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.
Would someone please make recommendations for items that are allowed and that you think my son would really appreciate having to go with him when he reports? Also any guidance on what is allowed to be sent later after reporting would be appreciated. I know they are very strict even regarding the color of envelopes. Oh and on that note, can someone help with an address? Thanks in advance !!!
Katryn: I will have to leave it to more recent OCS mom's to comment. It has now been about 3.5 years since my son left for OCS. I just wanted to make sure you have seen this site/list. It is probably a good starting point. https://www.public.navy.mil/netc/NSTC/otcn/ocs_required_and_recomme...
There are a few changes from the list that was on the site when my son was packing. I see now that they will be fitted for running shoes on their first day. That is probably really good, provided they have good shoes. Many of the injuries my son mentioned that happened to classmates, were due to running. They run SO much that good running shoes are an absolute must. I would suggest that your son go to a running store and get fitted for some good running shoes, if he doesn't already have them. I don't know if they will be running outside at all now, but having a spare pair would probably still be a good idea even if they only run on an indoor track. Running shoes were not part of what they got on their first day at OCS years ago. My son took a good pair and they ran so much during his time there, they were getting close to the end of their "good support" life by the end.
Katryn: I am sorry, I don't. I would say though they they are trying to avoid injuries from the looks of the new list, so they probably would. They do go through they bag when they check in. Anything not allowed, gets stored away until the 9th week or later. So, if your son wanted to take some, it wouldn't hurt. If they don't allow it, he won't get in trouble, it will just get packed away. It may be useful for their boots as well. They do some hiking/jogging in their boots. I am sure until the boots are broken in, they could cause blisters as well.
Since they are working out to be in shape before they attend OCS, good running shoes should already be “broken in.” Running shoes are known to have 500 miles in them for good support. I know by the end of OCS my DS needed new running shoes. They were broken in to avoid blisters so not all of those miles were at OCS.
My son just graduated OCS in August and brought 2 pairs of good running shoes. Both pairs of shoes had to be stored until week 9 and they issued him New Balance that he wore the whole time. Good socks make the biggest difference in how their feet feel after the 9 weeks of being Pushed.
Read back in this comment section and the "Discussion Forum" above as far as you can. We may have already answered many of your questions.
My son graduated from OCS 6 years ago, so I usually must defer to Moms of more recent grads for specific questions, because OCS constantly changes how they do things.
If you do Facebook, search for a family group for your son's class. Usually they are called "Navy OCS Class XX-XX Friends and Family," or similar wording, where XX-XX is his class number. (His recruiter should be able to give him his class number.) These groups are usually set up by a family member close to the time of a class reporting to OCS. They are usually closed groups and you have to ask to join. You can also ask to join the class group or two AHEAD of your LO's (Loved One's) class, so you can see what those classes are doing 3-6 weeks AHEAD of where your son's class is.
Write lots of encouraging letters to him. They can only receive paper mail letters at first. They aren't allowed to use email for several weeks. Do not send ANYTHING but letters at first, or it will be confiscated as contraband, and he will likely be punished with many extra pushups! He will let you know when you can send anything else.
I don't know for sure, but I would think they would have on-base housing for personnel attending a school. Most military bases have, or at least used to have, what they call "Bachelor Officers Quarters" which are furnished apartments for single officers. I suppose they are allowed to live off-base if they want to, but I think it would be cheaper on base, depending on how long their school is.
Does anyone know if there is a weight room at OCS and if they are allowed time to lift? Thank you so much, I appreciate all of you and your support to your children and our service men and women. BZ
I do not know for sure, but I doubt it. They are busy with physical exercises every day, and are kept busy from 5 am to 10 pm at night. After 10 pm lights are out but many of them have things to do to prepare for activities for the next day. No time for extra physical training at all. Trust me, the physical exercises they do daily, will wear them out!
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
Katryn
Thanks Ladies for the warm welcome ! I really appreciate the support of you Moms...I'll search F
acebook for my son's class. Thank you Andy's Mom !
Oct 8, 2018
Katryn
Would someone please make recommendations for items that are allowed and that you think my son would really appreciate having to go with him when he reports? Also any guidance on what is allowed to be sent later after reporting would be appreciated. I know they are very strict even regarding the color of envelopes. Oh and on that note, can someone help with an address? Thanks in advance !!!
Oct 8, 2018
CindyN
Katryn: I will have to leave it to more recent OCS mom's to comment. It has now been about 3.5 years since my son left for OCS. I just wanted to make sure you have seen this site/list. It is probably a good starting point. https://www.public.navy.mil/netc/NSTC/otcn/ocs_required_and_recomme...
There are a few changes from the list that was on the site when my son was packing. I see now that they will be fitted for running shoes on their first day. That is probably really good, provided they have good shoes. Many of the injuries my son mentioned that happened to classmates, were due to running. They run SO much that good running shoes are an absolute must. I would suggest that your son go to a running store and get fitted for some good running shoes, if he doesn't already have them. I don't know if they will be running outside at all now, but having a spare pair would probably still be a good idea even if they only run on an indoor track. Running shoes were not part of what they got on their first day at OCS years ago. My son took a good pair and they ran so much during his time there, they were getting close to the end of their "good support" life by the end.
Oct 8, 2018
Katryn
Thanks very much Cindy ! Do you know if they are allowed to take moleskin for running blisters?
Oct 8, 2018
CindyN
Katryn: I am sorry, I don't. I would say though they they are trying to avoid injuries from the looks of the new list, so they probably would. They do go through they bag when they check in. Anything not allowed, gets stored away until the 9th week or later. So, if your son wanted to take some, it wouldn't hurt. If they don't allow it, he won't get in trouble, it will just get packed away. It may be useful for their boots as well. They do some hiking/jogging in their boots. I am sure until the boots are broken in, they could cause blisters as well.
Oct 8, 2018
Katryn
Great information and thank you again Cindy !
Oct 8, 2018
jsefamily
Oct 8, 2018
New2blue
My son just graduated OCS in August and brought 2 pairs of good running shoes. Both pairs of shoes had to be stored until week 9 and they issued him New Balance that he wore the whole time. Good socks make the biggest difference in how their feet feel after the 9 weeks of being Pushed.
Oct 8, 2018
M's mom
Welcome Sandi424 !
Read back in this comment section and the "Discussion Forum" above as far as you can. We may have already answered many of your questions.
My son graduated from OCS 6 years ago, so I usually must defer to Moms of more recent grads for specific questions, because OCS constantly changes how they do things.
If you do Facebook, search for a family group for your son's class. Usually they are called "Navy OCS Class XX-XX Friends and Family," or similar wording, where XX-XX is his class number. (His recruiter should be able to give him his class number.) These groups are usually set up by a family member close to the time of a class reporting to OCS. They are usually closed groups and you have to ask to join. You can also ask to join the class group or two AHEAD of your LO's (Loved One's) class, so you can see what those classes are doing 3-6 weeks AHEAD of where your son's class is.
Write lots of encouraging letters to him. They can only receive paper mail letters at first. They aren't allowed to use email for several weeks. Do not send ANYTHING but letters at first, or it will be confiscated as contraband, and he will likely be punished with many extra pushups! He will let you know when you can send anything else.
Good luck to your son! Anchors aweigh!!!!!
Nov 13, 2018
Matt's mom
Good morning!
Does anyone have any recommendations on apartments in Middletown or Newport? My son will be attending supply school. Thank you.
Feb 1, 2019
M's mom
Matt's mom:
I don't know for sure, but I would think they would have on-base housing for personnel attending a school. Most military bases have, or at least used to have, what they call "Bachelor Officers Quarters" which are furnished apartments for single officers. I suppose they are allowed to live off-base if they want to, but I think it would be cheaper on base, depending on how long their school is.
Feb 2, 2019
ProudMom
Does anyone know if there is a weight room at OCS and if they are allowed time to lift? Thank you so much, I appreciate all of you and your support to your children and our service men and women. BZ
Feb 17, 2019
redheadlass
I do not know for sure, but I doubt it. They are busy with physical exercises every day, and are kept busy from 5 am to 10 pm at night. After 10 pm lights are out but many of them have things to do to prepare for activities for the next day. No time for extra physical training at all. Trust me, the physical exercises they do daily, will wear them out!
Feb 17, 2019