Back from USMC OCS

[Raptor2216]

Well, it was a heck of a ride to put it lightly. I have finiched the first 6 weeks of Marine OCS and I will complete the other 6 weeks or the summer after. Over all, the training really was not that hard. I had some trouble the first week or so but once I adjusted to the environment and learned to ignore the sergeant instructors, I did well. The PT was nothing like I had expected. I was basicly expecting hell when it came to PT but it was not even close to that level. We ran 5 time in the 6 weeks that we were there and 2 of those runs were motivational runs and the pace was very slow.

We did all of the junior courses like the o-course and the fartlek course and the stamina course...I'm sure Frumby know what i'm talking about because he did exactlly the same courses. All I can say is that even though the physical training might not be very challenging, you still have to want it bad and keep the big picture in mind. We did not have any UA's in out company(that's india company) but there were more than enough UA's in some of the other companies.

Well, if anyone has some specific questions in mind then feel free to ask. I will be putting up some pictures that I took at OCS on the net so that some of you can see what Marine OCS is all about. I'm glad to be home.

 

[Jester]

Congrats Raptor on completing PLC Juniors. Don't want to rain on your parade but I just thought I would give you a heads up and tell you to expect a hard six weeks next year. The reason juniors wasn't that hard was because the Marine Corps discovered that with the old program only about 30 - 40 percent of candidates returned for seniors after completing juniors. So, to resolve that problem the Marine Corps decided to make juniors more of a motivational six weeks so that more candidates would return for seniors. So don't stop PT'n hard. Make sure that your in even better shape for next year. I'm sure you won't slack off, you seem pretty motivated. Just wanted to give you a heads up, if you didn't already know what to expect for seniors. I went through PLC combined - aviation last summer and was just commissioned a month ago. Waiting for TBS to start in Jan. now.

Hoo-rah!
Jester

 

[Raptor2216]

Hey congrats there Jester. I can't wait for the day when I will be able to call myself a Marine. The seniors gave us a little lecture before we left Quantico and pretty much told us expect a lot of PT. I think that is about the only "different" thing about seniors compared to juniors and I will make sure that I am ready for it.

I was just surfing around and found the TBS homepage, https://www.tbs.usmc.mil/. I guess you could use that info more than me right now as you are the headed to TBS. I still have a couple of years of college to finish so I won't be going to TBS anytime soon. Good luck at TBS and congrats again on your achievement.

 

[DMan]

Hi Jester,

Congratulations with becoming a Marine and an Officer. I'm putting in my package soon. I'm just curious, if you were commissioned last month, how come you will start TBS in Jan. I know that Alpha Co. starts in Nov., did you get pushed back because of the vast numbers of 2nd Lts just graduating from the Academy and colleges? Does it mean you are still on active duty between now and Jan. and where are you stationed at? What job are they giving you until then? Recruiting?

BTW, don't mean to be rude, but I think we say "Ooh-rah" instead of "Hoo-rah" in the Corps.

DMan

 

[raistlen00]

Hello guys...

I just finished my first year at college and am about to start my second. I'm looking to apply into the PLC program, and am currently working on getting the physical fitness part of my 'application' up (mainly the pull ups, although everything could always use work). I was just curious if anyone had any advice or information that they might want to offer about the application process or remaining competitice that the recruiter and oso that i've been talking to might not have mentioned or known about. Thanks a lot...

-Garrett J.

 

[Jester]

Hey DMan

Yeah, the main reason I didn't get into a TBS class until Jan. is because of the number of newly commissioned 2nd Lt's. Another major factor, according to my OSO, is that those coming out of the Acadamy or out of the NROTC program get priority when being placed into TBS classes. Those of us in the PLC program are kind of placed at the end of the line - so to speak. On my RFA I requested the July class, but obviously didn't get it. The only classes starting after July were in September and in December, and they just filled up quickly I guess, so I got placed in the January class. So to answer your second question, right now I am not active duty. I won't be active until I report for TBS. So until then I am just working, saving up money, PT'n, and waiting. I could work for my OSO, but the Marine Corps will only allow me to do that 60 days prior to my TBS report date, so I've decided not to. Hope this shed some light on your questions.

Oh, and as for the Ooh-rah, I know how to say it, just didn't know how to spell it. Thanks for the correction.

Semper Fi,
Jester

 

[splendid_splinter]

hey d-man.. first of all it is spelled hoorah, but pronounced oorah. and if you haven't submitted your package as of yet, what are you doing saying "we say in the corps". don't jump the gun boy cause you haven't even been accepted yet.

and raptor.. jester is right but didn't quite emphasize the difference between the first summer and your second.. they're gonna be like night and day. i was an occ graduate but my whole tbs class was plc'ers. apparently you take field trips! in the first six weeks? listen candidate, the sergeant instructors don't mess around in the second six. you get the kind of "intimidation" we recieved over in the other building for ten weeks. expect to run more like three or four times a week. and they are highly DE-motivational. i dont know about the humps you guys did.. but expect them to break your ass when you go back. basically, don't be thinking or acting like you got it made in the shade and you're already wearing one bar.

now, jester.. tbs on the other hand wasn't too bad. the only problem there is the frustration of having a different jackass every week trying to tell you what to do all the time... there's really not a whole lot of time to pt as a platoon, so you have to get it in on your own a lot.. going to the field is good to go. you'll get to do some fun shit. are you a flight contract?

 

[DMan]

Lt. splendid_splinter,

No, I have not submitted my package yet but I am a Marine (MOS 6217 F/A-18 Powerline Mechanic and Plane Captain).

Semper Fi,
DMan





Edited by - DMan on 07/25/2002 16:31:44

 

[Frumby]

That's enough!
If you want to squabble amongst yourselves then send each other a damn email but do not do it again on an open squid forum. Is that clear! Check or hold?

On a lighter note, did anyone go to PLC seniors and graduate on July 3? If you did, did anyone know a Candidate Nate Jaime? If you know him, please send me all the dirt you have on him. He's my cousin and I would certainly enjoy tugging on his ego just a little bit.

Semper Fi, Frumby

Attack Pilot
Major USMC

 

[DMan]

Major Frumby,

Point taken. I apologize to everyone, that was not how I should conduct myself as a Marine. I'm retrieving my message and editing it.

Semper Fi,
DMan

 

[Raptor2216]

Frumby,

I graduated on july 3rd but I don't recall that name. Do you know what company/platoon he was in? I was in India/3rd and I know for a fact that we did not have anyone by that name.

Patmack, I don't remember seeing that name on anyone's skivi shirt either. If you can tell me what company/plt he was in then something might pop up in my mind. My platoon and 2nd plt had a beef with each other for some reason. So, if he was in second then I might of seen him out on the PT field or something but I doubt that I could tell you anything specific.



Edited by - Raptor2216 on 07/26/2002 22:31:50

 

[Frumby]

DMAN- Semper Fi!

Raptor-He was in seniors so you probably never got to train your eyeballs on him. India 3 huh. Brings back memories. I was in India 2 but we were over on Camp Upshur(Camp Rupture to us candidates). That was June 1986. Hard to believe 16 years has gone by. Oh well, good memories. Semper, Frumby

Attack Pilot
Major USMC

 

[aviatorshade]

Lt. Jester,
I know what you mean about the wait. I was commissioned in May and have TENTATIVE orders to report towards the end of Nov. I emphasize the tentative because a good Marine buddy of mine was commissioned in March and he had tentative July TBS orders. About ten days before he was to report he found out he had been bumped and now has tentative orders for Sept. I also heard from my OSO that the PLC guys are towards the bottom of the priority list for classing up. Not sure why it works that way, but I'm sure you've heard the expression Semper Gumby. I guess the best thing to do is keep training and use the time to work on your golf game.

Semper Fidelis