Anyone read this article? "The Reality of OCS"

[tonio]

-Especially at the beginning of the program there is no free time. None. In an entire day, literally not a single second of it. In the first few days, you might not have time to take a crap. You will be too focused on survival in the program to care about taking a crap. In the few hours of sleep you can get, the day replays relentlessly in your head, you wake up day after day feeling as though there has not been one second's reprieve. Many people experience vivid nightmares about the program. Some people are forced to drop out because the anxiety prevents them from getting any sleep at all until they finally collapse.

This piqued my curiosity here, and please do not direct this toward the whole basic training vs ocs argument. But I was in AF BMT last year and it was typically normal to not have any bowel movement other than to piss (many trainees have this problem the first 2-3 weeks) and I attributed it to the stress of the environment and the anxiety, I am kind of suprised not to hear the same for OCS.. or am I wrong and it does happen?

Reading the article all I hear is whining, if you place the words "I could not cut it because.." before each bullet point it makes sense as others have stated here.

edit: and I just saw he mentioned hospital corners... ahhh the memories

 

[Picaroon]

He says on the first page, "If you wanted to be in the military so badly, chances are you would already have done it." I like to think that if you wanted to be in the military so bad, you would nut up and make it through OCS. Having the skills is huge, having the desire is essential. Just my (mostly unqualified) opinion, though.

I believe his point there was that it's a program for people who aren't that motivated--that by merely being there, you're showing that you didn't want it as badly as the guys in NROTC and at the Academy.

Either way, I've seen this on here before.. This guy sounds just like the fraternity pledge that dropped--couldn't hack it so he bitches about it and tells inflated horror stories to anyone who will listen. But I've never been to OCS so I guess I can't really talk... yet.

 

[Thisguy]

But I was in AF BMT last year and it was typically normal to not have any bowel movement other than to piss (many trainees have this problem the first 2-3 weeks) and I attributed it to the stress of the environment and the anxiety, I am kind of suprised not to hear the same for OCS.. or am I wrong and it does happen?

No, constipation happens at OCS...not on the order of 2-3 weeks...maybe 2-3 days. In fact, during Indoc week, the only time I had to comfortably take a shit was after taps. There was no way you could drop trou in time during a normal headcall.

 

[BACONATOR]

No, constipation happens at OCS...not on the order of 2-3 weeks...maybe 2-3 days. In fact, during Indoc week, the only time I had to comfortably take a shit was after taps. There was no way you could drop trou in time during a normal headcall.

Yeah, but it wasn't so comfortable. I remember the second day at about 3am, I woke up after eating the "shrimp special" lunch that day at chow, with the most explosive diarrhea ever. I shat myself silly like a faucet about 2.5 hours before running the PRT... that was a miserable day.

 

[Recovering LSO]

Anyone think that having another thread dedicated to a shitty article written by a douche might be giving him too much credit / attention?

 

[squorch2]

Obvious troll is obvious, yes.

 

[SynixMan]

Anyone think that having another thread dedicated to a shitty article written by a douche might be giving him too much credit / attention?

But in awesome AirWarriors fashion, we've realized the original thought was worthless, threadjacked it, and turned it into a discussion about OCS bowel movements!

Myself, and many of my classmates, only managed to crap once or twice during Indoc week. It's come up as a conversation point a few times actually. During the first few days, you're stressed and working so hard that a crap just isn't anywhere near the top of your priority list. Also, I was kinda scared to even piss after taps the first two nights because I didn't know what to say to the 3rd Deck BOOD and didn't want to get yelled at. Oh, and when you do crap, it was an awesome green color thanks to the powerade. That was cool.

 

[Mr. Blonde]

The "author" is walking proof that OCS works and serves it purpose, he didn't make it...

 

[RockyMtnNFO]

I looked at this guys other writings and was not impressed. He does not have one first hand story from OCS, just a list of negatives with some yellow sensational
suppositions thrown in, "When one realizes the program demolishes habits formed by a lifetime of formative experience within even the first few days, one wonders." Seriously, this looks like something one of my sophomores would write. There is no sense of flow, structure or solid organizatkion to this piece. I'd give one of my students in 10th grade English comp a B. At the college level, it would rate a C.

 

[Boomhower]

My dad was in the FBI in the late 60's-early 70's and part of his job was tracking down draft dodgers and guys that ran away from boot camp. He said that there were a few things that every one of these guys had in common:

-You would ALWAYS find them at their mothers house. Always. Running home to mama is the standard for cowards.
-They were almost always little guys
-Every one of them claimed "My drill instuctor/drill sergeant picked on me."

The author sounds like one of those guys.

He's butthurt and needs to publish his bitching in an attemt get people on his side and make himself feel better. I'm glad that the comments are ripping him apart.

 

[Jim123]

I'd give one of my students in 10th grade English comp a B. At the college level, it would rate a C.

You're too generous- "C" used to mean "average" and "B" was "above average"

 

[nate_j52]

Im prior enlisted, and when i went in in 1999 they didnt have to give you 8 hours sleep, like they do now, and we also had service week then. They will yell, it will be tough, everything thats worth having is hard to get, ill tell you some people cant handle that. Some people dont seem to realize that they joined the MILITARY, not uncle sams college fund or votech school. Our military does not make you one of them by breaking you down and destroying you, they do it by breaking you down and building you up, through motivation and camaraderie, if they pick you for OCS they are betting you can get through it, that you are a good candidate. Im not saying it will be soft and squishy, but it will not be what that article made it out to be, thats utter BS. In enlisted boot camp i didnt try to treat others like crap and it didnt turn me into an asshole, the guys who were much further on understand what youre going through and they will tell you it gets better. In fact if this article is the case everyone who made it through OCS is a heartless piece of crap 'zombie', that is not the case. The whole point of OCS or bootcamp is to immerse you into military life, its a game in a way, once you learn to play the game your on your way. Of course they teach you to shine your shoes and fold things in a certain way, so you pay attention to detail and dont flip the wrong switch when it matters. They are teaching you to lead our guys, i would hope they want you to be the best you can be, lives may count on it, but they are not going to do that by destroying you, i think this article is utter crap and sounds like its written by a drop out, someone who couldnt hack it and wants to get back at the Navy and those that did.

 

[soapwater]

Do you guys feel that OCS permanently changed your way of thinking, your daily routine, etc? I know the military requires you to keep up those standards, but part of the reason I'm not turned off by the bad stuff being said about OCS is that I feel I NEED to be more disciplined. I don't care if I get my ass kicked if my mind is conditioned to be more disciplined. Dunno if that's how anyone else thinks about OCS, but...

Also, 4 hours of sleep the ENTIRE time? 1. That will invariably result in permanent psychological and/or physical impairment, 2. That is the maximum amount of sleep that detainees at Guantanamo were permitted prior to it being considered inhumane ill-treatment in violation of the Geneva Conventions. I understand not getting ANY sleep at all for a day or more, or reduced sleep for prolonged periods, but this guy said 4 hours every night. That is ridiculous.

 

[nugget81]

4 hours or less of sleep was not the norm when I was there. People who get that little sleep were too stressed about the little things or didn't have their priorities straight. I think most nights I got about 6 hours of sleep until Candio phase, and then it varied. One night my roommates & I closed our door an hour earlier than taps and that extra hour of sleep was amazing. I felt so much more refreshed that next day. And if your class gets liberty - liberty is your time to do as you please so sleep it away if you want!

 

[Morgan81]

His article is accurate in the facts, but not in the purpose behind everything as mentioned. I think it is a good discussion point here for guys who are preparing for OCS because you will think all of these thoughts while you're up there. The one point the author fails to mention because he did, is that the secret to OCS is don't ever f**king quit. If you have that one thought in front of your mind you will make it, period.