Officer Candidate School

[egbot]

On May 9th, we're bringing our son to Rhode Island where he will start OCS.  Is this the same as Boot Camp? He showed me a video of what they go through and the culmination of the 12 or 13 weeks with the Hi Moms graduation ceremony.  I guess then the work begins because he wants to work on a submarine and do something with nuclear propulsion.

I know he can't bring much to OCS, but I have so many friends and family that want to "do something" for him and I don't know what to tell them.  He can't really use anything. When he finishes with OCS, will he then be able to own anything? A Laptop? A cell phone?

Also, while in OCS, how does he communicate with his family?  Is it only by letter writing?  That would prove to be interesting as he's not much of a letter writer and I may have to tie one hand to a pen and another to a piece of paper just to remind him to write home on occasion!

We are so proud of him. This process seemed to take forever!

Any insights? Words of Wisdom?

We're having a "sendoff" party for him on May 2nd. I've ordered a cake in the shape of a submarine!

Thanks for helping out!

Ellen

[Cheryl S.]

Ellen, I will try to answer some of the questions you have posed. OCS is like boot camp only more extreme. They are training these men and women to be officers in the United States Navy so they expect more from them then from the enlisted. The video your son might have shown you was the Hi Moms from 12-10, my sons class. It was posted on You Tube.
They really only should bring what's on the list. If they will have a car there(what they call a POV), they can store extra items in it but they really can't have any extra stuff with them when they arrive at seawall. There is a NEX there where they can buy things as needed. They can take their cell phones, but they don't get to keep them and will only get them back when they get to the final phase, Candidate Officers (Candios). As far as communicating, they can write letters but sometimes not right away. And they are kept very, very busy and sometimes don't even have time to write. Send phone cards, as they get phone privileges within the first few weeks. When exactly varies depending on their Drill Instructor and what they allow. But they use the pay phones on base so hence, the need for the phone cards.
Even though you might not hear from him often, I highly suggest you write as many letters as possible. My son told me numerous times that those cards and letters from home helped get him through some very tough times. I warn you though, send only plain envelopes with no stickers or anything on the outside. And absolutely no packages. They are not allowed unless your son specifically asks you to send him something.

Yes, this process does take forever. It took my son 1 1/2 years from application to starting OCS. His 12 week OCS course actually took 19 as he came down with pneumonia and was in H Class for 7 weeks. It's a roller coaster ride for sure so put your seat belt on. But well worth the ups and downs. My son's graduation day was overflowing with emotion and a day I will never, ever forget. Truly amazing.

Let me know if I can answer any other questions. I'm more than happy to help as I was where you are once!!

[egbot]

Thank you so much. I will absolutely make sure he gets a phone card and as I have a tendency to go a bit overboard, I'd probably be inclined to put stickers on envelopes and make cute remarks! I'll refrain! You and your son and family must have been so upset over the delay due to the pneumonia. At least he is well and he graduated. I appreciate your help and may be relying on you for additional information as you seem to be just a few months ahead of me and your memories will be really fresh! Ellen

[Cheryl S.]

As I said, I'm more than happy to help. I'm embarrassed to say that I was consumed with N4M while my son was at OCS. I also paid him a visit once, just to get a feel for what life was like there for him. I don't want to come across as some 'know it all', but you're right. It's still pretty fresh in my mind. I honestly don't think I will ever forget any of it.

[Mia the US Navy wife]

Do you know, whether they can have their wives with them either on or off the base, so they could stay over the weekends?  My husband will be going to OCS as well and i am very new to this.  Thank you very much, best wishes to you and your son!!!  Marika.

[lemonelephant]

I'm confused. Your husband is currently in BC and those going to OCS typically do that without going to BC. There are some programs where a Sailor would be able to become an officer (https://www.sta-21.navy.mil/program_overview.asp), but I still think that most would have seen an officer recruiter and gone that route rather than going enlisted.

[Mia the US Navy wife]

Dear lemonelephant, i was unable to open your link.  Is this the one i should go to or you have some other one for me to read it?  Thank you for your info.  I am interested in it.  Take care and Good luck to you and your SR.  Hopefully, see you on May 2 at the Sarge's Meet and Greet and at PIR the following morning, Marika.

[lemonelephant]

*If you cannot open https://www.sta-21.navy.mil/program_overview.asp, try opening the link in a different browser (Mozilla Firefox, for example) or you can click on Tools within your browser and then Internet Options, then click on the Advanced tab, then under Security, be sure that Use TLS 1.0 is checked and then click Apply. I didn't have to do that, but I hve had to do that for some other sties on navy.mil.

I have a Sailor since October 2008, so you won't be seeing me in GL.

I'm still confused because your hubby would have to be selected and accepted into the Officer program in order to be assigned a convening date for OCS.

To answer your question, if he is accepted, I don't think the Navy would pay for you to move to be near him during OCS since it is for about 3 months.

[Oblue]

This was so helpful. My boyfriend has been in the process of filling or forms and taking tests for a long time. He finally found out his scores on the ASTB were high enough and has even more paperwork to fill out. I am trying to figure out what the whole process before OCS looks like. If anyone has insights, I'd love to know what to expect from now until OCS. 

Thanks! 

[2 in the service]

Hi egbot!
I saw your post and the replies. Cheryl S. was HUGE help to me when I was a newbie. She is an excellent source of information! I've posted a few links for you to look at. They are informative and will give you a base of information to work with. This is a "learn-as-you-go" environment. Neither the candidates or their families have much info to guide them. And, the program changes as the Navy's needs change.

I'm going to echo what Cheryl said about the letters. They were critical to my candidates success and I have heard that from many, many families. Bad days can be really bad at OCS and letters from home have been a lifeline to many. I sent copies of comic strips, articles about favorite sports teams, local new items and just news of the mundane life at home almost every day of training. Getting something at mail call becomes huge to these young people. Definitely send phone cards and definitely send at least one book of stamps. Your candidate may not be much of a letter writer now but he may turn into one. They can express thoughts on paper that they may not want to be overheard on the phone or may not think to say when they have only 1 minute to talk.

This site was a lifeline for me. I, like Cheryl, ended up addicted to all the posts because so much information about what my loved one might be doing was written there in the groups from the classes ahead of ours. But it got me through to the end and for that I am grateful.

Other advise? Strongly urge your son to get plenty of sleep, stay extremely well hydrated and train harder than he thinks he has to. OCS is extremely intense so he needs to prepare in an extreme way for it. No joke. Success in my opinion will depend on staying healthy, staying strong and being extremely focused on the end result.

Best of luck to you and your candidate as you start your OCS journey...again, like Cheryl, I'm usually around if you have any questions. I learned so much from Moms who had "been there", I'm happy to try to help too.

Here is the Hi Mom's video for 13-10 that graduated last week.....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fUytnfMV1rc


This is a link to a video documentary about OCS. it is a little dated but closer to life than the Hi Mom's.

http://www.projo.com/extra/2008/ocs/stories/day1_sidebar1.html

Click through the links either at the top or bottom of the page. The videos are eye opening for those of us who come to this experience with no prior military experience.

[egbot]

Thank you so much. Are you saying that now, the two weeks prior to entering OCS, David should get plenty of sleep and hydrate? Or are you saying once he enters OCS? Today is his last day of work because he wanted two weeks "free" which was fine with me. I actually have a list an arms length of things for him to do before he enters OCS, but I'd discourage him from lounging, excessive TV, etc including staying up until 3:00 AM playing internet video games! I want him to be well prepared. He is quite focused and never gave up during the one and a half years it took from start to finish. I wouldn't want him to screw up now!

[2 in the service]

Hi egbot! At least a week before OCS he should start drinking lots of water (12 - 8 oz glasses or more) every day and get plenty of sleep. The stresses of the first weeks will take their toll if you don't begin in your best overall condition. Tired is not the way to go and physical distress from dehydration will get you pulled from the regiment (it's in the video) It happens in many new classes and it is a tough way to start. Tell him to save himself the trouble with an ounce of prevention. Even if you tell him about the advise and he doesn't take it, you have done your part, ultimately it is up to him.

PS You are from Jersey? I am up in Sussex County, where are you guys?

[egbot]

we're snap dab in the middle - Mercer County, right outside of Princeton! Thanks for the advice, I will tell my son and hopefully he will listen!