SURVIVING

QUANTICO

An Overview of Marine Corps Officer Candidates School in the

Summers of 2006 and 2007

By Julian B. Delphiki

25 April 2008

Dedicated to:

The deer

that was hit by the train

that runs under the bridge

that we take on the way to the chow hall

(except when it rains).

May you rest in peace.

T A B L E O F C O N T E N T S

CHAPTER 1: WELCOME TO HELL 1

DISCLAIMER 1 THE RULES OF OFFICER CANDIDATES SCHOOL 3 HOW OCS IS ORGANIZED 7

CHAPTER 2: PREPARATIONS 11

WHAT YOU GET ISSUED AT QUANTICO 11 SUPPLY 12 CASH SALES/UNIFORMS 14 THE MCX 15 ARMORY 21 WHAT TO BRING TO QUANTICO 22 AND HOW TO PACK IT 27 WHAT TO BUY ON LIBERTY 29 ORGANIZING YOUR EXISTENCE 30 EXCESS GEAR 30 STAGING GEAR 30 THE 2105 KIT 31 THE SHARPIE METHOD 31 WHAT TO KEEP ON YOU 32

CHAPTER 3: SURVIVING THE FIRST 5 DAYS 33

RECEIVING AND THE INITIAL PFT 33 HOW MUCH DO YOU GET PAID AT OCS? 34 PURGATORY 37 PICK-UP 40

CHAPTER 4: SURVIVING QUANTICO 41

SURVIVING WEEKS 1, 2 & 3 41 PHYSICAL TRAINING 41 THE EVENTS 44 ACADEMICS 46 INSPECTIONS 46 SURVIVING WEEKS 4 & 5 47 BILLETS 47

SURVIVING WEEK 6 48

CHAPTER 5: BECOMING A MARINE 49

FAMILY DAY AND GRADUATION 49 WHAT IT MEANS TO BE A MARINE 49

APPENDICES 50

APPENDIX A: INDEX 50 APPENDIX B: DRILL CARDS 51 APPENDIX C: SAMPLE OPORDER 53 APPENDIX D: PT SOP 56 APPENDIX E: MISCELLANEOUS TIPS 58 APPENDIX F: MY NOTES 59

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CHAPTER 1: WELCOME TO HELL

“Surreal.” – a candidate’s one-word description of OCS

Disclaimer

Everything I have written here is based on my own experiences going through Officer Candidates School during the summers of 2006 and 2007. It is not only possible that your experience at OCS will be different, it is guaranteed. Things are different from class to class, from company to company, and from platoon to platoon. Most things, most of the time, simply depend on what your Sergeant Instructors decide on. Do not expect that simply because I did things some way when I went through OCS, or because my platoon was allowed to do something, that the same will be true for you. Moreover, I did not graduate at the top of my class. I was not on company or platoon staff on graduation day. I was just a middle of the pack candidate that made it through OCS. I’m writing this guide because I believe I had a smoother time at OCS than many of my fellow candidates because I was adequately prepared and because I developed a good understanding of what was going to happen before it happened. Take from this what you will. This writing is targeted at candidates who have already been through juniors. If you haven’t been through OCS, there are things that I will write about that you will not understand. Even if you have already been through juniors, I will still refer to things without fully explaining them. A complete explanation would take too many words and too many pages, To do so would take too many words and too many pages, and this text is already way too long. Finally, I am doing most of my writing almost a year removed, based on my own memory and my notes scrawled randomly on pieces of loose-leaf notebook paper. I did not go through Officer Candidates School with the intention of being a historian. I was sleep-deprived and tired just like everyone else, so if I get some events in the wrong order or something, cry me a river.

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My Philosophy

Yes, I’m going to get Socratic on you. My philosophy basically comes down to this: I could, theoretically, describe in total detail every single thing that happened to me at OCS, creating a text that runs 200 pages long. You could then sit down and read all 200 pages. Or you could go sprint around the block five times and do 20 pull-ups. I’m going to be honest: running around the block will probably help you more than reading this. When it comes down to it, being physically prepared is ten times more important than having an idea of what is going to happen. You’re going to face some difficulties and some surprises at OCS. That’s simply the nature of the beast. What matters is how you react to those challenges. That determines whether or not you make it. If you aren’t going to “survive” OCS, this guide will not magically allow you to make it. Even if you are already going to make it, this guide is not going to magically make you a top candidate. Only you can do that. Here’s my confession: I don’t have any secrets here that will make OCS easy. I don’t have any secrets that you’re not going to learn by actually going to OCS. I’m not going to tell you about the hidden dimensional portal that turns the Endurance Course into a half mile run. OCS is hard. It’s going to be hard. It’s supposed to be hard. Reading this doesn’t change that. The only thing it can possibly change is to give you a little bit more confidence in yourself. You can succeed, but you have to want to succeed first. I can’t give you that. Either you find it yourself or you don’t. Finally, let me say this: different people attack OCS in different ways, and my way may not work for you. I made it through OCS by thinking. That doesn’t mean I wasn’t prepared physically—but it means that I made a conscious effort every day I was there to learn how to become a better candidate. I observed how other candidates ran their billets—what they did right and what they did wrong. I paid meticulous attention to detail in all things, and was always aware of what was coming next in the training schedule. This was, of course, not the only way to make it through OCS. Some made it through overwhelming physical force (the preferred method of the Marine Corps). Those guys tended to enlisted infantry Marines. Many had combat experience and some were already NCOs. A select few were from Recon units. For them, the “difficult” PT was a cakewalk. Still, others succeeded on sheer determination. Those were the candidates I truly admired. They were generally civilians with no military experience. Although they were not necessarily the fastest learners, they stuck with things with an unbelievable tenacity. These were the guys you saw practicing their drill steps at 0200 in the morning when the rest of the platoon was sleeping. Think of it like the obstacle course. There are guys who succeed because they are simply in fantastic shape, guys who succeed by carefully learning the techniques, and guys who made it on sheer force of will. When it comes down to it though, just like the o-course you need all three at OCS: physical strength, mental agility, and moral fortitude. It’s okay to have one of these as a strength. It’s not okay to have the others as weaknesses. Inside every candidate, there are actually two candidates: the courageous and admirable leader, and the exhausted, tired, and unmotivated guy who just wants to go back to bed. You will be the candidate you choose to be. Everyone is tired. Everyone is hungry. It’s up to you to be the candidate you want to be.

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The Rules of Officer Candidates School

These are my ten rules of OCS. There are many other things you should do, but I have just listed what I consider to be the top ten, in order of importance. The first five rules are ways of avoiding getting kicked out of OCS. The last five are for making OCS a little… smoother (I almost said easier).

1. Drink water. They will tell you over and over again to drink water. It’s summertime in Virginia, and the temperature will push past 90°. Moreover, the weather is extremely humid. Heat casualties are fairly common at OCS, and the standard operating procedures for a heat casualty is for the corpsman to insert a rectal thermometer into the candidate’s rear in order to obtain his/her core temperature. I have no idea what this must feel like and I imagine none of you have any inclination toward finding out. The bottom line is simple: drink water. Drink a canteen of water in the evening before you hit the rack (most likely, you’re evening Basic Daily Routine, or BDR, will include drinking a canteen). When you have to wake up in the middle of the night to pee, drink another canteen. You will probably have to pee again at 0400 and probably again right before the Physical Training run, but that’s OCS. OCS is hydraulics. Pump water in, pump water out. Finally, a note: drinking two canteens a night plus drinking water throughout the day was enough water for me, but everyone’s body is different. You have to find your own balance between dehydrating and overhydrating. Overhydration leads to hyponatremia, an electrolyte imbalance that will just as effectively knock you out of training as dehydration. There was a candidate in my juniors platoon that drank six canteens on the night before SULE I and became hyponatremic. SULE I was not fun for him. Not in the slightest. Also, whenever you’re given the opportunity to make a head call, go ahead and take

it even if you don’t feel like you need it. By the time you need it, you will almost inevitably be in a situation not conducive to allowing you to pee (such as in the middle of a speech by the Colonel).

2. Tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the whole truth. I mean seriously. Integrity violation is a sure-fire way of getting kicked out of OCS with no chance of re-applying. When it comes down to it, nothing you do at OCS (or in the Marine Corps proper) is worth cheating to accomplish. Let’s put it this way. Think the test is hard? If you fail the test, then there’s a chance you could be sent to the Colonel. If you’re sent to the Colonel, there’s a chance you could get kicked out if this is a repeat violation. However, if you cheat, it is with absolute certainty that you will be kicked out with no chance of re-applying. Bottom line: Don’t lie. Don’t cheat. Don’t have the appearance of cheating. If you’re not sure if it’s okay, ask the staff. If it’s not okay, don’t do it. ‘nuff said.

3. Watch your step. During your PT runs and the conditioning hikes, some of the terrain you will be covering is very rough. Pay attention to the ground to avoid spraining or twisting your ankles. Also be careful in the way you run—avoid stomping and remember to stretch after hours in order to decrease the possibility of lower extremity injuries such

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as shin splints and stress fractures. If you miss too many training days, regardless of how good a candidate you are or where you are in the cycles, you will be dropped. The only thing worse than going through OCS is going through it twice because of an injury.

4. Clean your body. Pay special attention to open cuts, sores, and wounds. If any of these become infected with what they call cellulites, you can be sent home. Ensure that wounds are cleaned, disinfected by the corpsmen or your platoon’s “witch doctor” candidate, and bandaged. Also, use liberal amounts of hand sanitizer before eating and after using the head in order to avoid respiratory and digestive illnesses. Pretty much everyone gets sick to some degree at OCS, but if you can manage to avoid it, you will definitely have a much better experience. One of the sayings that some recruit came up with when I was at MCRD was, “everything in boot camp is easy until you get sick; then everything sucks.” The same thing is true at OCS.

5. Do not lose your mind. Take a moment. Take a breath. When candidates are put into a foreign environment, deprived of sleep, and put under stress, we tend to lose our minds. I’ve seen a candidate—a grown man 21 or 22 years old, pee his pants in formation without any good explanation as to why. He could have asked for permission from a Candidate Squad Leader or the Candidate Platoon Sergeant instead of a Sergeant Instructor, but he didn’t. He couldn’t explain why. Don’t lose all sense of the relative importance of things. Officer Candidates School, one way or another, will come to an end. Your goal is to ensure that it comes to an end under the most favorable circumstances, graduation. Don’t get in a fight with another candidate or, God forbid, with a staff member. Don’t try to steal anything or screw with another candidate or do something incredibly stupid that’s going to get you kicked out. Believe it or not, OCS is not the end of the world. If you wanted to see that, you should have gone the enlisted route.

6. Organize your existence. I’ve dedicated an entire section to this. Organization and time management is key because it means you will get more sleep, keep track of all your gear so you’ll have it when you need it, and it looks good both to your fellow candidates and to the staff. Not being able to find something is as bad as not having it. Not having marked gear (and if you can’t read it, it’s not marked) is as bad as not being able to find it. Every single item you have, whether issued or brought, should have your name on it. You get a schedule of the day’s events—possibly a whole weeks’ worth of schedules. Take the extra time (and you should have some extra time if you are using time management effectively) to copy it down. Especially if you’re a billet holder. Especially if you’re a Candidate Platoon Sergeant or above.

7. Think. Think before you act. Think before you speak. Think before you give orders. You can be decisive without being stupid. Know what you’re going to say before you say it. Nothing will go farther in losing the respect of your peers that getting everyone’s attention and then stumbling over your words or giving a genuinely stupid order. We had a Candidate Platoon Sergeant set us up in armory formation with the footlockers staggered across the Drill Instructor highway, take apart our rifles, and then tell us to wagon wheel to get rifle cleaning gear. Just to make the candidate feel [even more] stupid, the Sergeant Instructor on deck forced us to actually execute the order. Imagine an entire Platoon of candidates stepping over footlockers, knocking over cleaning gear and CLP and rifle parts, trying to wagon wheel around the squadbay. For your own self-respect, think before you say “eyeballs!” Because when you do, the entire Platoon is going to turn and look at you and wait for you to say something. If you say, “uh… we’re uh… um…

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this candidate thinks…” then you’ve already lost their respect. Respect is gained slowly step by step and lost all at once in one dumb move.

8. Show some maturity. I’m not exactly sure what it is about the Marine Corps training environment, particularly at OCS, but for some reason, when the Drill Instructors are not present, candidates tend to revert to kindergarten mode. Show some maturity, and it will go a long way in earning the respect of your peers. Don’t complain about what you can’t control, don’t whine about Candidate Delphiki’s poor command presence, and don’t fight with other candidates about stupid things. If you think the current Candidate Platoon Sergeant is doing a bad job, you can offer him advice after hours if he’s interested. If he isn’t interested, just keep your mouth shut, and make sure not to make his mistakes when it’s your turn. If you’re with a group of Candidates and they begin badmouthing the current Candidate holding whatever billet, then you should step up and say, “Hey maybe Delphiki isn’t doing a perfect job, but he’s still the candidate in charge, and we should give him respect. One of these days, it’s going to be you or me in charge, and I know we’d want everyone to give us the benefit of the doubt.”

9. Work hard. It’s the Marine Corps. If you’re joining because you think it’s an easy gig, then you’re sadly mistaken. Officer Candidates School is hard. It’s hard for everyone. When you’re having a tough time, think about this: OCS lasts a finite number of days, and your job is not only to graduate, but to do your best damn job while you’re there. You only go through OCS once. I mean, if you’re in the six-week program, you go through receiving twice and graduation twice, but on a whole, OCS is a singular experience. If you only get this one chance to do it, you might as well do it right. You don’t want to leave OCS having slimed your way through it with minimal effort. Can you get away and graduate with less than full effort when the Drill Instructors aren’t looking? Can you get away with not re-marking your gear because you doubt the staff will check? Can you get away with doing just 8 pull-ups for your “max” set even when you know you can get at least 15? Probably. But nothing good will come of that. So put in your full effort everyday all day while you’re at OCS. Push yourself when nobody else does. It makes all the difference in the world.

10. Have a sense of the relative order of things. This final one is a little difficult to explain. They’re a prayer out there that does it best. It goes like this: “God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, courage to change the things I can, and wisdom to know the difference.” OCS is what it is. “Surreal” as one candidate put it. One afternoon you’re on libo watching a movie at the movie theater and the next day you’re running the Endurance Course while being yelled at by the Company First Sergeant. Surreal. But don’t lose your mind. Best way I can put it is this. When I was in Boot Camp, lights was at 2230 every single night. Before lights, every night, we’d play games. Milton Bradley. We’d have to hold up our footlockers, or two-sheets-and-a-blanket, or front-of-the-house-back-of-the-house. Sooner or later, a recruit would make a mistake, and the Drill Instructors would say, “good… so Recruit So-and-so here wants to [whatever mistake], I guess we’ll just hold out our rifles a little longer.” Recruits would get seriously pissed off. They would get pissed off at the Platoon, at the Drill Instructors, at the recruits who made mistakes. I would try to explain “hey… you guys know that every night we go to sleep at the exact same time, and we always play games right up until lights?” Well it’s a good point on an intellectual level, but it didn’t matter. Anger is visceral. It comes from your gut. Recognize that there are some parts of OCS that are simply going to suck, and there

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really isn’t anything you can do about it except to deal with it. Recognize what parts of OCS you actually have the power to change, and change that. The Endurance Course is long, and you have to run it, and running it is going to hurt. You can’t change that. But what you can change is tightening your gear before the course so it doesn’t bounce and cut into your skin. Above all, recognize that some day in the near future, you will not longer be at Officer Candidates School. Do you want to return to being a civilian or do you want to become a Marine officer?

Finally, a bonus rule:

11. Beware of the mosquito. I’m extremely sensitive to mosquito bites, so this one is near and dear to my heart. The woods in Virginia have mosquitoes. You get issued “Off”. Use it. Failure to do so can result in what happened to me the first night we bivouac’d in juniors. I took off my boots and socks to dry off my feet and left the tent’s screen completely open because it was hot. Well, I woke up in the middle of the night and my feet were on fire. I shined my flashlight on my foot and saw maybe 20 mosquitoes all at work. My feet were covered in bites. My bites had bites. It was not pretty. Bottom line: beware of the mosquito.

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How OCS is Organized

The ancient Chinese military strategist Sun Tzu says in the Art of War, “Know your enemy and know yourself; in a hundred battles you will never be in peril.”1 The staff at Officer Candidates School, however, is not your enemy, though this may be difficult to accept initially. You are your own worst enemy. OCS and the staff simply amplify any mistakes you make. The staff at OCS is not there to “get you.” They are there to “train, educate, and motivate” during juniors and to “screen and evaluate” during seniors. It’s their mission. Understanding how they are organized, however, may nonetheless prove useful. Like any good organization, Officer Candidates School is divided into sections. These sections don’t necessarily communicate well with each other, or always get along for that matter. If you receive conflicting orders, seek clarification. When in serious doubt, use your judgment. For example, let’s say that your last classroom instructor told you that the test was being moved to after noon chow. Your Candidate Company Gunnery Sergeant told you that it’s not until tomorrow, and your Candidate Company Executive Officer told you that it’s after evening chow. You talk to the other Candidate Platoon Sergeants and your Candidate Platoon Commander and everyone has different “word”. As Candidate Platoon Sergeant, you ask your Sergeant Instructor, who doesn’t know and tells you to go away. Should you instruct your platoon to bring pencils to noon chow for the test? Absolutely. Because whether the test is after noon chow, in the evening, or tomorrow, there’s no cost for having the platoon carry around their pencils for a day. Better that than be caught in a classroom with an entire platoon with no pencil to take the test. This was a fairly straightforward and obvious example, but the principles are clear: if you’re in doubt, it’s better to have it and not need it than need it and not have it.

1. Headquarters Company a. S-1 Administration: When you first check-in, these are the Marines that are

writing on the back of your hand what Company and Platoon you belong to. They are also in charge of all things related to paperwork, including your plane tickets back home.

b. S-3 Operations: All I know is that they are in charge of the all-powerful Training Schedule and as well as modifications to the training schedule.

2. Supply (S-4) a. These are the Marines that run the warehouses near Medical and the field head at

the start of the seniors’ run course. b. The gear that they are in charge of includes:

i. War belts ii. Canteens

iii. Canteen Pouches iv. Blankets

1 Sun Tzu, tr. Samuel B. Griffith, The Art of War (New York: Oxford University Press, 1963): 84.

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v. Sheets vi. Mattress Cover

vii. Pillowcase 3. Armory

a. These are the Marines that run the building next to the field head at the start of the seniors’ run course, but on the side closer to the barracks. The building is surrounded by barbed wire fence.

b. The gear that they are in charge of includes: i. M-16A2 Service Rifle

ii. Cleaning Equipment iii. Blank Firing Adapters (BFA’s) iv. Slings and Sling Keepers

4. Tactics a. These Marines are the ones that give you periods of instruction while you’re in

the field. Most of them are infantry (“grunts”) with a ton of combat experience. b. Most of the ones I have met are pretty laid back, but they certainly know their

stuff. Listen to what they have to say. It could save your life someday. 5. Physical Fitness

a. These Marines, or Physical Training Instructors, are commanded by a Color Sergeant from the British Royal Marines.

b. Your PTI will be the primary source of pain during your time at Officer Candidates School. Standby for that.

6. Academics a. These Marines are in charge of creating your knowledge, administering the tests,

and so on. As for the actual instructors to the great many classes you will be taking, they are listed as “Training & Education Rep.” which leads me to believe that they are often borrowed from neighboring commands, such as The Basic School, to teach classes.

7. Medical a. As with the entire Marine Corps, the medical portion of OCS is actually run by

the U.S. Navy. They are noticeably more relaxed that the Marines, but at the same time, I’m not sure I want the medical staff to be relaxed when it comes to medical stuff. Priors: you should know this already, but make a photocopy of everything in your Medical Records just in case they lose it. It’s been known to happen. While I certainly got sick at OCS, I never sought out specific medical attention, so I really never had any contact with Medical after receiving.

b. Each Platoon is assigned a corpsman. During my juniors year, I had probably the meanest corpsman I’ve ever met. Once, a candidate approached him and said, “Corpsman, my legs hurts” to which the corpsman asked, “are you going to die?” The candidate: “uh… no.” The Corpsman: “Then get the hell away from me.” On the balance though, when I went to seniors, I had one of the nicest corpsman ever.

c. An OCS “secret”: your Platoon corpsman gets to dispense an unlimited amount of Motrin for pain. Some of the candidates who were hurting took those like candy to make it through OCS. Honestly though, if you’re hurting that bad, you might want to go to Medical.

8. Religious Command

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a. Battalion Chaplain and the other Chaplains i. Supposedly the Battalion Chaplain is completely outside of rank structure,

so he can walk into the Colonel’s office any time he wants to. ii. The Chaplains are in charge of your religious affairs. They get you for an

hour and a half on Sundays and another hour sometime during the week for “Prayer and Praise”.

iii. On religions: I’ve heard of LDS and Jewish getting food (cookies) and other special privileges. Apparently, if you’re a religion that they don’t have a Chaplain for, then you will get an hour and a half to yourself in a room somewhere.

iv. If you don’t go to religious services or prayer and praise, you stay in the squadbays to do whatever you want. This pretty much means re-marking your gear, organizing your footlocker and wall locker, and possibly getting to hygiene earlier/longer/separately from everyone else. I have heard stories about the Staff messing with candidates who don’t go to religious services, but have never seen that myself. Keep in mind though, if they need a working party for something, you’d be the most readily available.

v. If you have a serious issue, the Chaplains will also deal with it. They can get people out of training for emergencies such a family member dying and so forth. If your family has an emergency and they need to contact you, they should go through the American Red Cross.

9. Cash Sales/Uniforms a. To get here, you have to take the bus. Word for priors: bring everything you

were issued in Recruit Training. You may or may not get issued more uniforms for free. You may or may not have the opportunity to buy things that you didn’t bring. I brought my deserts to juniors and ended up not even touching them. I wasn’t going to bring them to seniors, but then I heard rumors about seniors graduating in deserts. Turned out to be false, and I didn’t use them again in seniors. It’s not the end of the world if you bring something you don’t need. Worst case is you end up storing you Deserts in the company gear locker. Better that than being in a situation where you need something you don’t have.

b. You have to pay for the stuff you get here, but unlike the MCX gear, you don’t need to pay it up front. They have some kind of form to fill out that will dock it from your next paycheck.

c. My gear issue for juniors: 2 Green Utility Blouses, 2 Green Utility Trousers d. My gear issue for seniors: none

10. The Civilians a. The Marine Corps Exchange

i. These civilians work for the Marine Corps Exchange and sell you your large and small bag issues. These bag issues must be paid in full at the time of purchase.

b. The Chow Hall i. Civilians also run the chow hall. Nothing good or bad to say about them,

except that it must be a strange workplace watching us get yelled at. c. The Taxi Drivers

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i. They don’t work for the Marine Corps per se, but they’re civilians you will interact with assuming you want to get off base and don’t have a car. Copy this number into your phone: (703) 491-2222. It’s the Prince William Yellow Cab service, which is supposed to be the only one allowed to operate on base though other taxis sometimes sneak on base.

11. Company Staff a. Company Level Staff

i. Company Commander ii. Company Executive Officer

iii. Company First Sergeant iv. Company Gunnery Sergeant v. Company Platoon Sergeant

vi. Company Clerk b. Platoon Level Staff

i. Staff Platoon Commander ii. Staff Platoon Sergeant

12. Candidate Staff a. Company Level Candidate Staff

i. Candidate Company Commander ii. Candidate Company Executive Officer

iii. Candidate Company First Sergeant iv. Candidate Company Gunnery Sergeant

b. Platoon Level Candidate Staff i. Candidate Platoon Commander

ii. Candidate Platoon Sergeant iii. Candidate Squad Leader iv. Candidate Fireteam Leader

c. Unofficial Platoon Billets i. Scribe

ii. Scribble/Assistant Scribe iii. House Mice/House Rats iv. Laundry Candidates v. Armory Candidates

vi. Supply Candidates vii. Money Candidate

viii. Field Meet Candidate

On the unofficial billets: volunteering for them is definitely extra work. If you want to show how motivated you are, by all means, volunteer for them. Be careful what you wish for though. Our Armory Candidates, for example, had to wake up early every single morning to hand out rifles. Kudos for those guys, but it’s definitely extra work.

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Chapter 2: Preparations

“Proper prior planning prevents piss poor performance.” – the 7 P’s

What You Get Issued at Quantico

When you get to Officer Candidates School, you’re going to get issued the Little Red

Book. No, it’s not a book of Communist sayings by Mao Zedong. Instead, it’s everything about Officer Candidates School, including all the rules and regulations, how things are graded, what the policies are for everything, and so on. You can also find it on the OCS website.2 Portions of it, such as how to organize your footlocker, are hopelessly out of date, and other parts are hopelessly confusing. That being said, do not lose this little red book. Do not wash it. Do not allow it to get destroyed by seating through your uniform. Get one of your Ziploc bags, preferably one that is pre-wrapped with duct tape and has your name clearly printed on the front in a way so that it will not come off in the rain, and keep your Little Red Book, along with a pen, a map pen, and a pad of water-proof paper in that bag.

During your first few days here at Quantico, you will be visiting a number of the different sections at Officer Candidates School to get issued various things. Everything you get from Supply or the Armory, you will be returning at the end of your stay at OCS. Everything you get from Cash Sales/Uniforms and the Marine Corps Exchange (MCX) becomes yours. You must pay for the MCX gear when you buy it, but the Cash Sales/Uniforms can be docked from your first paycheck. Bring roughly $300 in cash for the large and small bag issue. My first year, you were required to pay in cash, and my second year, they said debit cards were possible. That being said, bring cash because you never know.

2 http://www.ocs.usmc.mil/

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Things Issued at OCS

Supply Wargear and canteens, blankets and sheets, pack and all bivouac gear. It is all returned at the end of OCS.

Cash Sales/ Uniforms

All uniforms. These are fully issued to civilians. Priors are supposed to bring everything with them. Anything they don’t have they must buy.

Armory M-16A2 Service Rifle, cleaning gear, magazines, Blank Firing Adaptor (BFA), sling, slingkeeper. Obviously, all returned at the end of OCS.

The MCX Two large bags of miscellaneous items ranging from highlighters to shower shoes.

Above all, do not lose anything you are issued at OCS whether you buy them or not. They are in your custody, and you will possibly need them at some point. You don’t want to be the “one” candidate who doesn’t have whatever piece of gear when your Sergeant Instructors tell you to go get it. Next, I will break down exactly what it is you get issued at each location. Supply

Issued at Supply

QTY Name Comments

2 Canteens

2 Canteen Pouches

You are recommended to bring your own canteens from home that you purchased at your local Marine Corps Exchange. The canteens you get issued will likely be very old and gross.

1 Warbelt

You take your warbelt with its canteens with you everywhere you go at OCS. Do not hand it off to someone. If you get caught going somewhere without your warbelt, you WILL get in trouble.

1 Blanket

You don’t really get time to pick, but try to get one at least long enough to fit your rack. Otherwise, you won’t be able to get the exact 12” from the edge of the mattress to the first fold, and 6” to the second fold.

2 Sheets

1 Mattress Cover

1 Pillowcase

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1 Kevlar Helmet

1 Kevlar Helmet Cover

1 ALICE Pack

They were phasing out the ALICE pack when I was going through. You might get an ILBE or MOLLE pack instead. Similarly, you might get a CamelBak instead of or in addition to canteens

1 H-Harness

1 Poncho

1 Poncho Liner This is your replacement for a blanket if you don’t want to re-make your rack every night.

1 Goretex Jacket and other cold weather gear?

I went during the summer so we did not get these, but I have seen photos of Candidates wearing them, so I assume they were issued at Supply.

1 Tent

3 Tent Poles

? Tent Stakes

1 Tent Stakes Bag

1 Tent Poles Bag

1 Tent Bag

You share a tent with your rackmate while in the field. You get issued more tent stakes than you need to set-up your tent, but you also need to return the same number, so don’t lose them.

1 Entrenching Tool (E-Tool)

1 Entrenching Tool Cover

Make sure you put this on the correct side of your pack. There’s always one candidate who doesn’t.

1 Compass

I don’t think you get issued this at supply right away. Rather, when you need it, your Sergeant Instructors will hand them out. They undoubtedly come from supply though. During your Land Navigation courses, ensure that you secure you compass before moving. Failure to do so can result in failing the course. And don’t talk during the course. That’s just stupid.

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Cash Sales/Uniforms Priors and returning seniors that failed to bring back some of the stuff they were issued at juniors had the opportunity to purchase whatever they were missing. Priors who didn’t bring anything had to re-purchase the entire standard uniform issue. When we went through, they filled out a form (NAVMC 604?) that deducted the cost of the uniforms from your next paycheck.

Issued at Cash Sales/Uniforms for Priors at Juniors

QTY Name Comments

2 Woodland Camouflage Blouses

2 Woodland Camouflage Trousers

The captain there said these were free. As in not even deducted from your paycheck.

Issued at Cash Sales/Uniforms for Priors at Seniors

QTY Name Comments

Nothing We had the opportunity to buy whatever we did not have, though.

Issued at Cash Sales/Uniforms for Civilians at Juniors3

QTY Name Comments

4 Woodland Camouflage Blouses

4 Woodland Camouflage Trousers

1 Woodland Eight Point Cover

1 Woodland Field Cover “Boonie” cover

1 Combat Boots I think Parris Island graduates call these “ICBs”

1 Desert Boots/Hot Weather Boots

? Web Belts

? Green Undershirts

? Green PT Shorts

? Boot Socks

? Seabag

1 Green Sweatshirt

1 Green Sweatpants

3 I was not issued this, so this is just what I’m guessing.

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Issued at Cash Sales/Uniforms for Civilians at Seniors4

QTY Name Comments

2 Desert Camouflage Blouses

2 Desert Camouflage Trousers

1 Desert Eight Point Cover

1 Desert Field Cover “Boonie” cover

? Web Belts

? Green Undershirts

? Green PT Shorts

? Boot Socks

The MCX

Issued in Your Lg. and Sm. Bag Issue

QTY Cost Name Comments

1 $15.00 Biosole Insole You get issued a pair of insoles for your boots and for your running shoes (“go fasters”). Use them. Might as well right?

2 $6.10 Olive Drab Nylon Shorts

2 pairs are not enough. You need 6. Minimum. I think I went to seniors with 10. That might have been excessive, but at least I never worried about not having clean shorts.

2 $10.85 3 pack of Olive Drab T-Shirts

6 may be enough, but the more the merrier. If you bring 4 more, you’ll be good.

2 $2.55 Athletic Supporter

I never used my jock strap. I think the Staff told us to wear them every time we PT, but they never really checked and nobody else wore them. Apparently, you can get serious medical problems to your man parts from running without a jock strap, so I guess it’s your call.

1 $11.69 Advantage Sport RP

2 $5.25 24x36 Laundry Mesh Bag

I brought the 2 I was issued at juniors to seniors. Using 4 bags is convenient because then you can always just throw a small bag with 2 sets of skivvies in the laundry without worrying about running out of bags.

1 $7.00 3” Cable Combination Lock

Your rifle cable lock. Do not lose it. Do not lose the combination. Write it down on something separate from your lock. Memorize it so if you

4 Again, I was not issued this, so this is just what I’m guessing.

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lose the thing you wrote it down on, you can still use it.

1 $7.00 Combination Lock (2-pack)

Same thing. Don’t lose them. Don’t lose the combinations. One will go on your foot locker and one on your wall locker. I brought mine from juniors back with me because I had the combinations already memorized.

1 $0.99 Hangers (10-pack)

These wiry hangers are useless. They will bend if you try to put your uniforms on them. First chance you get, buy some nice plastic hangers from the PX.

1 $1.49 Paper (200-ct.) Take half and stick in your black binder. Take the other half and waterproof it and stash it somewhere just in case.

1 $2.65 USMC Writing Portfolio

Your letter-writing gear. If you’re jaded like me, you won’t need this, so you can give it to a Candidate who misses home and does need it. Don’t give it away if you’re going to want to write letters though.

2 $0.10 Pencil

The erasers on these things suck. You make a mistake on the test, and try to erase it managing to smudge the entire paper. Then you have to look like an idiot and raise your hand to get another answer sheet. You should be bringing pencils with you to OCS anyway, so use those instead. If you have a Platoon level billet, order all your candidates to bring 2 pencils to the tests, so you never have a situation with a candidate missing a pencil. Make sure your Platoon has pencils on test day. Don’t be “that” Candidate Platoon Commander that failed to foresee the need.

1 $0.99 Yellow Highlighter (2-pack)

Be warned. Highlighters have liquid in them. If they break somehow, they will spill yellow highlighter juice all over your stuff. Keep in a plastic bag.

1 $1.29 Black Fine Point Marker Regular Sharpie

1 $0.69 Pen (2-pack) Okay there’s no way you can make it through OCS with only 2 pens.

1 $0.50 Pencil Sharpener

1 $5.45 Black 2” Binder For holding your knowledge

1 $4.29 Tide Laundry Detergent

If you’re lucky, the receiving Marines will collect this from you and stash them away in your supply locker prior to pick-up. Otherwise, be careful not to have your detergent box get destroyed by your Sergeant Instructors.

1 $0.60 Soap Box Holder Plastic thing to hold soap

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1 $0.60 Toothbrush Holder Plastic thing to hold toothbrush

1 $1.75 Scrub Brush A “scuzz” brush that you will use almost every day

1 $1.49 Q-Tibs (170 ct.) Use for cleaning your ears and your rifle. You will most likely run out and need to buy more on libo or during PX calls.

1 $0.69 Fingernail Clipper Cut your dang fingernails while you’re at OCS.

1 $3.69 Foot Powder (7 oz.)

Okay check it out. There’s something called “sweat rashes” or “heat rashes” that you can get anywhere on your body at OCS from the excessive sweating. My corpsman at juniors told me the trick: toss a little bit of foot powder on it before you go to sleep at night and you’ll stop sweating in that area, and the rash will go away. Don’t overuse it though because it causes that part to stop sweating and could lead to overheating.

1 $1.19 Hand Sanitizer (2 oz.) No way this is enough hand sanitizer. Bring your own and you will probably still need to buy some during libo/at the PX.

2 $1.99 1” White Athletic Tape (10 yds.)

No way 2 is enough. Bring your own, and you’ll still buy a bunch at the PX.

1 $1.00 Paint Brush (1 in.)

The great mystery of OCS. Everyone gets one of these and nobody knows why. Although some candidates used these to clean their rifles, most never touched them.

1 $2.30 Deluxe Sewing Kit

Useful for sewing back on buttons or repairing your uniforms. Don’t waste too much of your sleep time though. Once your uniform gets a tear, it’s technically unserviceable and you need to get a new one.

1 $2.50 Belt

You will need at least three belts to go with your four uniforms (see Organizing Your Existence). One for inspection, one for everyday use, and one for the mud courses. It would be nice to have two for inspection though.

1 $2.99 Map Pen (2-pack?) Used for writing on maps and anything else you have laminated. Erase with hand sanitizer.

1 $5.99 Storm Whistle

I think the only time we ever used these was during SULE II. It was on the packing list and we were supposed to blow them if we got completely lost, and some staff member would come find us.

1 $4.29 Deep Woods Insect Repellent Aerosol

My life for bug spray. Bring it with you to the field. Find room in your pack. Use it.

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1 $2.19 Bristle Dauber For marking PT shirts using the boot polish method. Since the whole platoon can basically share 3, most of these go unused.

1 $1.59 Boot Polish Not for polishing boots. For marking PT shirts.

1 $2.29 “Ziploc” Bags

These were a new addition my senior year. I guess they noticed that everyone was bringing them and buying them during PX calls, so they added them to the initial purchase. That being said, these are not brand name “Ziploc” bags, but rather their generic brand competitors, meaning that these kind of suck. You’ll need to wrap them in duct tape so that they don’t tear.

1 $2.49 D Batteries (2 pk.) For your ghetto flashlight. You’ll be mostly using your high-speed Cyclops anyway.

1 $3.70 Square Protractor

If you get a small piece of thread from your sewing kit, you can tie a loop through the middle hole. This will greatly aid you in figuring out directions from point to point.

1 $1.79 Stencil Big

1 $0.99 Stencil Small

So in between juniors and seniors, I went and made a custom stencil with my name on it using the juniors stencil as a guide. Guess what? They changed fonts between juniors and seniors. Go figure. The company that makes the stencils is called Delta Creative and you can find their website at www.deltacrafts.com . If you look at their stencils guide (http://deltacreative.com/uploads /media/documents/Stencil_alphabet.pdf) the big stencil we used in 2006 was “Basic Alphabet” 7”x10” and the ones we used in 2007 was “Times Alphabet” 7”x10”. Both years, we used “Upper Case Alphabet” 3”x8.5” for the small stencil. Why do I bother telling you? Just in case you want to make your own stencil of your name before OCS.

1 $0.95 Mouthguard For MCMAP and for poking each other with pugil sticks.

1 $5.35 Marking Kit

This is not the same as the fancy $15 stamp kit you get at MCRD. This one sucks, actually. I gave mine away. You stencil everything anyway.

1 $5.59 Camouflauge Paint (3 tubes)

These things explode. Keep them in a plastic whenever you bring them to the field. If you can manage to get your hands on one of the cammie paint kits that look like make-up kits with a mirror on one side and the paints on the other side, get that instead. It’s more convenient that carrying around three tubes of paint.

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2 $1.99 White Crew Socks

You use a bunch of these in juniors because you always go running in PT gear. You use very few in seniors because you always go running in boots.

1 $2.00 Insect Sting Mitigator

Another one of those things that was new during seniors. I don’t know how effective it was because I didn’t use it. I used the bug spray liberally my senior year so I didn’t get bitten.

1 $0.85 Pipe Cleaners For cleaning your rifle.

2 $1.20 Trouser Blousers I think two packs of these means 4 total, which is not enough. I brought a whole bunch from home (like 10) so I never had to worry.

1 $7.79 Sunblock

Simple: if you burn, use it. If you don’t, don’t. If you’re ever in a platoon billet and the platoon is going outside for prolonged duration (to the field), ensure that at least your squad leaders have it. Since they can be shared, not every single person needs one.

1 $4.99 CLP (4 oz.)

Despite being labeled as a “break-proof” container, this thing can still break and leak all over. Keep in a plastic bag. If you’re on libo, you can buy the small travel-sized version of the same brand and keep it in the buttstock of your rifle.

1 $1.10 Shower Shoes Don’t lose these. You’ll go barefoot. Figure out a way to label these uniquely so you don’t get them lost when the house is trashed.

1 $5.70 Flashlight

Your ghetto “moonbeam”. Since you’ll be bringing a red lens headlamp for use at night instead, you won’t really use this… which is good because it will probably break after about 3 days. You will have to wear it on the way to chow before the sun comes up, so don’t lose it.

4 $3.00 Big White Towel

You make “shower rolls” at OCS. Here’s the trick. Make a shower roll and keep it at the top of your footlocker. Every time someone says take out a shower roll, take it out to display on your footlocker, but when you actually shower, use a different towel/shower roll. This way, your shower roll is always pristine white instead of turning into nasty puke yellow.

2 $0.79 Small White Towel Never used these.

1 $19.95 Camp Stool Your best friend at OCS. Mark it. Don’t lose it. Guys who stood through recruit training will attest to this.

1 $8.20 Stamps For writing letters.

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3 $4.00 “Tailor Shop”

I remember looking at the receipt during receiving and thinking to myself “oh, so that’s what “Tailor Shop” is”, but now I can’t remember anymore. Cost of sewing on/off the white nametapes possibly?

Total Cost: $251.85

I know the females’ list is more expensive because they have to buy sports bras, and I know that the wintertime candidates’ list is more expensive because they have to buy some cold weather stuff. You should be bringing $300 specifically for this, with probably another $100 for liberty and haircuts. Even then, you will still need to stop by the ATM in Q-Town.

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Armory

Issued at the Armory

QTY Name Comments

1 M16A2 Service Rifle

3 Magazines

1 Rifle Cleaning Gear

1 Sling

1 Sling Keeper

This lightweight magazine-fed gas-operated air-cooled shoulder-fired weapon of mass destruction fires a 5.56mm NATO round with a maximum effective range of 800 meters for an area target and 550 meters for a point target. This is my rifle. There are many like it, but this one is mine. My rifle is my best friend. It is my life. I must master it as I must master my life. My rifle, without me is useless. Without my rifle, I am useless. I must fire my rifle true. I must shoot straighter than my enemy who is trying to kill me. I must shoot him before he shoots me…

In the Marine Corps, the rifle is a holy thing. Don’t drop your rifle. Don’t lose your rifle. Your rifle is more important than you are. You should be thinking about where your rifle is at all times. Be the one to lose your rifle. Be the one. It won’t be pretty. Never forget the order of importance: rifle, gear, body. That goes for when you go to Iraq too. Rifle, gear, body.

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What to Bring to Quantico

There’s no “correct” list of what to bring. You can bring what I brought. You could bring

nothing at all. You could look around the online forums and bring every single thing that any candidate ever recommended bringing. The bottom line is the more things you bring the more things you need to keep track of, and the more likely you are to lose something important. Also, I don’t chafe and I don’t blister (well, I do but not badly) so I didn’t bring anything for those. If you do, and almost everyone does, you may need to bring something. Here is the exact list of what I brought to OCS.

What I Brought to Seniors

QTY Name Comments

2 Seabags

I only used one. I was recommended to bring two to carry all my stuff home at the end, but since I threw away a lot of the stuff I wasn’t going to need, I actually ended up leaving Quantico with fewer things than I arrived.

1 Large Backpack The “warbag” I got issued in recruit training.

2 Wrinkle-Free Civilian Collared Shirts

1 Wrinkle-Free Civilian Trousers

1 Civilian Belt

1 Military ID Useful for getting back on base if you’re a prior or a dependent. Obviously, civilians who are not dependents will not have these.

1 Debit/Credit Card Don’t screw yourself by bringing cash and cash only and hoping that it will last you.

1 Original Orders

1 Service Record Book

1 Medical Records

1 Dental Records There actually isn’t a separate Dental section at OCS. These records just went in my civilian bag in the civilian gear locker.

1 Cell Phone Cell phones are confiscated at the beginning of the training and returned at the start of each liberty

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session. Make sure you turn your phone off before you return it to the contraband locker. If it rings, your staff is liable to take it out and toss it across the squadbay.

1 Cell Phone Charger Don’t leave home without it. Your phone battery will die within six weeks, even if it’s off most of the time.

1 Waterproof Digital Watch

A necessity for billet-holders. If you’re general population, you may or may not be allowed to bring a watch around with you in your pocket.

$42 Haircut Money $7 a haircut times 6 weeks = $42. Bring enough ones so that you can always give exact change to the candidate in charge of haircut money.

$60 Liberty Money

$60 was nowhere near enough money to get through three liberties. That being said, there is a Bank of America ATM in Q-Town and at the Main Exchange.

$300 Initial Issue Money For the large and small bag issues

1 Six inch ruler

More useful than a 12” ruler since everything you measure needs to be six inches. My ruler was a folding ruler, so it could collapse into a tiny little box.

4 Pre-address Envelopes

2 to your parents, 1 to your significant other, 1 to your OSO. I think I ended up only writing the one to my OSO and only because I was handed the “I arrived safely, sir or maam” form letter. I wasn’t big on letter writing at OCS, but some candidates read letters and wrote letters every single night. Seemed like a waste of good sleeping time to me, but if it’s what you need to make it through, than it’s what you need.

24 Pre-cut pre-marked Six Inch White Nametapes

Arriving with nametapes already made will help you out greatly during the first two weeks. Instead of having to make the nametapes during your first few nights, you get to sleep.

1 Go-fasters

You will be asked are they more than three weeks old. If you say yes, you will be ordered to buy a new pair on liberty. Do not wear seriously old nasty running shoes. They won’t let you run in them because you will get shin splints, stress fractures, or other impact injuries really quickly.

1 Desert Camouflage Blouse

Never used.

1 Desert Camouflage Trousers

Never used.

1 Desert Camouflage Never used.

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Eight Point Cover

1 Desert Camouflage Field Cover

Never used.

3 Hygiene Bags

2 were used for storing things. Based on the presumption that your Drill Instructors aren’t going to open your hygiene bags and throw the contents all over the squadbay, I had a bunch of “hygiene” bags.

1 Razor

Some guys brought or bought electric razors, but although they are faster, they don’t shave as close as manual ones. Since you can get firewatch or otherwise punished for improper shave, it doesn’t seem worth it to me.

4 Extra Razor Blades

1 Shaving Cream

1 Soap Dish Redundant with issued gear

1 Soap Bar Redundant with issued gear

1 Toothbrush Uh… bring a regular toothbrush. None of that fancy electric stuff.

1 Toothbrush Holder Redundant with issued gear

1 Toothpaste

Get one where the cap flips off but is still attached instead of the ones that you screw off. That way you’ll never lose the cap. My rackmate in Boot Camp lost his toothpaste cap and got toothpaste all over everything.

1 Shampoo

Most people did not bring shampoo. I did, and I thought it was useful even though you get your hair shaved off on the first day. Haircuts after that are “high and tight” so you will grow out some hair.

3 Woodland Camouflauge Utility Blouses with White Nametapes

One for inspection, one for daily use, and one for the Quigley

1 “Slick” Woodland Camouflage Utility Blouse

“Slick” = no nametapes

4 Woodland Camouflage Utility Trousers

12 Boot Blousers

No such thing as too many. You can stage these in hidden areas, such as around the foot of your rack, so if you ever need one really quickly you can grab it.

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1 Combat Boots

I brought my Desert Boots to juniors as inspection boots. If you simply take care of your combat boots, they work fine as inspection boots, so I did not bring them back for seniors. Three pairs of boots was not too many, per se, but it was one more thing to keep track of.

1 Bates Lites

Some people swear by them. Some people won’t touch them because they say the weaker grip hurts on the rope. I brought them and I wore them, but I don’t know if it made that big a difference. You can do what one of my buddies did: bring them, but always train in the heavier combat boots until the test day, and you will run faster because you are used to the heavier combat boots.

7 Green Undershirts

7 Marked Silky PT Green Shorts

7 Regular Boot Socks

No kidding this is more laundry than most other candidates bring. Together with the issue, I had 13 Green Undershirts and 9 Green PT shorts. That being said, I never had to worry about not having clean clothes to wear.

4 High-speed Hiking Socks

Split between Thorlo and the other brand

2 White Socks All you really need for seniors because you do most of your running in boots

2 Pre-cut pre-marked pre-shrunk Web Belts

Refer to MCO for how to mark

1 Pre-cut pre-marked pre-shrunk Inspection Web Belt

Shiny brass protected with a piece of cloth

2 Pre-marked White Towels

From last year

2 Bottles of Mouthwash

Disinfect your canteens right after your receive them (assuming you are not swapping them out for your own canteens) and then again periodically throughout the cycle. You will run out of mouthwash, but you can get more at the PX. I have heard of candidates being banned by their platoon staff from getting mouthwash since it’s “alchohol”. My staff never mentioned anything though.

3 Bottles of Hand Sanitizer

If you’re near MCRD, they sell these field break-resistant bottles of hand sanitizer at the recruit exchange.

3 Facial Tissue Packages For when you get the candidate crud

1 Nail Clipper Redundant with issued gear

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6 Erasable Pens

Worth their weight in gold during juniors when a bunch of people wrote two essays a night, and just extra weight during seniors because they almost completely stopped assigning essays

1 Mechanical Pencil With plenty of lead; useful for the tests

4 Sharpie Rub-a-dub Markers

I swear by the Sharpie method of marking shirts, but others don’t like it. It’s more work, certainly, but the Sharpie method survives one wash, so each time you mark a shirt, you’re really marking two. Also, it looks “cleaner”. Finally, you can do it in your rack at night.

4 White Athletic Tape Plus the two you get issued makes six, and I still ran out of these before the end. That’s okay though since you can get them at the PX.

1 Clear Tape Useful for miscellaneous things. I was the only one in my platoon to bring clear tape, but it was useful for “laminating” things.

1 Collapsible Six Inch Ruler

1 Stapler Small stapler that was issued in recruit training

3 Small Writing Pads

1 Waterproof Writing Pad

1 IP Scissors IP = “Irish Pennant”, those threads on your uniform that must be cut off.

1 Red Lens Headlamp AKA “The Cyclops”

The heart and soul of OCS. This is your most valuable item at OCS because it allows you to work at night without having to hold a flashlight in one hand. I used the one by Petzl. It’s small, has the red lens built in, runs on 3 AAA batteries, and I haven’t yet found the need to change the batteries despite 12 weeks of OCS. Highly recommended.

1 Military Issue Glasses

Birth-control Glasses. I actually never used these simply because my vision isn’t that bad. Granted, I can’t tell the difference between a Gunnery Sergeant and a Staff Sergeant, but it seems like neither could the guys with 20-20 vision.

In addition, I bought the following things during the first few PX calls:

What I Bought at the PX/on Libo

QTY Name Comments

1 Cough Drops Package Be warned: your staff may or may not permit these.

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1 Sweatshirt

1 Sweatpants

Because our squadbay was freezing at night

More White Tape Because I ran out

1 Additional Inspection Belt

For Company and Battalion Commander’s Inspection

I have heard of the following things recommended:

• Biking Shorts or Anti-chafing Cream for those who chafe

• Body wash for high-speed hygiene

• Bathing sponge for high-speed hygiene

• Small iron About blisters and your feet: I don’t have anything to say. Not that my feet don’t blister, but they don’t blister badly so I just ignored it. I don’t know how many candidates fall into this category, but I’m willing to bet all the money in my pockets that it’s a small minority. So go out and figure out and take preventative measures against blisters and also learn how to treat them.

And How to Pack It

Figuring out what to bring to OCS is only half the battle. The other half is making it through pick-up with most of your stuff, and getting the rest of it trickled to you over the next few nights. Here is the basic philosophy: mark, bundle, and bag.

1. If it can be marked, mark it. Every single little thing. I marked my razor. If it’s not marked, and you lose it during pick-up, don’t expect anybody to come asking you if the item is yours. If you didn’t bother to mark it, then it must not be important enough for you to want it back.

2. You know how the Marine Corps command structure works, with any given level being in charge of three basic elements? (Platoon Commander is in charge of 3 Squads, Squad Leader is in charge of 3 Fireteams, etc.) Same idea for your gear. You should never open something and have it scatter into 20 pieces. It should fall out in three bundles. When those bundles are undone, they should fall into three bundles. For example, I took my soap, put it in the soap container, wrapped it up in a small towel, put a piece of white tape around it, and wrote my name on the tape.

3. Similar items should be kept bundled together. Your writing utensils should all be kept in the same container, most likely a plastic bag. Same goes for all your hygiene gear in a hygiene bag. Not your rifle cleaning gear per se since it goes in the buttstock of your rifle, but your rifle cleaning rag, CLP, Q-tips, and pipe cleaners should all be bundled together and put in the same bag.

Here is what I did:

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Cammie Rolls: composed of 1 Camouflauge Utility Blouse and 1 Camouflage Utility Trousers, rolled together, taped up, and marked on the tape with my name as well as what “type” of uniform it was (daily use, inspection, Quigley). Skivvy Rolls: 1 Green Undershirt, 1 PT Shorts, and 1 Pair Boot Socks, rolled together, using your socks to make keep it together. Skivvy rolls are then placed in a mesh laundry bag. Hygiene Bags: I had all my hygiene gear in one, all my writing utensils and some miscellaneous gear in the other, and everything else in the last one. They are rather inconspicuous since both the staff and other candidates simply presume that you have hygiene gear in your hygiene bag. I knew what was in which bag, and although they were securely put together, I was able to very quickly take out one element. When I had to dump my stuff, out fell 4 cammie rolles, two pairs of boots, 2 laundry bags fill with stuff, and 3 hygiene bags. It’s much easier grabbing 11 items than trying to grab a hundred piece of individual gear. Don’t be the candidate trying to pick up 20 individual pens or boot blousers on pick-up. There’s always one.

Exploding/Leaking Items Laundry detergent, foot powder, hand sanitizer, bug spray, highlighters, shoe polish, cammie paint, sunblock, CLP, shaving cream, mouthwash, and toothpaste can LEAK or EXPLODE. Since you don’t want a mess, keep these things stored in plastic bags or a hygiene bag. You don’t want to get cammie paint all over your gear.

Sweat Damage It is hot in Quantico during the summer. You sweat. You sweat completely through your cammies. Anything you keep with you must be protected from this sweat. This includes candidate regulations, drill card, embark tags, and notepads. Keep these dry in a marked plastic bag, preferably with a pen.

Inspection Here’s the final word on preparations for inspection. Be fully prepared for your first inspection on the day you arrive at OCS. Not kidding. That means you have a fully pressed, neatly marked set of inspection uniforms, an inspection belt, inspection boots, inspection cover, and so on. On the night before inspections, when everyone is fervently working on their inspection clothing for tomorrow, you can be preparing your knowledge, or getting the extra sleep to ensure that you’re sharp. Better yet, you can help out those candidates who are working to earn some goodwill.

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What to Buy on Liberty

You don’t actually need to buy these, but they are worth considering:

Consider Buying During Liberty

QTY Name Comments

1 All Purpose Brush

Yes, you get issued one with your cleaning gear, but it tends to be old and nasty. A new brush with stiff bristles will help greatly. I bought one at a shop in Q-Town.

1 New “Slick” Camouflage Blouse

1 New “Slick” Camouflage Trousers

1 Inspection Boots

Although it’s almost impossible to fail the last two inspections, you have the time and you want to look good, you can get a new pair of cammies. If you want.

You can also consider buying new versions of gear you’ve been issued, such as a warbelt, but it seems like a waste of money to me. On your last liberty, buy a good moto book. I recommend Making of the Corps by Thomas Ricks. The last week is incredibly boring and having some good reading material helps pass the time.

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Organizing Your Existence

Congratulations, you made it through pick-up to your first night. Your evenings are your opportunity to organize yourself. You’re tired and so is everyone else. Resist the urge to dump everything in your footlocker and go to sleep. Take some time to organize yourself this first week and create a system and it will make things go a lot smoother. To begin with, I was on the top bunk all three times. This is significant because I have access to my ALICE pack even in that period from 21:00 to 21:15 when you’re not allowed out of your rack. (Some platoons make it from 21:00 to 22:00.) So here is how I organized things. You can and obviously will do things differently. What’s important isn’t how your organize them—it’s the fact that things are organized and you know where everything is.

Excess Gear

All excess gear, such as Desert uniforms, civilian clothing, inspection boots (which aren’t needed for the first two inspections since those tend to be more hazing and less actual inspecting), and other unused gear should be stored in your civilian bag in your civilian gear locker. Out of sight. Out of mind. Fewer things to deal with. That being said, make sure that you don’t stash away something that you’re going to end up needing. Best case scenario is that your company leaves the civilian gear locker unlocked at night and you can go at night and get your stuff. Kind of annoying since you have to get fully dressed to walk onto the quarterdeck, but not that bad. Worst case is that your company locks it and the key is with the Company First Sergeant or Company Gunnery Sergeant. Then you have to explain to your staff why you left X necessary item in the civilian gear locker. Not fun.

Staging Gear

Staging simply means putting it in a place so that you can readily access it. Stage your gear appropriately. Stage a pair of extra boot blousers someplace inconspicuous on the rack, such as at the bottom of the racks’ legs. Things that you will need quickly or daily should be at the top of your footlocker. This includes a hygiene roll, your hygiene bag, etc. Things that you either don’t use or rarely use, such as inspection boots, should be kept at the bottom of your footlocker. This seems fairly obvious, but there are a great multitude of candidates that have to open their footlocker, pull out the “shelves” and dig around to find things that we need everyday. If you’re on the top bunk, stage the things you need at night in your ALICE pack. Since you normally just have your knowledge in there, you have some extra space. In the next section, I will talk about the 2105 kit, and that goes in the ALICE pack as well. Stage the following gear by taping to the inside door of your wall locker: both stencils, mouthguard, a pencil, a pen, six-inch ruler, regular sharpie, rub-a-dub sharpie, protractor, map pens, and IP scissors. These must be removed before inspections, but otherwise, I cannot overemphasize the value of being able to run to your wall locker and grabbing the correct stencil and a sharpie when you need it instead of digging around your footlocker.

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Stage pre-made white nametapes on the inside cover of your footlocker. This includes not only regular 6” nametapes for your rack and footlockers, but also the white nametapes for your rifle, warbelt, ALICE pack, H-harness, canteen and canteen pouches. The canteen and canteen pouch nametapes are 18”. Creating one for your rifle is a bit tricky because you need your name centered on the correct side and your company and platoon centered on the other side. Best way to do it, is to create one using the rifle itself, taking it off the rifle, and using it as a template to create the rest.

The 2105 Kit Why is it called the 2105 kit? Because you use it at around 21:05 every night. This is how it works: most nights we get adjust at around 21:05. Since we’re not allowed out of our racks until 21:15 (or 22:00 for some platoons), most candidates just lay there awake at night. If you have a 2105 kit staged in your ALICE pack, though, you roll over and grab it and start working in those ten minutes. It doesn’t seem like much, but by week 2, you can be done working for the night before most other candidates even get up to start working. The following items are in your 2105 kit:

1. Sweatpants and Sweatshirt because our squadbay was freezing at night 2. Cough Drops (Warning: Check with your staff to ensure they are okay.) 3. The Cyclops, a red lens headlamp 4. Poncho liner, to be used instead of your blankets so you don’t need to re-make your rack 5. Rub-a-Dub sharpie marker 6. Faded PT shirt 7. Written Calendar, so I could cross off a day to get a little motivation 8. Extra canteen for hydrating

There’s no need for a third canteen, but I brought one from home, so I kept it there for

convenient hydration. By 2115, I was warm and cozy, stopped coughing, hydrated, crossed off a day from my calendar, and had remarked a PT shirt.

The Sharpie Method Here’s the trick to the sharpie method: don’t use it the first time. No that’s correct. The first time you create a PT shirt, use the boot polish method. It will create the outline for you in 1/10th the time it would take to make it using a sharpie. After you mark it using boot polish, wear the shirt, launder it, and get it back, you will still be able to see the line where to mark the shirt. That’s when you start using sharpies. Secondly, use Rub-a-Dub Sharpies and Rub-a-Dub Sharpies ONLY for marking your PT shirts. The regular sharpies wash off after one run through the laundry. Rub-a-Dub sharpies stay black for the second time around. Therefore, each time you mark one shirt using the Rub-a-Dub method, you’re really marking two. Yes, it takes longer, but it looks neater presuming you take the time, and you can do it from your rack between 2105 and 2115. Bring a bunch of Rub-a-Dub Sharpies and swap them out when they start not marking as dark. The whole point of the sharpie method is to make it look better than the boot polish method, so don’t be using a worn out sharpie. Finally, on my first liberty instead of going out to town, I laundered every single article of clothing I had including uniforms and re-marked all of them. I didn’t have to mark another shirt for a week and a half.

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What to Keep on You

Keep a pen, your candidate regulations, and a [preferably waterproof] notepad in a plastic

Ziploc bag in your cargo pocket at all times. Keep hand sanitizer in the other cargo pocket. The hand sanitizers at the chow hall are almost always empty, so you’ll have to rely on your own hand sanitizer. Then, be a good guy and share with the candidates around you.

As general population (not-billet holding candidates), you’re prohibited from wearing a watch, but you can keep a watch in your pocket to check the time.

During receiving, keep an erasable pen, a regular pen, and a rub-a-dub sharpie on you at all times. You can bring additional pens, but they will be “borrowed” from your during receiving and you will never see them again.

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Chapter 3: Surviving the First 5 Days

“Receiving.” – a candidate’s answer to “what is the most difficult part of OCS?”

Receiving and the Initial PFT

The game starts when you get to the airport from your home. It’s very likely that at least a few of the other candidates you meet here will be either in your platoon or in your company at OCS so make friends with them. You may be saving each other’s behinds in one weeks’ time. Wear the proper civilian attire. That’s a collared plain color shirt without any sayings, and a pair of solid color slacks. Tuck in your shirt, wear a belt, and wear dress shoes. No rainbow colored whatever with polka dots. You should burn that stuff. Don’t be the candidate that shows up in tennis shoes, jeans, and a t-shirt with “Coors Lite is my life” on it. There’s always one. You’re encouraged, but not required to have a fresh haircut and clean shave. It gets completely buzzed off during receiving anyway, but at least you’ll look sharper for the first few days instead of looking like John the Baptist during receiving. You’ll have to shave off your goatee on the first day anyway, so you might as well. Finally, don’t bring a rolling suitcase. You’re not going on vacation. You’re going to OCS. During pick-up, you have to carry around everything you bring with you along with everything you’ve been issued and run around with it. Bring a large sturdy backpack. Relax on the flight and at the connecting airport. It’s your last chance to relax for three weeks. Eat something light and take a nap if you can. Drink a soda. Watch the in-flight movie. Don’t worry about OCS. Plenty of time to do that very soon. Your OSO should tell you this in the departing brief, but if your flight gets delayed or you lose a candidate or anything unexpected happens, call your OSO. He can arrange things to happen, and he will also notify the Quantico Marines who are supposed to pick you up. If something along those lines happens and you end up needing to take a taxi or a shuttle to Quantico base, keep the receipt because it is reimbursable. When you arrive in D.C., stop at the first bathroom you see on the way to the baggage claim and make a head call. Call your parents and your loved ones to tell them that you made it to D.C. and you’re not going to talk to them for three weeks. Take a breath because this is pretty much when the game begins. Once you get accountability of everyone from your Officer Selection Office, head down to baggage claim to pick up your packs. You’ll probably run into another group or two of candidates. You’re pretty easy to spot with the collared shirts and the look of dread. If you have a chance, buy a large (the larger the better) bottle of water from the

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airport here. I know it’s expensive, but it’s worth it. By the way, west coast candidates (12th Marine Corps Recruiting District?) arrives on Saturday while everyone else arrives on Sunday. Once you get your bags, you’ll walk around for a bit before running into the troop handlers. These Marines are usually junior enlisted dressed in Service Charlies or possibly Desert cammies. (At OCS, all staff wears Deserts while the candidates wear Woodlands.) They’re here on a Sunday (or Saturday), so they might yell at you a bit. Get used to it. Once you check-in with them, they’ll tell you to switch to go-fasters. Having your go-fasters at the top, rather than the bottom, of your seabag will make this much easier. Now you’ll probably sit in dead silence with 50-100 other candidates waiting. Waiting. Waiting. Get used to that, too. Eventually the nasty old schoolbus will arrive, and a bunch of you will get in to leave for Quantico. This is your first experience with East Coast heat for everyone not from the East Coast. It’s unique because it’s extremely humid. Even if you have been training in the middle of the day in Texas heat (which is somewhat suicidal if you ask me), you still won’t be quite prepared for this humidity. Even if it doesn’t feel hot, you’ll quickly start sweating, so start hydrating with that bottle of water you brought. The bus has no air conditioning. Yeah, I know it sucks. Once you arrive at Brown Field, which is the part of Quantico that is Officer Candidates School, you’ll be given a red booklet, the Candidate Regulations, and assigned into your company and platoon. From here on out you have four days of sitting. Waiting. Sweating. Wondering why you decided to come here or come back here. It’s miserable. In fact, I think it’s the most miserable part of OCS and a lot of candidates I have spoken to agree with me. Once training actually begins, things will actually start moving, but right now, you’re just waiting. You wait around all day to do something simple like fill out paperwork, and by the time night rolls around, you have to wait some more. You get very little sleep. This is purgatory—your in-between hell.

How much do you get paid at OCS?

I’m putting this section here because it’s when all the administrative paperwork processing is being done.

Here’s the word on direct deposit at the time I was going through. If you are a prior or

have already signed up for direct deposit with your OSO before you go to OCS, your paycheck will be deposited directly into your account. The tricky part is that you may have filled out a direct deposit form for you OSO, but it is not officially submitted to Defense Finance and Accounting Service (DFAS). Instead the form was included with your original orders when it was faxed to Quantico (that’s the reason why they don’t actually use your original orders when you arrive in Quantico. You still need to bring them, but they already have a copy.) Whether or not you filled out a form with your OSO, bring a voided check or a copy of your bank’s ABA routing and account numbers to OCS. Better safe than… poor. So here’s the deal: whether you filled out the form with your OSO and it was sent to OCS or you fill out the form while at OCS, if you do not already have direct deposit before you arrive at OCS, you will not get direct deposit. You will get a hard check mailed to you at OCS during mail call or handed to you. Hopefully. Why did you fill out that direct deposit form either with your OSO or at OCS then? Because then you’ll have direct deposit set-up when you check into TBS.

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As for how much you get paid at OCS? I don’t know. What a cop-out right? Well it

comes down to this. You get paid as an E-5 (Sergeant) on active duty unless you are a prior and higher ranked than Sergeant. Your basic pay also depends on the number of years Time in Service you have if you are enlisted, but the enlisted guys already know about that and it doesn’t apply to civilians. In addition to basic pay, or salary, you also get Basic Allowances for Subsistence (BAS) which is a little additional money that you’re supposed to spend on food. If you are married you get Basic Allowance for Housing (BAH) on top of that. I’m not married, so I don’t know much of anything about BAH. However, if you are married and you don’t know if you’re getting BAH, make sure you ask the admin Marines sometime while you’re at OCS. It’s some serious money. All military pay also increases each year in order to match inflation, though it rarely does. This is somewhat confusing because military pay increases occur on January 1st of each year while the military fiscal year begins on October 1st. Right now, it is written into law to automatically increase military basic pay by 3.0% each year. Around December of 2007, however, Congress was deadlocked about the proposal to raise military pay by 3.5%. Although this was eventually passed, it was done only after the automatic pay increase. Finally, there are a number of deductions from your paycheck. Some, like Social Security, Medicare, state and federal tax, you don’t control. Others like the amount you pay into the Servicemembers Group Life Insurance (SGLI) that you may or may not sign up for at the beginning of OCS and the Thrift Savings Plan (TSP) that you may or may not sign up for can also be deducted. Lastly, you pay for the meals you eat at the chow hall at OCS. Kind of messed up huh? Serving your country and the cost for food comes out of your paycheck? This all goes by way of saying that it’s difficult to calculate exactly how much money you’re going to get before you actually get it. However, you can get a rough estimate.

In 2007, an E-5 with less than two years TIS (for the civilians at OCS) was $1,854.00 per

month. For 2-3 years, it was $1977.90, and for over 3 years, it was $2,073.30. If you’ve been in the Marine Corps for four or more years, I’m going to assume that you already know how to figure out pay. You are paid on the 1st and 15th of each month, so one pay period is two weeks. I could be mistaken, but I think that you don’t get paid on your first payday because the paperwork isn’t done, so you just get paid more on your second payday. When I went to OCS, the six weeks covered four pay periods, with the last one basically covering your last two days. Here’s the breakdown of what I got in the summer of 2007. Please keep in mind that I have 2 years Time in Service at this point, so I actually get paid slightly more.

Second Increment July 7 – August 1

Description Amount

Basic Pay $1,582.32

BAH Partial [don’t know what this is] $6.96

BAS (Monthly) $223.90

BAS Disc Meal Rate $5.96

TOTAL ENTITLEMENTS $1,819.14

FITW [stands for Federal Income Tax Withholding] -$130.60

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Social Security -$98.10

Medicare -$22.94

SGLI $400,000 -$28.00

TSGLI [stands for Traumatic Servicemembers’ Group Life Insurance; automatically added to SGLI]

-$1.00

Uniform Deductions None

Thrift Savings Plan (I didn’t sign up for it) N/A

BAS Disc Meal Rate -$198.75

TOTAL DEDUCTIONS -$479.39

TOTAL PAID $1,339.75

Second Increment August 1 to August 15

Description Amount

Basic Pay $1,120.81

BAH Partial [don’t know what this is] $4.93

BAS (Monthly) $158.60

BAS Disc Meal Rate $5.96

TOTAL ENTITLEMENTS $1,290.30

FITW [stands for Federal Income Tax Withholding] -$61.66

Social Security -$69.49

Medicare -$16.26

SGLI $400,000 -$28.00

TSGLI [stands for Traumatic Servicemembers’ Group Life Insurance; automatically added to SGLI]

-$1.00

Thrift Savings Plan N/A

BAS Disc Meal Rate -$135.15

TOTAL DEDUCTIONS -$311.56

TOTAL PAID $894.72

For those last two days, I was paid another $84.02. In the end, I brought home $2,318.49.

I also got all of what was taken by FITW back in April since I’m in the “too poor to live” tax bracket. It’s not great, but it’s not shabby. You’ll end up using almost all of it on your commissioning uniform. That’s okay. You didn’t join the Marine Corps for the money anyway.

One final note: if you take a taxi/shuttle anytime anywhere while traveling to or from

OCS or if you incur any other expenses, keep the receipts. Your OSO will provide you the opportunity to get reimbursed from the government, but I’m not exactly sure what is

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reimbursable. I turned in the meal receipts from eating at the airport, but I don’t know if they count. It’s not much, but if you spend $30 each way on a taxi, an extra $60 should be nice to help celebrate finishing OCS.

Purgatory

In Roman Catholic belief, purgatory is the temporary place between heaven and hell that you go after you die before you are admitted to heaven. At OCS, it’s the place you’ll be in before you are admitted to hell. Receiving is a stationary misery, characterized by utter boredom and a sense of dread. You came to OCS to do earth-shattering things and become transformed. Instead, here you are waiting. Just waiting.

On the first day, you will do the following things: 1. Get accountability of who is here and who went UA by jumping off the plane. 2. Fill out all your administrative paperwork. They have to do this for the entire Battalion so

it takes hours. 3. Go to supply and get issued your wargear and canteens. Hopefully, you’ll still have your

water bottle so you can drink that and re-fill it for the first few days to avoid using the canteens until you get a chance to sanitize them using mouthwash.

4. Eat a box chow. 5. More admin

Get blankets and sheets from supply. If you’re lucky, you may actually get 6 or more hours of sleep. Don’t count on it though.

Don’t count on getting any sleep until the day before the PFT. Over the next four days, you will do all of the following:

1. More administrative processing 2. Spend $300 buying the large and small bag issues 3. More admin 4. Eat a box chow 5. Go to Medical and get vaccinated for everything except candidate crud. Priors: bring

your medical records. Failure to do so will mean that you get all your shots over

again. 6. Wait around 7. More admin 8. Eat a box chow 9. Body weight standards and tattoo screening by the physical training instructors 10. More admin 11. Eat a box chow 12. Urinalysis 13. Wait around 14. Eat a box chow 15. Get your hair buzzed off 16. More admin 17. Eat a box chow 18. Get your uniform issue

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19. Eat a box chow

…you get the idea. Between the sleep deprivation and the tedium, the whole thing should pass like blur. That

being said, you’re an industrious candidate, so you’re not sitting around just waiting. Spend your free time marking the gear that you get issued. The candidate regulations will describe how to mark everything, and if it isn’t in the candidate regulations, then mark it however you want. Just ensure that it gets marked. Use your time wisely. Mark, bundle, bag, stage, repeat. When you get bored, start getting to know the candidates around you. You need to help each other out if you want to survive.

Returning seniors: on the second or third day, you will have to take the returning seniors test. Your OSO should have made you take it a few times already. It’s the same test just with the answer order scrambled. It’s not difficult in and of itself, but the sleep deprivation is starting to get to you. Your eyes have difficulty focusing on the page. You drift in and out of consciousness as you’re reading the questions. Fight it. You have to pass this test. I got 99/100 on the practice test with my OSO and something like 87/100 when I took it at OCS. Don’t get below an 80. You will have to see the Colonel and he might just decide to kick you out of OCS right there.

Finally, on the day before pick-up, you have the initial PFT. There’s a reason your OSO

had you doing 20 pullups, 100 crunches, and running 21:00 before you left. Between having sat around and done nothing for the last three or four days, eating box chows instead of real food, not getting any sleep, and facing the Virginia humidity, your PFT has fallen substantially. Your 20 pullups has fallen to 17 and the staff member counting you only counted 15. If you’re counts are not going up as you do pull-ups, you are doing them wrong. Check to make sure that you’re not “kipping” and you’re going all the way up with your chin above the bar and all the way back down to lock out your elbows. It’s better to do 16 pull-ups that count than 22 that don’t. Instead of doing 100 with time to spare, you only did 91, so you’re starting your run with only 166 points instead of the full 200. As for the run itself, it is three and a half laps. Our PTI mistakenly told us two and a half laps, so we all ran two and a half laps in record time. Except that’s not three miles. Yeah, that last lap seriously sucked.

Your OSO may have told you that you need to score a 245 on the initial PFT. You

actually need a 245 to ship (as of 2007), but your initial PFT just needs to be above 225. If you’re running at the bare minimum though, either PT is going to be the most completely miserable experience of your life or you’re not going to make it. Don’t overtrain on running because you risk impact injuries, but try your best to get to 20 pull-ups and 100 crunches.

The only candidates who can do well at OCS despite a low PFT are those who have

trouble with pull-ups. They might keep you if you do only 10 pull-ups but run a 18:00 since you will be able to keep up with the platoon. That being said, OCS, and in particular seniors, requires a lot of upper body strength. You should definitely be doing at least 16 solid pull-ups, at least 90 crunches, and at least around a 22:00 for seniors. Prepare yourself physically. If morning PT completely drains you, then you’ll be more tired throughout the day. You’ll be more likely to make mistakes when it comes to interacting with your staff and the tiredness will also hurt your academics since you’ll be falling asleep during class.

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One last word on PT: there’s fast and then there’s tough. At OCS, you need both. If

you’re a gym rat, spent some time running outdoors and across rough terrain. If you’re a super-distance runner, spent some time hiking around in boots with a heavy pack. You’re going to need to be decently fast (6-7 minute a mile pace) when you’re running in go-fasters, but you’re also going to need to be able to put on a 30 lbs. pack and hike 12 miles.

Your initial PFT is going to be weaker than your shipping PFT (unless you didn’t try hard

enough on your shipping PFT). You have to make it as close as possible. Do your pull-ups correctly. Push yourself on the crunches. Fight through the humidity on the run. On the day after you barely pass your PFT (despite being a PT stud), comes the end of receiving. You will be gathered into the classrooms and listen to the Colonel give a motivating speech. Afterward, the staff marches in and you are introduced to each member of your staff. You should be getting pretty damn nervous at this point. Afterward, you go back to the squadbay and all hell breaks lose.

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Pick-up

“Cry havoc and let slip the dogs of war.” – Mark Anthony

I’m not going to talk about pick-up. You’re going to have to face pick-up by yourself.

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Chapter 4: Surviving Quantico

“40 days” – time Jesus spent in the desert;

5 also length of OCS for 6-weeks

Surviving Weeks 1, 2 & 3

Congratulations. You’ve survived pick-up. I have some good news and some bad news. The good news is that the level of strictness at OCS for these first few days is the highest it will be your entire time here. Although things tend to vary from staff to staff, most Sergeant Instructors tend to let up on the pressure with each week that you’re there. The reason they do this is because if they are in full Drill Instructor mode running everything, they won’t be able to effective evaluate you as a candidate, which brings us to the bad news. Although they are less strict and delegate more authority to your candidate staff with each cycle of candidate billets, the activities you undertake become increasingly difficult. Your PT increases from a 3-mile squad run in PT gear to the Endurance Course with full canteens and rifle. Your academics tests become increasingly difficult culminating in the history exam. Finally, you’re going to have to face the leadership evaluations of Squad in the “O” and SULE II that are the heart of OCS. However, right now it’s best to focus on what is immediately in front of you: surviving until the end of week 3, which is your first liberty weekend.

Physical Training I’m looking at my barely legible notes right now and trying to figure out what I wrote. Don’t take this list as exact details, but rather read through it to get a general idea of what PT is like. Specifically, don’t take this as the order you will do the PT events. It’s almost certainly not. But you will do all of them.

• 3-mile Squad Run. They say it’s at an 8 minute per mile pace. It’s not. You might cross the finish line after 24 minutes, but that’s not because you were running at 8 minutes a mile. My Sergeant Instructor basically sprinted us until a candidate fell out. Then we began playing a version of a reverse “Indian run” where the entire platoon runs out, then turns around and runs back for the failing candidate. Don’t be the failing candidate. Even if you’re tired and only slept 4 hours, falling out of the first run is pretty bad. It paints a big red target for your staff. Keep in mind that almost every single day that you do a run, it also includes push-pull-abs. Push-pull-abs usually consists of (I could be mistaken here) 35 push-ups, 12 pullups, 2 minutes of crunches, 30 push-ups, 10 pullups, 1 minute of

5 Mark 1:13

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crunches, and 25 push-ups, 8 pullups, 30 seconds of crunches. You’re probably thinking to yourself, “that’s really easy.” Well, it is if you’re healthy, got a good sleep, ate a good meal, and are ready for it. It’s not so easy when you’re not ready for it. That’s why you need to train yourself to be doing 20 pullups and 50 push-ups. One last note: if you’re going to call cadence, make sure you know cadence. If you don’t, you’ll just embarrass yourself. I mean know cadence—not you read a few lines on the internet. Best is obviously if you’re a prior and you’ve been in a unit that does PT runs calling cadence three times a week every week. Falling short of that, go out and buy some of the Marine Corps cadence CDs and listen to them over and over and over again. Internalize them. That way when you’re tired and not thinking clearly, you don’t ever draw a blank when it comes to cadence.

• The Fartlek Run. The same basic idea as the Squad Run except you run around to stations and do exercises at each station. Fairly straightforward. I’m going to be honest here and say that I’m pretty sure the juniors run courses were harder than the seniors ones. If it says do “20 exercises”, than do 20. Should be obvious, but I’ve heard stories about candidates that did 19 and got kicked out for integrity violation. Again, with the Fartlek Run, you might cross the finish line at what should be an 8-minute pace, but that doesn’t mean you’ll be running at an 8-minute pace. On the same day you do the first Fartlek Run, you also do CVFs, which you don’t need to worry too much about.

• The Obstacle Course. Your PTI, if you’re lucky, will tell you to take it a little slow and get the technique down the first time around. Follow that advice. This doesn’t mean walk the course. Definitely put all your effort into it, but get the technique down. The technique is money, and will help you when you take it for real. The O-course is pass/fail for juniors but graded for time in seniors. It’s two minutes to pass and one minute to get full points. Almost all the candidates are somewhere between 65 and 85 seconds. Later on, you will have the opportunity for remedial o-course or ropes training. If you are having trouble, by all means, take the opportunity. It’s actually rather difficult to fail the obstacle course by going too slow (though I wouldn’t push it). Failures tend to come from candidates who can’t make it over an obstacle or make it up the rope. For the rope, it’s all technique, and you have to practice using the technique even if you have good upper body strength. As for making it over the obstacles, it takes a combination of good technique, coordination, and upper body strength. To work this one, do dips when you’re at home, or you can do what my office does and actually train by climbing over walls. On either the first or second time you do the Obstacle Course, instead of simply doing it all the way through once, you’ll either do the whole thing repeatedly or do one section repeatedly. The o-course was one of my strengths, so I enjoyed this PT, but I have heard other candidates say that this repeated o-course day was the most difficult day of PT during the entire cycle.

• UBDs. Stands for Upper Body Development; it gets tacked onto one of the runs during the first two weeks. It involves a circuit course that has, among other things, weight lifting such as the military press. This one is a bit difficult if you don’t have a strong upper body, but I don’t have any special advice for you except that you should work out your upper body before you get to OCS.

• The 4-mile Squad Run. Same thing as the 3-mile squad run, but longer. Also, the candidate who was falling out earlier is keeping up now, so the entire squad runs faster.

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• The Combat Readiness Test. This was the first physical event I did at OCS that I considered truly difficult. Not to say that the other things weren’t difficult, but this one really pushes you. If you’ve been reading the Little Red Book, then you should already know what it entails.

o Rope climb. Gear: Blouse, Kevlar helmet, deuce gear with full canteens, and rifle cross-body. You have a good window to make it to the top (I want to say 30 seconds), but you have to actually be moving up to make it. Again, technique is key.

o Obstacle course. Gear: No blouse. Once you finish the rope, you take off everything and stage it at the end of the obstacle course. Take a moment to remember where you staged it. You don’t want to grab someone else’s and you don’t want to be looking for your gear when you finish the course. You run the obstacle course perhaps a little slower than you would normally because when you finish you grab your deuce gear and your rifle, leaving behind the Kevlar helmet and blouse, and start the 3-mile run. Gear: Deuce gear and rifle. No need to kid yourself. A 3-mile run in boots with deuce gear, full canteens, and a rifle is not easy. That being said, it’s not that difficult either—don’t psyche yourself out. As long as you keep moving forward at a good pace, you will finish with some time to spare. The two key parts are moving forward and good pace. You are allowed to drink water from your canteens if you want. I’ve done it before, and I don’t think it helps. You’re still carrying the weight, but the only difference is it’s inside of you. If you’re de-hydrating, which you shouldn’t be because you are a good candidate and properly hydrated, then by all means drink water. Other than that, I don’t see any reason to drink your canteens. Just don’t dump your canteens. It’s not only morally wrong, but also incredibly stupid. Once you finish the run, you go through the shower (keeping your rifle dry), gulp down some water, and start the fourth portion of the test:

o Push-ups. Gear: Blouse. You have to do 35 to pass, and 50 to max. I don’t remember the exact time frame, but I want to say 1 minute. Almost every candidate does well on this one. Train before you arrive at OCS to make sure you can do 50 good form push-ups where you chest goes all the way to the ground and back up keeping your back straight. Next you start the fourth and final part of the CRT, the

o Buddy fireman carry. Gear: Blouse, Kevlar helmet, rifle, deuce gear? Get the

technique down. You want to carry your buddy high so your entire body his carrying him. Make sure you find a buddy of roughly equal weight. I carried a candidate who was probably forty pounds heavier than me. I finished in time, but barely. It was not fun. Finally, make sure your Kevlar fits securely. If you drop it, you have to bend down to pick it up, and that takes precious seconds.

o Fire and maneuver course. Gear: everything. If you still have a little energy left, this one is kind of fun. It’s pass/fail so there isn’t much to worry about. It involves a magazine change and firing off three rounds. Make sure you’re doing the correct thing at the correct place. Also, you can fail if you get up to move with your

weapon not on safe. It should be instinct by now, but ensure that whenever you are running with the rifle, it’s not on kill.

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• MCMAP. MCMAP training at OCS can be either one of the hardest things or one of the easiest things you do at OCS, depending on your PTI. Your PTI’s aren’t actually required to have you do any training since you basically need to start over at TBS in tan belt training anyway. Moreover, you don’t get tested on anything. Therefore, it’s up to the PTI. Most of the time, MCMAP training is right in the middle of the afternoon when it’s hottest, so your PTI will just have you sit in a circle around the PT table while he gives a few demonstrations and talks. After a while (after a few candidates are caught sleeping), you will all get up and form lines practicing some of the techniques. If you haven’t done it before, I can almost guarantee you’re doing it wrong. That’s okay, there more MCMAP training at TBS. Your PTI’s are also supposed to teach you about Marine Corps core values, ethics, and character. I have to say, this part was probably what I considered to be some of the most valuable time at OCS. I believe that the time spent thinking about what courage was or other aspects of moral character has actually made me a better person. Some of the other candidates obviously did not buy into this at all, and simply took it as a chance to relax away from the Sergeant Instructors.

• The Endurance Course. I’m not going to talk too much about the E-Course except to say that in my opinion, it was physically the most difficult thing you have to do at OCS. I felt it was more difficult than the conditioning hikes or SULE II though there are certainly candidates who disagree with me. The E-Course is long and hard, and the only saving grace is that you actually have a good amount of time to complete it. That doesn’t mean you should run slow. That means you should be careful enough to pace yourself so as not to burn out halfway through. If the E-Course doesn’t suck for you, you’re not running it fast enough.

• The Squad Ability March. I’m not going to talk about this. I went to seniors not knowing what it was, and I found out that this was actually one of my most favorite events at OCS because of the level of candidate independence you have.

• Commando Crawl Training. At some point during these first few weeks, you will go to the practice commando crawl course where you will have the opportunity to practice the commando crawl. Use this opportunity wisely. Figure out the technique for the commando crawl and how to maintain your balance by keeping on leg hanging straight down. You won’t have time to start learning the commando crawl when you’re actually doing the Endurance Course (or Stamina Course for juniors).

The Events

• The Combat Course. The Combat Course is actually one of the most fun courses at OCS. You will get briefed, as with every other thing you do at OCS, on exactly what to do, so I will just say this: try to keep your rifle as dry as possible. Some level of water is completely inevitable, but do your best to keep your rifle free of sludge. I have heard the advice given that you should drink both your canteens prior to the start of the course because the canteens will provide buoyancy during the Quigley (since it’s not a timed course, our staff permitted this. As with all things, check with your staff.). I’ve done the combat course with empty canteens and with full canteens, and I honestly can’t tell that much of a difference. I’m going to be honest—I don’t know how you fail the combat course. I’m sure it’s possible, but since it’s not timed, I really don’t know. Just remember—swimming through the Quigley is the reason why you came to Virginia. A

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word on the culverts: they feel longer when you’re actually traveling through them than when you’re looking at them. Here’s the rule: DO NOT PANIC. It’s like the gas chamber. Even if you get snagged on something, just take a moment to think what you got caught on and loosen yourself. If you start to panic and flail, you won’t be able to get through. If it hasn’t rained for a while (i.e. since you’ve been in Virginia), there’s a good possibility you can actually breathe inside the culvert because the water level is low

• The Leadership Reaction Course I. The thing to keep in mind about the LRC is that the Marine evaluating you is not evaluating whether or not you actually accomplish the objective in the set time frame. They are evaluating your leadership ability. What does this mean? It means that if you have terrible leadership skill but your team manages to get through the obstacle on time, you will do worse than if you have good strong leadership, develop a solid plan, and fail the obstacle simply because you needed one or two more minutes.

• Land Navigation. Don’t start the course until it starts. Secure your compass before you move. Don’t talk to anyone except the staff. At night, don’t use your flashlight until you are absolutely sure that you are covered. If there is a full moon, you can actually just find the points where the moonlight shines through the trees and read your card.

• The 6-mile hike. This may actually be the most difficult hike simply because of the speed. The female platoon hikes 3/4 kit meaning that they don’t have to carry a tent. Doesn’t make that much of a difference though because the difficulty in the 6-mile hike comes from two sources. One is the rough terrain because all those roots and stumps can cause you to trip or twist an ankle. The second are the Drill Instructor games, which you’re going to have to learn about yourself. Let me say this about hiking in general though. Wear your seatbelt. It’s that strap that goes around your waist. Tighten it up, and tighten up your shoulder straps so your pack doesn’t bounce when you walk. Make sure the weight is distributed evenly when you pack your pack. As you’re hiking alternative between having really tight seatbelt/looser shoulder straps and a looser seatbelt/tighter shoulder straps. This alternates the weight between your shoulders and your back so no one set of muscles gets burned out. Keep one arm’s length away from the candidate in front of you. Any closer and you have to match his steps, which is actually not a bad idea provided that you are both the same height. Any farther and pretty soon it’s going to be two arm lengths and your Sergeant Instructor is going to come and yell at you. DO NOT

RUN. You’ll see. At the beginning of the hikes, and in particular the shorter hikes, the platoon will have the Accordion Effect.

Yes, the Accordion Effect is capitalized and gets its own paragraph. This is basically

what happens. A tired candidate is hiking along. He doesn’t pay attention at lets the candidate in front of him 50" away, then 60", then 70". Suddenly, he realizes there is a large gap in front of him, so he runs forward to close the gap so the Drill Instructors don’t start yelling at him. Alternatively, a candidate billet holder or a Sergeant Instructor might have one of the games where you touch the pack of the candidate in front of you, so the tired candidate has to run forward. Either way, now the tired candidate who began the Accordion Effect is a good distance away from the candidate in front of him, but there’s a gap between him and the candidate behind him. The next candidate has to run to catch up. The candidate behind that candidate then has to run to catch up. What ends up happening for the last candidate in the platoon is he has to sprint for like 30 seconds before stopping. Except rather than returning to a regular stride, he actually

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has to stop because the candidate in front of him had to stop, and so forth. In the end the platoon moves like a slinky (the toy not the underwear). It comes down to this. If you run, you are screwing all the guys behind you. You are a Blue Falcon. DO NOT RUN. If a gap opens up in front of you, open up your stride and pick up your turnover (the rate at which your feet hit the deck) slightly. The corollary to “do not run” is “do not permit a gap in front of you to open up.” Either screws the platoon. That all being said, there are times when you will have to run. This can include consolidating on the move from single file to platoon formation. There’s nothing you can do about this.

Academics

• General Military Skills 2

Inspections

• Sergeant Instructors’ Inspection. I’m not going to talk about the Sergeant Instructors inspection except to say that you have to experience it to believe it.

• Platoon Sergeant’s Inspection Finally, a word on peer evaluations.

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Surviving Weeks 4 & 5

“Common sense was an uncommon virtue.” – a saying by candidates about candidates

When you’re doing the Leadership Reaction Course II, you will spend a good portion of time sitting outside of the LRC course, either before or after, with the tactics Marines learning about sand tables or other things. Take that opportunity to drink water. Lots of water. Not enough to get water intoxication, but enough to be completely hydrated. You’re going to need it.

Billets Put in that extra effort on your billets. It’s what really counts at OCS.

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Surviving Week 6

“Life swings like a pendulum backward and forward between pain and boredom.”

- Arthur Schopenhauer

Provided that you don’t do anything stupid, you’ve more or less made it through OCS. Go buy a moto book during your last liberty weekend. I recommend Thomas Ricks’ Making of the Corps.

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Chapter 5: Becoming a Marine

Family Day and Graduation

What it means to be a Marine

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Appendices

APPENDIX A: INDEX

Error! No index entries found.

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APPENDIX B: DRILL CARDS

These are the four drill cards used in second increment summer 2007. Remember the acronyms RIPO (Report, Inspection Arms, Port Arms, Order Arms) and PLOPO (Port Arms, Left Shoulder Arms, Order Arms, Present Arms, Order Arms) for all cards. Card #1

1. Form Platoon at Normal Interval 2. Port Arms 3. Left Shoulder Arms 4. Order Arms 5. Present Arms 6. Close & Extend on Line 7. Form the Platoon for

Inspection/Reform 8. Rest 9. Column Right from the Halt 10. Close & Extend while Marching 11. Column Right 12. Right Oblique/Platoon Halt 13. Right Flank Return to Column 14. Column Left (Repeat) 15. Left Flank Return to Column 16. March to the Rear (Repeat) 17. Column Half Left (Repeat) 18. Marching Manual 19. Column Left 20. Pass in Review 21. Dismiss the Platoon

Card #2 1. Form the Platoon as Close Interval 2. Extend on Line 3. Port Arms 4. Left Shoulder Arms 5. Order Arms 6. Present Arms 7. Form the Platoon for

Inspection/Reform 8. At Ease 9. Column Right from the Halt 10. Close & Extend while Marching 11. Column Right 12. Right Oblique/Half Step 13. Right Flank Return to Column 14. Column Left (Repeat) 15. Left Flank Return to Column 16. March to the Rear (Repeat) 17. Column Half Left (Repeat) 18. Marching Manual 19. Column Left 20. Pass in Review 21. Fall Out

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Card #3

1. Form the Platoon as Normal Interval 2. Port Arms 3. Left Shoulder Arms 4. Order Arms 5. Present Arms 6. Close & Extend on Line 7. Form the Platoon for

Inspection/Reform 8. Parade Rest 9. Column Right from the Halt 10. Close & Extend while Marching 11. Column Right 12. Right Oblique/Mark Time 13. Right Flank Return to Column 14. Column Left (Repeat) 15. Left Flank Return to Column 16. March to the Rear (Repeat) 17. Column Half Left (Repeat) 18. Marching Manual 19. Column Left 20. Pass in Review 21. Dismiss the Platoon

Card #4

1. Form Platoon at Close Interval 2. Extend on Line 3. Port Arms 4. Left Shoulder Arms 5. Order Arms 6. Present Arms 7. Form the Platoon for

Inspection/Reform 8. Parade Rest 9. Column Right from the Halt 10. Close & Extend while Marching 11. Column Right 12. Left Oblique/Mark Time 13. Right Flank Return to Column 14. Column Left (Repeat) 15. Left Flank Return to Column 16. March to the Rear (Repeat) 17. Column Half Left (Repeat) 18. Marching Manual 19. Column Left 20. Pass in Review 21. Fall Out

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APPENDIX C: SAMPLE OPORDER

This is what they teach at OCS. I know for a fact that it’s slightly different from what they teach at TBS and also from what you use in the fleet. Hold all questions until the end.

Orientation You are the squad leader for Golf Company, 2nd Platoon, 3rd Squad. Current location is grid coordinate 971641. Sqd Ldr G Co 2

nd Plt 3

rd Sqd, Loc Now 971641

Situation At 0600, 2-4 man teams of Abu Nidal Iraqi insurgents were spotted terrorizing the local populace, setting up IEDs, and fortifying positions in the vicinity of grid coordinate 9663, along Engineer Road. The enemy was spotted with assorted US-made small arms, desert utility uniforms, and IED-making equipment. Upon contact, the enemy’s most probably course of action is to defend until overwhelmed by superior numbers, at which point the enemy will use their small numbers to facilitate withdrawal. The platoon mission is: at 0900, 4th platoon will conduct squad attacks in the vicinity of grid coordinate 9663 in order to deny the enemy a base of operations. 1st and 2nd squads have the same mission in the same area of operations. There are no supporting units at this time. 0600 2-4man Abu Nidal Iraqi insrgts terrorizing locals, setting IEDs, fortifying pos IVO 9663 (Engineer Rd) US SA, desert uni, IEDs MPCOA Def --> W At 0900, 4

th Plt will conduct sqd atks IVO 9663 IOT deny EN ops base

1st 2

nd sqds same M same AO

Mission At 0900, 3rd squad will attack to destroy enemy forces in the vicinity of 9663 in order to deny the enemy a base of operations from which to launch attacks threatening coalition humanitarian operations. 0900 3

rd sqd atk to des EN IVO 9663 IOT deny EN ops base from which to launch atks threaten

hum ops

Execution

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The commander’s intent is to establish a secure base of operations in order to launch humanitarian operations in the vicinity of grid coordinate 9663. The concept of operations is to move from the assembly area to the attack position (initial formation) in a squad column fireteam wedge. At the attack position (attack formation), we will shift into a squad wedge fireteam wedge, and move to the assault position, crossing the line of departure. At the assault position (assault formation), we will shift into a squad line fireteam skirmishers right with one fireteam covering the left flank and one fireteam covering the right flank. The fireteam in the middle will be the main effort and the base unit. Upon enemy contact, all fireteams will return fire establishing fire superiority at which point all fireteams will conduct a frontal assault using buddy rushes. We will rush 20 meters past the objective at which point I will call for a hasty 180, and the three fireteams will cover the 180 degrees facing away from the objective. After assessing no chance of enemy counterattack, I will call for a consolidated 360 and receive ammo, casualty and EPW reports. There is no fire support for this operation. Tasks. First Squad: On order, 1st squad, our main effort and base unit, will lead the attack to destroy all enemy in the vicinity of grid coordinate 9663 in order to deny the enemy a base of operations from which they can threaten coalition humanitarian missions. Second Squad: On order, 2nd squad will move alongside 1st squad’s left flank and laying down supporting fire as needed in order to protect 1st squad’s left flank from possible enemy counterattack. Third Squad: On order, 3rd squad will move alongside 1st squad’s right flank and lay down supporting fire as needed in order to protect 1st squad’s right flank from possible enemy counterattack. Coordinating Instructions. The time of attack is 0900. First squad will the base unit and main effort. Order of Movement. During the initial formation, first squad will in the front, and during the attack and assault formations, first squad will be in the middle. During the initial formation, second squad will be in the middle, and during the attack and assault formations, second squad will be on the left. During the initial formation, third squad will be in the rear, and during the attack and assault formations, third squad will be on the right. After assaulting through the objective, on the command to form a hasty 180, first squad will cover 11 to 1, second squad will cover 9 to 11, and third squad will cover 1 to 3. On the command to form a consolidated 360, first squad will cover 10 to 2, second squad will cover 6 to 10, and third squad will cover 2 to 6. The tactical assembly area grid coordinate is XXXXXX, the objective grid coordinate is XXXXXX. The azimuth we will be following is XXX for XX meters.

Administration and Logistics We will be using self aid, buddy aid, corpsman aid. The corpsman is located with 1st squad. Enemy prisoners of war are to be searched for weapons and turned over to the company gunnery sergeant. Resupply will be conducted after securing the objective. Self, buddy, corpsman aid Corpsman: 1

st Sqd

Resupply at Obj

Command and Signal We will use hand and arm signals, voice on contact (HAVOC). I will be with 1st fireteam over the duration of the assault, the platoon sergeant and platoon commander will be with 1st squad. In

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the event that I am killed, the succession of command will be 1st fireteam leader, 2nd fireteam leader, 3rd fireteam leader. HAVOC Sqd Ldr: 1

st FT

Plt Sgt: 1st Sqd

Plt Cmdr: 1st Sqd

Succession: 1st FT, 2

nd FT, 3

rd FT

Are there any questions? The time is now 0815. You have 45 minutes to prepare.

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APPENDIX D: PT SOP

Form the Company for Mobility Laps Call the Company to Attention Give the Company Double Time, March Mobility Laps

• Chain Breakers

• Arm Circles to the Front

• Arm Circles to the Rear

• Inboard Shuffle

• Outboard Shuffle

• Running Cadence Form for Stretches

• In-place Doubletime

• Platoon Halt

• Cover

• Candidate Platoon Sergeant Moves to Front of the Platoon

• From Front to Rear, Count Off

• Take Interval to the Left, March

• Arms Down

• Even Numbers to the Right, Move

• Candidate Platoon Sergeant Moves Back to Side of the Platoon

• Parade Rest Stretches

• Overhead Body Stretch

• Triceps Stretch

• Shoulder Stretch

• Back Stretch

• Chest Stretch

• Quadriceps Stretch

• Nice Wide Base, Back Straight, Slight Bend in the Knees

• Side Stretch

• Toes Outboard Groin Stretch

• Hamstring Squat Stretch

• One Leg Forward Calf Stretch

• Sitting Crossover Gluteus Stretch

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Warm-up Exercises

• Arm Circles to the Front

• Arm Circles to the Rear

• Side Bends

• Trunk Twists

• Star Jumps

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APPENDIX E: MISCELLANEOUS TIPS

• Use the standard issue hangers or cleaning rods from your rifle cleaning kit to open rusty

alligator clips.

• Stage much needed items in readily accessible locations, such as inconspicuous parts of your rack, the door of your footlocker, and in the front pouches of your pack. This will allow for quick easy access.

• There’s fast and then there’s tough. Make sure you have both. You will need fast for the initial PFT and the few subsequent go-faster runs. You will need tough for the endurance course, CRT, conditioning hikes, and SULE II.

• Use your seatbelt on the hikes. Alternate between having a tight seatbelt/looser shoulder straps, and tight shoulder straps/a looser seatbelt. This will shift the weight between your shoulders and your back.

• Stride it out when a gap opens in front of you in the hike. If you run, you are not only wasting energy, but you are also screwing all the candidates behind you in the formation. If you get yelled at for having a gap, just sound off “Aye, aye, Staff Sergeant” and stride it out faster.

• As a billet holder, finish everything you say with either “Do you understand that?” so everyone knows to sound off or “Are there any questions?” so everyone knows to keep their mouths shut. If you are giving an order, finish with “Ready… Move” so everyone will know when to execute. Otherwise, you will get candidates starting to execute the order while you are giving it, and sounding off an affirmative reply in a cascading and weak response. Example (note the use of the future imperative): “What’s going to happen now is when you receive the command to do so, first squad will move to the left side, second squad to the middle, and third squad to the right. Does everyone understand that?” (“Yes, Candidate Platoon Sergeant”) “Ready, move!” (“Kill”). Part of getting the platoon to sound off is to ensure that they know when they are supposed to sound off.

• The command is Double-time March, not Double-time Marine Corps. It’s Ready Seats not Ready Kill. It’s Count Off, not Count Snap. Learn the command properly if you expect anyone to follow your commands.

• Use standard issue foot powder to counter the effects of heat rashes. Heat rashes are also known as sweat rashes, and result from your skin sweating too much. The foot powder will stop that area from sweating and keep it dry.

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APPENDIX F: MY NOTES

These are in no particular order or organization structure. They are simply all the notes I scribbled in my notepads while at OCS. The notes are not complete. I distinctly remember not copying down things I already knew so that I could focus on the things I did not know. As always, take from it what you will. Traits of a Professional Moral Leadership

• Competent: continually endeavors to improve

• Responsible: knows expectations of rank

• Dedicated: willing to sacrifice self and personal needs Professionalism: the quality men and women invest in every task or duty with consistent competence, and with discipline of mind and spirit. Importance of Professionalism to Marine Officers

• Public Servant

• Responsible for human lives Law of War

1. Fight only enemy combatants 3. Do not kill or torture prisoners [what happened to 2?] 4. Collect and care for the wounded, whether friend or foe. 7. Treat all civilians humanely. 6. Destroy no more than the mission requires.

[I don’t know why these are out of order or why I did not write down the missing ones.] Special Trust and Confidence POTUS [acronym for President of the United States] has “special trust and confidence” in Patriotism: love and loyalty Valor: courage in battle Fidelity: faithfulness and devotion Abilities: talents and skills based on presumption that officers will practice integrity, good manners, sound judgment, and discretion, all with honor and courage. Noblesse Oblige Nobility obligates

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By virtue of their position, it was incumbent on 18th century nobles to render appropriate public service. The price officers pay for “special trust and confidence” is exacting and unremitting personal accountability. Code of Conduct

I. I am an American, fighting in the forces which guard my country and our way of my life. I am prepared to give my life in their defense.

II. I will never surrender of my own free will. If in command I will never surrender the members of my command while they still have the means to resist.

ethical guide

VI. I will never forget that I am an American fighting for freedom, responsible for my actions, and dedicated to the principles which made my country free. I will trust in my God and in the United States of America.

UCMJ Rights of the Accused Protection against self-incrimination Protection against being coerced Protection against immaterial but degrading evidence Protection against unlawfully acquired evidence Personnel subject to the UCMJ Active duty military EPWs [stands for Enemy Prisoner’s of War] [Just so you know, the UCMJ also applies to reservist military as well as civilians serving with the DOD, I think.] Summary Confinement for 30 days (restriction for 45 days) Forfeiture of 2/3 pay for 1 month Reduction to E-1 (reduction by 1 pay grade) Special Confinement for 1 year Forfeiture of 2/3 pay for 1 year Reduction to E-1 Bad-conduct discharge General Death Forfeiture of all pay and allowances Reduction to E-1

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Dishonorable discharge Forfeiture of pay and allowances Reduction in pay grade Bad-conduct discharge Dishonorable discharge