and spend time/sightsee with our son in the event he wouldn't be coming back home to pack up. In the end, he did come home to pack up and drive back to VA with his car. But we spent Satuday and part of Sunday playing tourist.
Jul 23, 2018
Eaglemom01
My son graduated 01-18 last October. The message we got was he was NOT allowed to go back into the barracks because he was now an officer. He gave us his last few belongings right before he headed to graduation (we had picked up the rest earlier before hi-moms dinner) after the graduation run that morning. If they have orders they can leave right after graduation and if not they move to a different barracks while they await orders. We had the luxury of time with our son as we had done sightseeing earlier in the week. We did take him out to eat and visited the Tennis Hall of Fame and drove out to see Plymouth Rock that afternoon. He came home with us as he had delayed orders to start Nuclear Power School in February.
Jul 23, 2018
Andy'sMom
Redheadlass, my son commissioned in May this year. As the other 3 have stated, he had to be out of his room as of Commissioning, so we went there early Thurs afternoon to pick up all of his belongings. He got leave Thurs night after Hi Moms so he was able to stay with us. We had to get him back to base by 5:45 Fri! We were a big group - 9 plus him - so we rented a house. We chose to do all our cooking at the house so it was easier to socialize. Plus he was wanting some home cooking! He was exhausted as well - fell asleep on the floor as we were cooking! He is an SNA, so his orders were to report for OHARP on the following Monday. We stayed in the area until Sunday and did some sightseeing.
Jul 23, 2018
jesnavymom
Redheadlass, we just returned from Class 14-18 graduation. We drove from Illinois. My son did not receive orders and is still in Newport. If I had it to do over again, I would do 2 things differently. We made dinner reservations for Friday evening. I would recommend lunch reservations instead. We were dressed-up already and hungry. Our 3 kids were hungry after graduation so we had to get lunch. Every place was crowded and it was tough to find a parking spot. Then, dinner seemed too close to lunch. We toured The Breakers in between because we didn't know what else to do so dressed up...which brings me to my second point. Make reservations at a closer hotel. Because of cost and our choice in hotels, ours was a 35 minute drive away from base. The drive got old. We couldn't go back and forth because of the distance, but we did anyway - 15 times over the toll bridge! We still had a lovely vacation and, of course, a wonderful time with our son!
Jul 24, 2018
Andrea S
Redheadlass,
Jesnavymom is totally correct. My son was in the 11-18 class so here are my words of wisdom:)
First, I would say to get a place as close to base as possible.There are plenty of places to stay the area close to base. We rented a house on VRBO but there are hotels & AirBB is a good option. Just to give you an idea how many times you will go on base...you will be getting all his stuff in the afternoon before Hi Mom's, you will go back to base for Hi Mom's around 5, you will go back to base to drop him off before 5:30 if he stays with you (my son wanted to be back by 11 so he got sleep for the last run), the last run is around 6:30 am and you don't want to miss that, then you need to be changed and back for graduation around 9:30 (if graduation is in the morning). We actually came back by 9 to pick up the last of our sons belongings before graduation, and then he had to go back to the uniform shop before he left to get some last minute items. So you will find the base to be a home away from home for 2 days..lol.
Second, you will get dressed up for 2 events: Hi Mom's & Graduation. Some chose to go out and eat/celebrate after Hi Mom's (especially if your LO has an immediate duty assignment) and others went out on Friday. We were originally going to go out after Hi Mom's (that event was only light finger foods) but then decided to eat at the house to be able to visit more. We made reservations for after graduation at 1:30 thinking that would give us enough time and it was plenty (we did take lots of pictures after). I would have made the reservations for more like 12:30. We had the Volvo boat regatta in Newport that weekend so it was very crowded. Some restaurants downtown have their own parking so that is something to look into.
I have to tell you that the coolest experience of the whole thing for me was when I got to sign him out after Hi Moms. I was his "buddy" while he was on shore leave. To see him salute the flag and ask for permission to come aboard (their building is treated like a ship) was inspiring. It was then that I realized just what OCS is about and how it will change his life forever.
Jul 24, 2018
CindyN
Parking in downtown Newport is a challenge, at least in the summer. I have been to Newport/Middletown twice, once for my son's OSC graduation 3 years ago and then again this summer while he is there for training. We stayed at hotels in Middletown both times and used Uber/Lyft if we were going out to dinner in Newport. Lots of Uber drivers around so never waited long for ride, even from our hotel. The weekend we were there this time (3rd week in June) there were fewer Lyft cars around so the wait was longer if we happened to use that app. Not sure if that is normal for the area. Given you pay for most parking in downtown Newport, using Uber/Lyft wasn't that much more and worth it to avoid driving around looking for parking.
Jul 24, 2018
redheadlass
These are all excellent suggestions, ladies. Thank you all so much! Now I am thinking of maybe asking my son and see if he would want to have nicer lunch on Friday or wait till Friday night. It is the Newport Wine and Food Festival that weekend so I imagine everything will be crowded. But your point about being all dressed up and no where to go makes sense. So, anyone have any restaurant suggestions for lunch or dinner in the area? I do have hotel reservations in Middletown, not Newport.
Jul 24, 2018
jesnavymom
We went to The Mooring in Newport for dinner. Excellent but expensive. Three of us had the Uptown Salad. Yum! If you go, ask for a table with a view. We ate at The Landing for lunch. They are also on the water with a good view. Excellent lobster rolls. Another place we enjoyed was Newport Vineyards. They have very good wine and two restaurants. On Wednesdays, they have live music on their patio. May I also suggest a boat tour. We did Newport Harbor Sightseeing Tour. It was reasonable and wonderful. My son loves to fish. So we also booked their fishing trip on their sister boat. Don't miss The Breakers or the Cliff Walk.
Jul 25, 2018
redheadlass
I have another question. For those of you whose LO's were Naval Avaitors, I know after OCS they go to OHARP. Can anyone out there tell me about what time ahead of OCS graduation did your LO receive his/her orders for OHARP? And do they have to make their own plane reservations to OHARP or does the Navy do this? I understand most of the time they have to report to their OHARP location on Monday morning immediately after the graduation.
Jul 26, 2018
Nancy
OHARP orders come along with the orders to Pensacola. They are not separate. SNAs usually get their orders sometime within the final week of OCS. My DS got his about 3 or 4 days before graduation. My son drove his car so he would have it. Also, it was in the location of his previous residence, so not far away and air travel not needed. I imagine most would drive to their OHARP duty so they can have a car, but I could be wrong. They can request a location for OHARP, which could help in planning. It doesn't always mean they will get it, but it is somewhat likely.
Jul 26, 2018
jsefamily
redheadlass, it was almost four years ago for our DS, but his orders came AFTER the graduation ceremony. None of the SNA received their orders until after lunch and they trickled in. We were preparing for our DS to not come home with us but rather move into other living quarters on the base when they finally arrived. I think generally the orders arrive just before graduation events, but there is no hard and fast rule or timing. As with everything in the Navy, we all learn to be flexible! ;)
Jul 26, 2018
Allison
My DS graduated OCS in 2017, then stayed on base in Newport for several weeks waiting for his OHARP orders. He then spent nearly four months with OHARP waiting for his slot in Pensacola. His OHARP location was near our house so he lived at home during that time. In each case, he drove so he would have his car.
Jul 26, 2018
redheadlass
Well my son was living in Alabama prior to going to OCS, and he left his car with a friend there. . I think he will be doing OHARP there (at least that is what his recruiter told him) so he will need to get back there so I think he will have to fly as he flew from Alabama to Providence to begin OCS.
Jul 26, 2018
ArNaMa
My son is currently in OCS. I was wondering if there is a limit to number of guests that may attend graduation or the prior evening events?
Jul 26, 2018
M's mom
ArNaMa: There is no limit that I know of for guests at graduation, but it is open seating. (Get there EARLY.) Your officer candidate will have to submit in advance a list of all those coming on base, and OCS used to (I'm not sure now) require the social security numbers of all guests attending, to be checked for security risks.
As far as the Hi Moms reception the night before, the candidates themselves, not OCS, make arrangements for and pay for that themselves, so the candidates must pay a certain amount for each of their guests. My son's class had an early evening reception at a downtown Newport hotel with just appetizers, and I think it was about $30 per guest. It's up to the candidates how many guests they can afford to invite!!!!
Jul 26, 2018
M's mom
redheadlass,
The Hi Moms reception was more dressy than graduation. I wore a "church" dress; my husband wore a dress shirt and slacks. Some of the men wore blazers/sportcoats and many women wore cocktail dresses to Hi Moms. Nobody was dressed formally. There were even some jeans, but nobody cared, really.
At graduation, I wore a nice blouse and dress slacks, but again, some were in shorts and jeans. (It was hot out.) You will want to take photos afterwards with your new Ensign in his/her dress uniform, so consider what you want to be photographed wearing standing next to such a spiffy Navy officer!
Our graduation was indoors in the auditorium/gymnasium, but I'm not sure if they have it outdoors now in the summer.
Aug 14, 2018
Pilotmom
Aug 16, 2018
Melissa
Aug 16, 2018
Andy'sMom
Aug 16, 2018
Nancy
"Hotel" simply refers to the letter H in the phonetic alphabet used by the Navy and anyone spelling out by letters over a radio to avoid confusion: alpha, bravo, charlie, etc.
Aug 16, 2018
Andy'sMom
Meadow, if the classes are too large for just one group, OCS creates 2 groups and then differentiates them with letters ie A (Alpha) Company and B (Bravo) company all the way thru H (Hotel) Company. If this doesn't apply to your LO, then there is only one class. My son was class 11-18 Golf Company.
Aug 16, 2018
Noni
It could be hotel or hold
Aug 16, 2018
Noni
Aug 16, 2018
CindyN
LO means Loved One. Here that usually means son, daughter or spouse. There will definitely be new things to learn and oh so many acronyms! Regarding the address, I would address letters as you got the mailing address sent to you. I suppose they may not have split the class up yet. You can ask in your next letter, although you may not get a reply very quickly. Your LO [ just trying to give you some practice with your new acronyms ;-) ] will still get the mail. Good luck!
Aug 16, 2018
Eaglemom01
I was so confused when my son was OCS last year-he was in C (Charlie) company not Delta. He told me there is never a class over Hotel. At any given time there are really 3 classes or phases there: indoc, OC (officer candidate) and CO (Candidate Officer or Candio). To help keep them all separate they each have a different designator of class although there may be 2 "classes" of the same phase. So usually the first group of indocs is say Alpha while the second would be bravo. When they move up to CO about week 3, a new group of Indocs come in and would be Charlie and Delta, then A/B move up to Candios and C/D move up to CO's then a new class of incocs come in and are Echo, Foxtrot. Then the A/B group graduates out as new ensigns and as everyone moves up again the new class of indocs would be Golf/Hotel. And the cycle continues. If they are put in H class for some reason (fail something, medical restrictions, etc.) then they would roll into the next group coming up and switch to that classes designaton (if you are put in Holding-roll OUT from C class then you would roll into either Echo or Foxtrot class if they are deemed ready) and finish out with the new class they rolled into.
Aug 17, 2018
M's mom
meadow,
Make sure you send ONLY letters to OCS. NO food or gifts of any kind, or it will be confiscated as contraband, and the candidate will be punished with many extra pushups, even if they didn't ask for it to be sent!!!! Make sure everyone to whom you give your candidate's mailing address knows this!
True story: when my son was in OCS, someone's dear Auntie innocently sent him cookies at week three. The poor kid had to do 800 (yes, EIGHT HUNDRED) pushups as punishment, and he didn't even get to eat the cookies! I can only imagine how bad his aunt felt about that! The Drill Instructors (DI's) can be as ruthless as they want to about things like that, so make sure nobody sends anything but letters. In the last few weeks of OCS, I think the current Candidate Officers can receive a "Candio Box" from home, but it still can't contain any food.
Don't make reservations for graduation too early, especially if you are flying. The candidates can and do "roll" back for failing an inspection or some other infraction, or getting injured. They are in "Holding Class" until they get up to speed or get well, then they join the class coming up behind them, so this will put their graduation back at least three weeks. Hotels reservations can be changed, but airlines usually charge a hefty fee to change flights, so don't book flights too early.
Since we don't know if your officer candidate is your son, daughter, spouse, grandkid, etc., we just refer to them all as Loved Ones (LO's) because that is certain!
Aug 18, 2018
djbmer
Hello!
My granddaughter reported to OCS on 2 Sept. Do any of you know if a FB page has been set up for class 03-19?
Thanks so much!
Sep 4, 2018
CindyN
djbmer: It looks like the group may be called "US Navy OCS Class, 02 September 2018, Friends & Family".
Sep 4, 2018
PKM
We stayed at the Howard Johnson hotel. It was clean, rooms were good. Great lobby and breakfast. Close to base and easy to get to base from. Friendly staff. Great price!
Sep 6, 2018
redheadlass
I put in the Candio Box the Tide pen, chapstick, black shoe polish, a magazine, a book, ear buds, lint roller, a small photo book in which I had printed out some of the photos that were posted on Facebook of his class. He was only in one of the photos but I did print out other ones that he might enjoy seeing of the rest of his class. He did seem to enjoy the photo book. Also he really liked the reading material and the ear buds. I also got some of his relatives to send me a short note to offer him congrats on his Candio status and I put them in the box.
Sep 23, 2018
JackMoe 513
On the Candio Box sheet that is on here somewhere feom one of the admins, it included food items Can be sent. im a little confused. Can we send food items or not? Any help would be appreciated!
Sep 23, 2018
redheadlass
I don't think you can send any food items. Although I think my son told me that some people got candy in their Candio Boxes and they were able to keep it. But I would have your son check with his class team about the candy first before sending it.
Sep 23, 2018
Allison
The thing my DS seemed to appreciate most in my mail besides family news was news of the world (current events - they weren't allowed any internet news) and news of his local professional sports team.
Sep 23, 2018
Eaglemom01
My son also said he didn't want anything (01-18) when he was finally a candio. I sent him a book he had mentioned about subs, shapstick, lint roller (a backup one), a magnet from home, a big 10 sports magazine so he could see what I had been emailing him about once he earned that, some pictures from home in a small album and some bubble wrap to pop when he got super stressed. We were told last year NO food items as they had earned the right to go to the NEX and could get snacks from there.
Sep 23, 2018
Allison
I love the bubble wrap suggestions :-)
Sep 24, 2018
Eaglemom01
I will have to say I sent a warning with the bubble wrap to alert his room mates and others so they didn't think something awful was going on (sounds like pop guns sometimes) and he had to share-the report was they loved it.
Sep 24, 2018
Katryn
Hello - My son is currently scheduled to attend the upcoming OCS class starting on 11/4. I am hoping I found the correct site to communicate with other Mom's (past and present)...
Thanks much !
Oct 5, 2018
Noni
Welcome!
Oct 5, 2018
Allison
Welcome Katryn! Lots of good advice on this site!
Oct 6, 2018
Andy'sMom
Katryn, you will find all sorts of info on this site, but you should also search for your son's class family and friends page on facebook.
Oct 7, 2018
Kristina86
Hello!
I'm a Navy newbie. My son is scheduled to attend the 10/14 OCS class. My list of questions is getting longer as that date is getting closer. Thankful to have this group.
Do you know if there is a facebook group for their class? How do we know the class number/name?
Thanks,
Lala
Oct 7, 2018
redheadlass
Welcome Kristina86. My son just graduated OCS on 9/21/18 so if you have any questions please feel free to ask them here or send me a private message. I would be happy to help you in any way I could.
Oct 7, 2018
CindyN
Kristina86: The class will be something like x-19, possibly 05-19. Sometimes the Facebook groups use the start date rather than the class number. So another good search string would be 2018Oct14. I do see a group that was likely started for people those who will be in the Oct 14th class: https://www.facebook.com/groups/2153959201544640/
You might have you son join that group and ask if there is a Friends and Family group started. If the group is set to the secret privacy setting, it doesn't show up on a search.
Oct 7, 2018