Winter at OCS?

[Godspeed]

You'll remember that in Newport we went and changed after PT (usually) before going to chow. Didn't want us to be all nasty in the chow hall with all the other people in there. So, not sure why you're saying you'd still be all sweaty from PT during breakfast.

You didn't have time to shower or anything in between, and I recall this only being when classes started.

The first few weeks, we definitely did not change in between PT and chow.

 

[Thunderkiss]

I graduated right when it started getting cold so I know the drill from both sides...

During the winter, it largely depends on your CDI. Morning PT, having 4+ classes in the gym at once is impossible. Most of the CDIs move you to the kill zones and you do running throughout all the pways, use your desk chair for dips and raised leg pushups. You do the usual 6-90s with pushups and side straddle hops. My CDI never had us do 8 count body builders but others did. Standing watch and watching other CDIs, they all do the same. In my opinion, doing indoor PT is a lot easier than outside. You wont have one CDI tell you to lunge from one side of the PT field to the other and back, you dont have to move the PT table, etc.

If it's cold enough, they don't make you do chow hall enterence procedures. You just "walk" in. As candi-o's, the CDIs told us if any class does enterence procedures we'd get killed.

The CDIs don't want to be in the cold any more than you do. We were dropped on our face when our section leader didn't give the correct greating of the day and the CDI, who normally would spend the whole 20 mins killing you, kept walking and told us to get up once they were in the building. We didn't push once. Also watching the junior class do rifle drill as you're a candi-o, the CDI told them to get inside and asked us if we were cold. We said yeah and even though the CDI didn't look like he was, he said, "my balls are frozen."

The moral of the story, cold = easier as far as PT and beatings.

You're out of your mind. It is in no way shape or form any easier inside than out. It is just different. I came just before winter this year and got to PT outside to begin with and then moved inside up to the week before candio phase. The CDIs will find creative ways to make you hurt unless you have a DI who treats you like an ODS class. Coyer and Martinez know how to make pain no matter where you're at. Being in the kill zone down in DI country is perfect for sprinting competition after 90 mins of calisthenics.

The rule is: 20 degrees or less, with the wind chill, is a black flag and there will be no PT outside. Also if there is left over snow or ice on the roads, but the temp isn't cold enough to meet the rule, you will still PT inside becuase of the hazard of the road condition.

Most of the experience that I have seen people having is that it is harder to PT inside becuase of the run. You can't get to a full speed having to turn so often and the floors are hard enough that pounding your heels down on them jacks up your legs/joints/etc.

TK

 

[skim]

I liked the pt indoors. We did more circuit training. It felt like we were working out rather than being beat into the dirt. I don't remember changing before breakfast that much

 

[STLEngineer]

... It's hard to not flinch or look like a chinaman with these things landing in your eyes...

Also, Dude, "chinaman" is not the preferred nomenclature.

 

[scottwith1t]

... or have everybody in class unlace all their shoes and put all the laces together in a pile in the middle of the p-way (our DI called this making spaghetti and meatballs)...

:smile_gre now that is awesome

who did that? don't give full name, just first initial.

 

[MidWestEwo]

I was lucky enough to experience the freezing cold OCS (winter in Newport), along with the blistering hot OCS (Summer in Pensacola).

Let me tell you friends, the level of suckage is equal. Winter in Newport was awful.... PT outside, work up a sweat under those sweatpants, etc. Your PT gear gets soaking wet from rolling around on the dewy grass... Sweat soaks it the rest of the way.... Then you stand outside of the chow hall. The layer of moisture under all of your sweats turn to supercooled water droplets (you'll learn about this in API). This makes you in turn, colder. And you have the jackoff in the front that screws up the DISCIPLINE DITY, prolonging your misery. Although the chow hall is luke warm (kept from being toasty due to the door being propped open from classes entering). You are in there just long enough to get that skin adhered moisture above freezing, and are then headed back outside.....

Ahh yes, and Pensacola. Your star jumper / bear crawling precession from the PT field is now over. You are drenched with sweat, morning dew, and the good ole' Florida humidity. As you stand outside of the chow hall, it feels like you are in a sauna with a parka on. Luckily enough, there are about 65 thousand-billion (yes, google that number) knats that just woke up and have worked up quite a thirst for this excessive moisture. Oddly enough, they are mostly attracted to your eyeballs, inside of your nose, and ear canal. If you open your mouth, you'll get at least 5-10 in there as well. You stood outside of the chow hall as dozens of these tiny creatures go spelunking in every exposed orfice. Finally your 30 minute wait is over, until the guy in the front screws up the DISCIPLINE dity. It's hard to not flinch or look like a chinaman with these things landing in your eyes... It itches like crazy... Feels like you are being torturously tickled with dozens of feathers... But you can't move/flinch or else the class will pay....

Good times.... Point is, OCS is OCS. There is no comfortable time to go through.

You had me laughing pretty good. Thanks for the story!

 

[SoOthersMayLive]

Also, Dude, "chinaman" is not the preferred nomenclature.

"Asian American", please.

 

[anghockey]

I've spent four years in college here in Chicago . . . where I play outdoor ice hockey in the Winter. Compare to winter in Newport. Similar?

 

[wplax26]

I think we all (OCSers) know who came up with the spag and meatballs bit. Had to be the same CDI that gave us the idea to have the indoc class draw self portraits. The same guy that made his class build a snowman in the hallway, lol. And the same guy that made his class dig out fox holes in the snow to get beat in!

 

[Spekkio]

A lot of CDIs were pretty new when I was there (IIRC, 3 were brand new, ours was on his 3rd class) so I'm still curious who this was.

 

[scottwith1t]

I think we all (OCSers) know who came up with the spag and meatballs bit. Had to be the same CDI that gave us the idea to have the indoc class draw self portraits. The same guy that made his class build a snowman in the hallway, lol. And the same guy that made his class dig out fox holes in the snow to get beat in!

self portraits? oh, do tell.

they must have gotten quite a few new DI's in the last few months.

the snowman thing happened prior to my class, that DI was pretty funny at times.

 

[Fog]

Don't anybody faint here, but I went to OCS in Newport between October '65 & March '66. We'd go out in Narragansett Bay and run navigation exercises in 87' YP's that the USNA had discarded. They made about 30kts underway. If you had the duty shooting bearings from the bow position, your nose would run profusely (to say the least). Problem was the stuff would freeze on your upper lip before you could wipe it off. I immediately lost all interest in small combatants (East or West coast) & signed up for NFO training in P'cola. In fact, I'd been recruited by a blackshoe recruiter and didn't realize there were NFO's until I got to OCS. Have never looked back.

 

[MasterBates]

Fog, were you at SWOcs and redes'd there?

 

[Fog]

Fog, were you at SWOcs and redes'd there?

I received an 1105 designator upon completion of OCS (3/18/66). Everyone then at Newport got an 1105 designator until & unless they completed further subsequent training for another (e.g., Supply officer at Athens, or aviation training, sub-school, etc.). I kept that designator (1105) until the day I got my wings at NAS Glynco (2/17/67). As I said before, there are some things in life you never forget (e.g., my Navy officer file # was 699-985, and I was NFO # G-1290). I understand that today you don't even get a Naval Aviator or NFO number - now, what's up w/ that !?

NOTE: Are reserve NFO's still 1325 designators & regular Navy NFO's 1320?

 

[MasterBates]

I'm not sure about the deal with the NA Number.

I got an "Unrestricted" number (26873) when I winged at Whiting in 03, but the guys who winged in Kingsville when I finished there in 08 did not.