sTUPID qUESTIONS aBOUT ocs

[EWU12]

I don't want to nuke the issue, but have any of you ocs vets seen classmates wearing minimalist running shoes? I just started running in the New Balance minimus, and don't want to go back to regular running shoes. But i've heard that the proportion of standing/marching around far outweighs the running, so it would make sense to get well cushioned shoes. Thoughts?

Wear cushioned running shoes. Your legs will be in awful condition for the duration of your stay in Newport. I played football and baseball all through high school, and 5 years of D-1 football. Never had a problem with leg cramps, even in the middle of two-a-days.

I worked in Student Pool after graduating OCS waiting on my NAMI clearance and I worked with the facilities dept head and manager every day. There is a lot of heavy minerals and metals in the water on Aquidneck Island, in short, it doesn't hydrate you worth a shit. Add this to the increased stress and lack of sleep, and you get terrible calf cramps. About half the dudes in my OCS class would wake up in the middle of the night with awful leg cramps. Its just a shitty reality of OCS.

Long story short, they're built for comfort, not speed, you motorboating son-of-a-bitch

 

[Angry]

There is a lot of heavy minerals and metals in the water on Aquidneck Island, in short, it doesn't hydrate you worth a shit.

This explains a lot - I'm now going to get myself tested...

 

[sunowl]

Did a quick AW search on this but no questions/answers explicitly found so I just want to clarify:

1) Is there a difference between an "[Employment or Character] Reference" and a "Letter of Recommendation"? Or is the "LOR" just item 18 on the Request for Reference sheet? My recruiter gave me instructions that implied they were separate (References fill out the form, LORs addressed "To whom it may concern"), but the OCS checklist mentions Employment/Character References only.

2) If so, do you then need 3 References and 3 LORs from a total of 6 individuals (with no doubling up, so to speak)? And are there any tips for choosing who should be a Reference and who to request a LOR from?

 

[BusyBee604]

And are there any tips for choosing who should be a Reference and who to request a LOR from?

The best, most credible Ref./LORs are from people who actually know you and are aware of your true capabilities & accomplishments. Letters from (even senior military) people who don't know you, tend to be more of a rote "form letter" type recommendation, which I think can be sensed by experienced board members.

Given the above, I think some extra weight may be given to letters from Military (Senior NCOs/Officers) and Civilians (Supervisors/Managers/Executives) in leadership positions, the more senior, the better!
BzB

 

[nugget61]

Can't seem to find this - is our OCS report date the start date for our 2 year time in service raise or is it 2 years from commissioning?

 

[OnTopTime]

Can't seem to find this - is our OCS report date the start date for our 2 year time in service raise or is it 2 years from commissioning?

Neither- your Pay Entry Base Date (PEBD) is used to calculate time in service for the purpose of longevity raises. PEBD should be when you were sworn in prior to reporting to OCS (if they still do it the same way as back in the day).

 

[SynixMan]

Can't seem to find this - is our OCS report date the start date for our 2 year time in service raise or is it 2 years from commissioning?

My "day" was when I started traveling to OCS, three days before indoc. That's when your orders to Active Duty are effective from.

 

[TAMR]

Did a quick AW search on this but no questions/answers explicitly found so I just want to clarify:

1) Is there a difference between an "[Employment or Character] Reference" and a "Letter of Recommendation"? Or is the "LOR" just item 18 on the Request for Reference sheet? My recruiter gave me instructions that implied they were separate (References fill out the form, LORs addressed "To whom it may concern"), but the OCS checklist mentions Employment/Character References only.

2) If so, do you then need 3 References and 3 LORs from a total of 6 individuals (with no doubling up, so to speak)? And are there any tips for choosing who should be a Reference and who to request a LOR from?

Yes there is a difference. The employment references go on the DD370 form, while LORs are obviously, separate letters. My OR/Processor had me get DD370s from EVERY employer I've had since I was 18, and on top of that I got 12 LORs. Several were personal references, but the others were:

1) President of University
2) Dean of College (former 0-4)
3) Flying Team Coach
4) Former Marine Helo Pilot (o-4)
5) Former Airforce Pilot (0-5)
6) Two professors
7) Two former managers
8) Head professor of the Aviation proram

Numbers 1, 2, 4 and 5 I didn't know personally that well. I wrote them all emails (had a class with both 4 and 5), and they were all willing to help; especially because it was for the military which my school is very friendly towards.

Hope that helps.

 

[3 in the green]

When do you do the NAMI physical? Before, during or after OCS?

 

[BUDU]

Second day of OCS. Then you'll get scheduled for another one when you get down here, but when you go the doc will say you've already done everything they need.

 

[nugget61]

When do you do the NAMI physical? Before, during or after OCS?

You do NAMI AFTER OCS when you get down to Pcola. You will have a screening physical at OCS, but you'll have to do everything for the docs down here and these are the docs that make all of the go/no go decisions for you.

Second day of OCS. Then you'll get scheduled for another one when you get down here, but when you go the doc will say you've already done everything they need.

Don't know if they do it differently for the NFOs but thats bad gouge for SNA

 

[BUDU]

On the big NAMI day we got scheduled for, all the ROTC and Academy guys (pilots and NFOs) had to do the full thing down here, but everybody from OCS just met with the doc for ten minutes and went home. SNAs included. They said everything done at OCS was fine and that's all they needed.

 

[EWU12]

Same experience here in January. I'm on a couple waivers and that's the only reason my NAMI physical down here took as long as it did. Most guys that were PQ from OCS were in and out in a couple hours tops. Getting your PQ letter up in Newport was a way bigger hurdle than getting your up-chit in Pensacola. The gouge going around is that the Newport docs are even more strict than the Pensacola ones, especially with eye-related stuff. I know couple guys from OCS that had to switch to NFO in Newport but got cleared for SNA when they checked into NAS.

Either way, it's not something worth worrying about. It's not like its a test you can study for.

The biggest problem, IMHO, is how guys get medically cleared by MEPS, accepted to OCS, quit their jobs, end their leases/move from home, complete OCS only to get NPQ'd from their designator THE DAY BEFORE COMMISSIONING. Saw it happen 10+ times last summer working in student pool.

 

[mataron]

complete OCS only to get NPQ'd from their designator THE DAY BEFORE COMMISSIONING. Saw it happen 10+ times last summer working in student pool.

How does that happen?

 

[TAMR]

Same experience here in January. I'm on a couple waivers and that's the only reason my NAMI physical down here took as long as it did. Most guys that were PQ from OCS were in and out in a couple hours tops. Getting your PQ letter up in Newport was a way bigger hurdle than getting your up-chit in Pensacola. The gouge going around is that the Newport docs are even more strict than the Pensacola ones, especially with eye-related stuff. I know couple guys from OCS that had to switch to NFO in Newport but got cleared for SNA when they checked into NAS.

Either way, it's not something worth worrying about. It's not like its a test you can study for.

The biggest problem, IMHO, is how guys get medically cleared by MEPS, accepted to OCS, quit their jobs, end their leases/move from home, complete OCS only to get NPQ'd from their designator THE DAY BEFORE COMMISSIONING. Saw it happen 10+ times last summer working in student pool.

Man that sucks. I'm not sure if I'd re-designate NFO, or go and get PRK and try again... Did more re-designate then left?