OCS in a couple of weeks

[TxNavyWife]

Hi Ladies (and gents, if you're out there!)

My husband is prior enlisted and is transferring to OCS in just a couple of weeks. I found this site SO useful a couple years ago when he was going through boot camp so I thought I'd revisit y'all. I'm sorry if this post is a little long, I like information, and I like to be efficient!

(A little back ground first: My husband joined up enlisted with a SEAL contract back in fall 2012, he DOR'd and chose a new job. We got married the next spring and he was sent overseas to Europe 3 days after A school and our wedding. He's been there for 2.5 years while I'm in the states since I'm medically disqualified for overseas assignments. So the distance thing is no biggie for OCS, we're used to that by now. Obviously the communication will make it more difficult but it's nothing we haven't already experienced) We're just glad it should be the last leg before we finally get to live together. 

• Unfortunately I'm feeling even more lost about OCS timelines and info than I ever did about bootcamp. Are there any of you here who have been through both? What were the differences when it comes to mail and communication? 
• I'm mostly concerned about how we get their address for mail. I know in bootcamp I received their form letter and was able to get his address from that, but I haven't seen anything about that yet for OCS. I've also heard rumor that sometimes they manage to get email before letters are ever delivered to them. Is this true? I want to write him, but I don't know if he'll receive the stuff. 
• Do they send a box of belongings back like they do in boot? Or do they stash it away for them there?
• Did your candidate take a car? We are considering buying him something cheap a few days before OCS (he's going directly there from his overseas station with a few days of leave before checking in) that he can park and store goodies in. etc. Was it worth having a vehicle there? (Has anyone done what we're considering doing? Did that work out ok, or was getting registration and stuff too difficult in that amount of time?)
• For those of you who are spouses intending to move with them for specialty school: Did you look for housing before graduation? Or did you simply wait til grad day then start looking? 
• I read somewhere about something called a "Candio Box" is this a thing?
• Kind of insignificant, but do we receive separation pay while they are in OCS?

If you got through all of this, thank you so much for your stamina and any experience or expertise you have on this stuff.  It's exciting but very scary how much things are about to change in a few short weeks, and then months!

Interesting to be back for essentially a second round of boot camp!

Thanks again, TxNavyWife

Edit: Thank you all so much for your responses and advice! I really appreciate it, and am feeling a little bit better about these things now. I did some research on logistics of car buying in RI (having to get titles transferred, and plates, and dealing with out of state ID's...it may be too much of a hassle for 5 days), and I think he'll probably end up just checking in without one, which is ok. 

[TxNavyWife]

Thanks for the thorough response! 

When he was in boot camp I wrote literally everyday. However, I may but back this time around as I don't want him to catch any flack for receiving TOO much in a bunch when they do start receiving it. (is that something to actually be worried about?) And I will for sure make sure my letters are plain. Boot camp didn't seem to be much of a problem with nicer stationery but obviously OCS is a different animal!

Has your son expressed any wishing of having had a car with him?

Also, when does the "I'm here" call typically happen? I'm meeting up with him in RI for a couple days so I will essentially be dropping him off then getting on a plane back home. If it happens shortly after check in, I should still be on the ground to receive it, but if it's not til the evening I'll likely miss it, in which case I'd like to be mentally prepared for that.

[brentes93]

Hi there. First I want to reassure you that OCS is nothing like SEAL training. As a retired Chief, I promise you for as long as he remains focused, he will be alright. Second, you ask a lot of great questions, so I'll do my best to help answer. But a little background about me. even though I was a prior RDC, having a son go through OCS caused a lot of needless anxiety on my part. It wasn't until long after commissioning did it dawn on me I needed to have faith and trust that my son is strong and will make it through training. So remember you need to do the same with your husband. He has been through the worse. OCS is cake-walk for him.

1. Mail/communication: You will be informed how to send mail to him. Hope you visited the Navy OCS website. There is a tab that provides info on this. The address remains the same. Only the class number is different. Your hubby should've been able to provide this to you. If not, don't worry, he will get a chance to make a phone call to let you know he has arrived safely. Just like boot camp, phone communication in the beginning will be sparse. He will get letters delivered to him, but he may not be writing to you as much because of his schedule. Again, he is in training, so what little spare time he gets will be centered on studying, preparing, and working with his partner/group. Don't get offended or think he has forgotten you. You will always be on his mind. He just needs to get through training. Just keep sending him letters. He will appreciate it and keep him on tract when training gets tough. Yes, mail may be slow, but he will get it! Make sure your letters aren't flashy on the outside, meaning no cutesie hearts, scented envelopes, etc. please. As an RDC, it definitely caught my eye and made the candidate read some letters out loud. Just keep the outside "sterile." As training continues, he will get more phone call, letter and email privileges. But this will depend entirely on how well the class performs. Again, just like boot camp, the class must function as a whole to earn anything.

2. Absolutely no POV! He needs to show up with just the required gear. Anything more will be sent back, so a vehicle is a no-no. He does not and should not need "goodies" until after OCS. Trust me when I say, he will have plenty of stuff to take home when he's done. The amount of uniforms he has to pack will take 99.99% that any personal items he brought with him in the beginning may get tossed. I wouldn't buy a vehicle until he knows where his next duty station will be. Once he gets that, then you and him will have time to discuss that.

3. Geedunk (goodies) are sent much later. This is when he is called "Candidate." He will get his Candio box from you. Basically it's a box that you decorate inside and fill with whatever you want: candies, photos, and more junk food. It is usually stuff he likes to eat. Again remember he will not get any of the things he likes to eat during training. So if he likes Oreos, send it then. My advice for the Candio box is to get the priority USPS box. It's a flat rate fee regardless of weight (as long as the box closes without bursting on top or sides). I have seen some extremely creative decorations. So if you're creative, this will be a fun project. And yes, you can make as many boxes as you want to send. Remember that he has to carry all these boxes. I sent my son 3 (one from me, one from girlfriend, and one from family). Also the amount of goodies I sent was enough for him to share with others. Of course bear in mind, others may do the same, so they will probably get an overload of stuff.

4. Housing. Just like buying a car, wait! Figure out where he's going before looking for one. Most get leave after OCS to find housing during PCS. For his part, he needs to coordinate HHG (household goods) transfer while he is still in OCS. This is something he has to do during Candidate phase. The paperwork and all the details for HHG movement will be handled by PSD in Newport. If he doesn't do this then, it'll be difficult to do after. Of course, he does all this once he knows where his next duty station is.

5. Unless things have changed from 2 years back, FSA (family separation allowance) is not given. He is choosing to go to training as opposed to the Navy sending him for duty. I would have Bernard Hall
14538 Falling Waters Dr
Jacksonville Fl 32258your husband talk to PSD about it to confirm.

6. Facebook. There is a page created on Facebook that shows photos and other news from OCS. The DI/RDC post news and updates on there from time to time, especially milestone training. Just do a search, or someone may send you an invite to join. This page was helpful because you at least get to "see" your husband.

Last, you are not alone! There will be others who will be going through the same thing you are feeling. It is quite okay. This is why this group was created. Just plan on commissioning day. Your husband will give you updates on his progress when he can. For now, I'd start researching on plane tickets and booking the navy lodge once you know his projected commissioning date. Navy lodge gets quickly booked as people wait last minute. So best to plan travel and lodging as early as possible. Lodging can be modified without extra fees if you go through navy lodge. Of course, they don't take reservations until 30ish days out. So make sure you're nearby a phone to do so. I don't know where you are relative to Newport, but plane tickets can get pricey. Providence, the nearest major airport, is not a direct route for a lot of the airlines. So I flew into Boston Logan airport and drove to Newport. The cost of my flight and rental car was significantly cheaper than going to Providence. I hope I helped calm your fears somewhat. Good luck! Tell your husband OCS is easier than SEAL training :)

[TxNavyWife]

Thanks for the detailed response!

Unfortunately he didn't make it all they way to Corodando in his training, he suffered stress fractures about half way through pre/BUDS and decided it really wasn't for him, so he decided to drop before it got too far along. 

I've heard other things about having a car there. Perhaps it's changed a bit? Knowing him, he will be a happier camper if he has his own vehicle for liberty weekends during the last phase. (Of course he'll survive without one just fine, we just want to make it as easy on him as possible)

We already know he will be staying in Newport for Supply School. Obviously they can send him wherever they want between graduation and start of school, but we consider it unlikely they'll send him elsewhere. I wouldn't be looking at housing til a week or two before graduation IF I looked early, so he should have orders by then, or soon after at the very least.  - As for the car, we have a new one back in Texas but I need it here while he's gone, so if we got him anything up there, it will likely just be sold again once he's done with it. 

Getting navy lodge reservations early is a good idea, thank you. I will see what I can do. I know the hotels off base at least on the peninsula are very expensive. - We have however grown accustomed to $1500 tickets for me to go see him in Europe, and hotels to go along with that, so the trip for graduation and house hunting shouldn't give me a heart attack lol. 

If it is normal for them to get time off to look for housing then I will wait, and just plan to stay up there and look with him rather than going up early. I guess we'll decide what to do about that when we get a little closer to. As for moving, our stuff is in two separate places (I'm with my parents, so his stuff from overseas is being sent to his parents home) So I will likely be doing a DIY move since I believe (you may know otherwise) they will not move stuff from two separate homes.

Thanks again for your help, I appreciate it!

[NYNancy]

TxNavyWife: Congratulations to you LO. My DS was also previously enlisted and overseas when he got accepted into OCS. He was able to come home the week before starting after 380 days overseas, it was awesome to see him. He opted to not take a car and had no regrets. They get very little free time and there are other candidates with cars. He traveled with 2 other officers to his next assignment in one of their cars and they split the expenses. Then when he got to Pensacola he purchased a car.
There is no box sent home like boot camp. He will be given a list of items to bring to OCS. You'll have plenty of time to create a Candio Box for you DH. I joined the Facebook page of the class before and got lots of great information and plenty of awesome examples of Candio Boxes. The OCS graduation is much smaller. There was well over 500 sailors in my sons graduation from boot camp and only 59 in OCS!

Best wishes to you both. You're in for quite a ride!

[TxNavyWife]

Thanks for your response! He hasn't even got there yet and it already feels so different from regular bootcamp. We may end up skipping the car thing since it looks like registration and plates and stuff may complicate it too much. He will be ok though. I might even consider going up there a couple weeks early at the end of his phases to check out the area, so there is a chance I could see him on liberty weekends near the end,. Terrified to get it all started, but so excited to get it over with so we can finally have at least a taste of life together!

[NYNancy]

Don't be terrified! It's very exciting, try to enjoy the journey. Unlike boot camp you can follow along as he goes by liking "Officer Training Command Newport". It's so exciting to check out all the picture and find you LO! It's been a couple of years since my DS was there and we weren't able to visit but I know there were several spouses and parents that did. I'm not sure how early you can see him, but you will learn all the details while he's there.

[Anna]

TxNavyWife,

Just another thought to leave you with.  During the candio phase they are also responsible for the regiment and for helping the new incoming officer candidates coming in.  My daughter was responsible for those going to medical and coming back.  She was so busy she rarely got a chance to get dinner.  They may have some liberty, but depending on their other responsibilities, they may not have any free time.  Just an FYI.

[TxNavyWife]

This is true! Nothing I've said about possibilities is set in stone. I know all too well how things can change and how no two experiences are exactly a like. Thinking of all the possibilities for plans is one of my coping mechanisms for not being able to actually plan. If I think of enough ways for things to go, then I'm unusually disappointed with what we get!

[Anna]

Boy, sounds like you already have a handle on this Navy life!!!!  You're right - - make multiple plans, with luck and hope, one of them will work out!!!

Good luck to you.  I have a wonderful daughter in law who, in my mind, is the greatest Navy Wife there is.  It is an exciting journey but it can drive you nuts too!!!!

[TxNavyWife]

Thanks for your insight on the car thing. I looked some stuff up last night about car buying logistics in RI, and I think we will probably just not worry about it. If we did it would just be something cheap to keep a cell phone and real Gatorade in. Then sell it after I move up there with him. (He'll be going to Supply School which is also in Newport)

Also for the insight on the "here safe" phone call. I'll be dropping him off that morning, and heading back to the airport. So I was worried he'd be calling me while I'm in the air that afternoon/evening. If it's in the morning we should be good. Although, a message in my voicemail wouldn't be too bad either. 

Thanks again!

[Anna]

TxNavyWife,

You have lots of good info here so I'll try not to repeat any.  In regards to the address, there is also a letter (A, B, C, ...) after the class number.  Most classes are big enough to be split in two.  Also, my daughter took her car with her as she knew she would be moving to Pensacola after OCS.  She stored some things in her car while at OCS and had no problems the whole time she was there.  Her father was also a Naval Officer and one of the things our girl took was her Dad's sword.  When they were having their formal pictures taken, she was able to go to her car, get the sword and have her pictures taken with it!!!  Now it hangs in her home!!!  On two occasions all those with cars had to move their vehicles from one parking lot to another one.  She told me they were all jamming to the radios for those few short minutes and they felt a little human again!!!!  She was also advised to put masking tape on the keyholes of her car because of the salty air in Newport.

I've had two go through bootcamp and one through OCS.  OCS is definitely more challenging than bootcamp and they really have to stay focused!!!  That's about all I can think of to add!!!   

[TxNavyWife]

How funny about the radio! I'm sure I'd have been doing the same thing! Do you know often she got to go out to her car before she was a Candio? If ever? I imagine it's not often. 

So cool she got to use his sword! I'm sure that made a really special moment!