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| He won't always have to have his hair(head) like this. It's just for OCS. |
John is at Officer Candidate School in Rhode Island for the next however many days the countdown to your right says. For friends and families interested in knowing what John is going through right now, here's some information. This is Week 1-4.
Timeline on what to expect:
Week 1:LOs check in on Sunday.Expect that 1 phone call they get to make on Monday sometime so keep your phone close.The class will not be able to receive mail the first week, however write them anyways, they will get it eventually.
Rollable events this first week are injuries/medical, Initial Strength Test, Wake up Wednesday, and Outpost.
Week 2: The class completes there Swim training (not rollable) on Monday and Tuesday depending on the Company (if there are two companies). The class will send out a test email from their email accounts they will use after week. They will be able to start receiving letters and will maybe have time to start writing letters home. Do not be alarmed if you don't receive an email, sometimes they have issues with them. They will be fixed by the time they get to email after RLP. There academic classes begining this week as well
Week 3: The class will be busy preparing for Drill competition and RLP. They will also have fire training (not rollable) during this week
Week 4: RLP inspection-Rollable event.After RLP they will move into rooms with computers. With computers come email access! They will also receive phone privileges using the payphones on Friday and Saturday evenings between 8pm and 10pm (east coast time) and on Sundays during the day from 7:30 am till 4:00pm east coast time.
rule of thumb is: NO NEWS IS GOOD NEWS!!
I. Introduction
In November 2009, OCS initiated a new program that it calls “OCS: The Way Ahead.” The new program involves a three-week-long “Indoc” phase, a more academically robust Officer Candidate Phase, and greater leadership instruction during Candidate Officer phase. The change was initiated out of a desire that OCS graduates come out with the same level of basic competencies as USNA and NROTC graduates. Despite these changes, the core of OCS remains what it has always been: a highly intensive twelve-week program built on three core areas: academics, PT and military discipline. Candidates will need to reach levels of competence in all three areas in order to successfully complete the program.
II. Indoctrination Candidate Phase
“Indoc” phase is obviously intended to be a difficult and stressful period during which one is introduced to the discipline of a military way of life. Although it is now three weeks long, generally only the first week to week-and-a-half are spent in “poopy suits,” after which Indocs will don the Navy Working Uniform (NWUs) like the rest of the regiment. The first four days (Sunday-Wednesday) are spent under the guidance and instruction of the Candidate Officers, and involves a lot of “hurry up-and-wait” administrative work, as well as the medical screenings and initial “mock” PFA (which a large percentage of candidates will fail due to incorrect form, earning themselves the hated orange glowbelts). The day on which candidates meet their Drill Instructors, formerly known as “Wake-up Wednesday” has recently been re-dubbed “Throw-down Thursday,” but still remains one of the longest and most unpleasant days of your time at OCS. The key to making it through is to think as little as possible: just focus on doing what you are told and being as loud as you possibly can. Constantly showing Speed, Volume and Intensity will get you through much of Indoctrination phase, and will keep the DIs off your case. Overall, the most difficult aspect of Indoc phase is not the sessions with the DIs, but rather adjusting to the constant sense of surveillance and lack of freedom of individual movement: all trips to the head are done as a group, any free time is spent sitting cross-legged in the passageway working on RLP prep and, of course, chow hall procedures are highly regimented. For most candidates, adjustment to these regulations and this way of life takes about a week, and at a certain point it becomes second nature. The quicker the class as a whole makes this adjustment, the easier life will become.
a. RLP
The fourth-week Room, Locker, Personnel Inspection (RLP) is for many candidates the most stressful part of OCS. This is due to the many long hours spent preparing for the inspection, what is often considered to be the subjective nature of its outcome, and the serious consequences that come from repeated failures. The purpose of RLP is to teach the candidates time management, teamwork and the ability to closely follow instructions, all of which are necessary to pass the inspection, and to make it through OCS in general. RLP’s reputation for subjectivity stems largely from differences in the grading strictness of the various class drill instructors and chief petty officers who conduct them. However, in many cases, the strictness and nit-pickiness of a given inspection will be decided by the inspector’s first impression of the candidate and his display: Volume and Intensity on the part of the candidate are essential, as well as a neat and tight appearance of the rack and war locker display (especially the PT stack). Regarding teamwork, while candidates inevitably will (and should) reach out an receive help from shipmates who are especially skilled in a given area of RLP prep (be it folding a PT stack, ironing trousers, etc.), they must never forget that they are ultimately responsible for their own final product, and must therefore personally check and adjust every element in their display. The punishments for failing RLP have been slightly in flux, but generally involve an increasing number of demerits for each failure and eventually, being rolled to H Class.
b. Outpost
Outpost, the symbolic final evolution of Indoctrination phase, is an event with a fearsome reputation that is generally no longer matched by its reality. The event involves packing up a seabag with the contents of your Indoc room, then marching around Nimitz Hall as a group while performing RPT exercises at various phases, and finally ending up at your new rooms for Officer Candidate Phase. The event is adjusted considerably in the event of cold weather, and is much easier when done inside. The key to making it through Outpost is to remain with the pack, as any candidates who fall too far behind will be pulled from the event by the safety monitors, and rolled from the class as a result.
