A few months before my boyfriend left, I asked a girl whose husband was in OCS at the time to tell me things she wish she had known. I thought I'd pass along her response for anyone else wondering.
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1. Don't ever call him at OCS, he could get in a lot of trouble.
2. Don't send packages only regular business envelopes. They have to open packages in front of their Drill Instuctors and they get in trouble if they get cookies and gifts.
3. Your BF will not be able to call you often for the first few weeks, only Sundays for about 15-20 minutes while he waits in line to use the phone, make sure he can call collect or has a calling card, and at least one picture of you.
4. The list of stuff to bring says a Navy type blanket, this is wrong, he doesn't need a blanket or flashlight either.
5. Make sure he is physically ready to go, count the sit-ups, push-ups and running time he can do. The first few weeks of exercise are harder for people who are not in shape. The manual he gets should tell you the right times and amounts of exercises.
6 .Write to him everyday and start writing before he gets there, they "keep" the letters until the following week after they start, so if you start early, he'll already have them, oh and your letters will take a week to get there, because they hold them until they feel like giving them to the guys.
7. He won't be able to write a lot either, he can email on Sundays for the first few weeks.
8. Be very positive, never cry or get upset, what he is going through is VERY hard.
9. Make sure he has a credit card or at least 300 dollars, there are lots of things he has to buy to get started.
10. Expect to come and visit him either the 4th week or 6th week that he is there, this is when he wil be granted liberty for the whole weekend, they have to earn liberty by passing personnel inspections, if they don't pass them (as an entire group) then you can visit him anyway but only on Sundays for church on base. You can visit him even the first week, but only on Sundays like I said but this is for about 6 hrs from 8:00 am until about 2:00 pm., if you really think you'll miss him, make reservations now, but he'll need some time to get to know the guys in his group, this is important so that they will work as a team. Sunday is his only free day to talk with other guys alot too.
11. Your BF will want to drop out the first day he gets there, tell him it gets better and he will be proud of himself if he stays.
12. Don't go to the Outback Steak house on the first day he gets liberty, all the other guys will be there, and you won't have any alone time, like me!
13. Get a hotel room for the first day he gets liberty
14. Take a camera, he will look great in a uniform! oh and always dress up for him when you see him!
15. The first time you see him after a whole month is magic !!!!
16. Tell him to study the manual before he goes, and make sure he knows everything pact, he will get tested on this and if he doesn't pass it will hurt his class.
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1. Don't ever call him at OCS, he could get in a lot of trouble.
2. Don't send packages only regular business envelopes. They have to open packages in front of their Drill Instuctors and they get in trouble if they get cookies and gifts.
3. Your BF will not be able to call you often for the first few weeks, only Sundays for about 15-20 minutes while he waits in line to use the phone, make sure he can call collect or has a calling card, and at least one picture of you.
4. The list of stuff to bring says a Navy type blanket, this is wrong, he doesn't need a blanket or flashlight either.
5. Make sure he is physically ready to go, count the sit-ups, push-ups and running time he can do. The first few weeks of exercise are harder for people who are not in shape. The manual he gets should tell you the right times and amounts of exercises.
6 .Write to him everyday and start writing before he gets there, they "keep" the letters until the following week after they start, so if you start early, he'll already have them, oh and your letters will take a week to get there, because they hold them until they feel like giving them to the guys.
7. He won't be able to write a lot either, he can email on Sundays for the first few weeks.
8. Be very positive, never cry or get upset, what he is going through is VERY hard.
9. Make sure he has a credit card or at least 300 dollars, there are lots of things he has to buy to get started.
10. Expect to come and visit him either the 4th week or 6th week that he is there, this is when he wil be granted liberty for the whole weekend, they have to earn liberty by passing personnel inspections, if they don't pass them (as an entire group) then you can visit him anyway but only on Sundays for church on base. You can visit him even the first week, but only on Sundays like I said but this is for about 6 hrs from 8:00 am until about 2:00 pm., if you really think you'll miss him, make reservations now, but he'll need some time to get to know the guys in his group, this is important so that they will work as a team. Sunday is his only free day to talk with other guys alot too.
11. Your BF will want to drop out the first day he gets there, tell him it gets better and he will be proud of himself if he stays.
12. Don't go to the Outback Steak house on the first day he gets liberty, all the other guys will be there, and you won't have any alone time, like me!
13. Get a hotel room for the first day he gets liberty
14. Take a camera, he will look great in a uniform! oh and always dress up for him when you see him!
15. The first time you see him after a whole month is magic !!!!
16. Tell him to study the manual before he goes, and make sure he knows everything pact, he will get tested on this and if he doesn't pass it will hurt his class.
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