OCS attrition

[dfred]

Hey guys, will be heading out to OCS possibly in April or May, so might have some time in between the swearing in and getting to OCS. Just wanted to clarify for myself what was said above, you actually start getting paid after you swear in and before you report to OCS or how? Thanks again for the help!

You start getting paid the day you start traveling to OCS, so the day you start driving there or the day you fly there.

 

[Spekkio]

You mean the day that the Navy thinks you should start driving there, which is the distance you drive divided by 350/miles per day.

 

[JollyGood]

You mean the day that the Navy thinks you should start driving there, which is the distance you drive divided by 350/miles per day.

Leaving you a good chunk of time for sightseeing as you trek across the country if coming from the West Coast. It will be reimbursed/backpay though since you do not get set up with pay until your brief with the kind folks from PSD during Tuesday of Indoc Week.

 

[RiseR 25]

The input on this thread is good to look at. A couple of questions:

1. Is it possible to request a full flight physical before starting OCS, or even before signing on the dotted line?

2. What are some ways to best prepare mentally (not physically, doing that now) for the program? The extent of my research to understanding what the DIs will do consists of watching the old Pressure Point videos, which I'd imagine isn't enough to be fully prepared.

Yes I am a former Chair Force ROTC Cadet, so I'd imagine I don't know the half of it yet.

 

[BackOrdered]

2. What are some ways to best prepare mentally (not physically, doing that now) for the program? The extent of my research to understanding what the DIs will do consists of watching the old Pressure Point videos, which I'd imagine isn't enough to be fully prepared.

Turn off the part of your brain that tries to reason with how the Marine DIs operate.

Not only can they read if you are trying to think ahead of them, but they saw all the movies and videos out there on how you may think a Marine DI operates. They make all those movie DIs look like Spongebob. Seriously, I've seen them put R. Lee Ermy to shame.

Also, those videos, real or Hollywood, are of DIs under public scrutiny. The real Marine DI experience happens when the camera is off.

 

[Renegade One]

Turn off the part of your brain that tries to reason with how the Marine DIs operate... The real Marine DI experience happens when the camera is off.

True dat...

 

[RiseR 25]

Thanks

 

[zipmartin]

Turn off the part of your brain that tries to reason with how the Marine DIs operate.

Not only can they read if you are trying to think ahead of them, but they saw all the movies and videos out there on how you may think a Marine DI operates. They make all those movie DIs look like Spongebob. Seriously, I've seen them put R. Lee Ermy to shame.

Also, those videos, real or Hollywood, are of DIs under public scrutiny. The real Marine DI experience happens when the camera is off.

My recruiter at NAS Glenview (another one of those places that no-longer exists) showed me the original Pressure Point movie during my recruitment, the one with SSgt Penn (who was still there when I showed up in PCola), so I thought that I had a pretty decent idea of what I was getting into. As many here can attest, until you actually experience some things (AOCS, cat shots, traps, night ops, etc.), no amount of preparation can ready you for the actual experience itself. You just have to make the commitment to yourself to complete it no matter what, if that's what you truly desire.

 

[Renegade One]

...the lack of sleep and malnutrition at OCS ...

I kinda-sorta remember the first…but NEVER the second. AOCS chow was WAAY better than my college dining hall, and if you ain't eating when it's feeding time…well…you chose poorly.

 

[BackOrdered]

I kinda-sorta remember the first…but NEVER the second. AOCS chow was WAAY better than my college dining hall, and if you ain't eating when it's feeding time…well…you chose poorly.

Poop shouldn't be blue, nuff said.

 

[Angry]

That's the purple gatorade - freaked a few people out in my class the first time we were allowed to drink it...

 

[JollyGood]

No matter what you or your OCS class does or how well you believe it to be done, the Chiefs and DIs will find something wrong with it. Your life at OCS will become "easier" the moment you embrace this fact. Realize that 100 percent effort from you does not require a pat on the back or a "Good Job Slugger, keep up the work." The sooner this happens, you will start noticing time moves more fluidly.

Closely related to that is, stop worrying about trying to avoid getting RPTed (obviously within reason, make sure to adhere to rules/policies and be respectful, etc.), there will simply be times where you will be in the wrong place at the wrong time or a DI is bored and you will enjoy some minutes of fun.

Simulated stress at OCS will still cause you to have your moments of freaking out and "what the hell is the point of this," but always keep your eye on the prize.

 

[JollyGood]

That's the purple gatorade - freaked a few people out in my class the first time we were allowed to drink it...

Mine was green. I refused to touch the GATORADE after my class pinned it down as the culprit after extensive research.

 

[Harrier Dude]

Mine was green. I refused to touch it after my class pinned it down as the culprit after extensive research.

Why would you want to touch your poop?

 

[jtmedli]

I kinda-sorta remember the first…but NEVER the second. AOCS chow was WAAY better than my college dining hall, and if you ain't eating when it's feeding time…well…you chose poorly.

The problem at OCS (for us) was the fact that we pretty much ate nothing but chicken, rice, and water and, of that, we didn't eat all that much. The chow at Newport was pretty good once you got past the first few weeks which was when they limited what we could eat (basically whatever 2 or 3 things they gave us in the line). After that, I ate like a horse.