Day 2 (Medical Monday!)
My alarm was set for five o’clock, but most people were already up and about. At around five, the candio arrived and showed us the basic of personal hygiene, including where to eat (we call it chow hall), washroom, and laundry. That monday was the easiest day of OCS.
“Medical Monday” refers to the this first Monday when we were all get medical checked. And I finally made it to the Naval hospital for a checkup. I brought the Appendix book with me to study while waiting, but make sure to not cause too much attention.
We didn’t get to meet the Drill Instructors until later in the week (or next week depending on the class). This is a great opportunity to memorize information and get to know other students, including the Candios. Even though I was well-prepared for the physical tests, I ended up getting more tired because I was so anxious and the weather in Rhode Island was so different.
Day 3
Today was one of the worst days of a candidate’s lives, the PRT (Physical Readiness Test). It used to be that you had to complete a 1.5-mile run in under 14 minutes and do 38 push-ups and 38 sit-ups in 2 minutes each. There was no plank or rowing because we didn’t have it during my time. It also depends on the age when I attended OCS as well. Outstanding, Excellent, Good, Satisfactory, and Probationary (Fail) are the levels of performance that will be used to evaluate the candidates. In fact, today was not an exam but the first day of PRT training. Many of the students in my class were PRT dropouts from previous class (aka H Class). It was a painful day for me. Remember there was no pain-relief during OCS, and no coffein.
Those who rolled over into my class were also called rolled over candidates who attended H-class. I will explain more in future post. Avoid this at all cost!
1. If you're new here, I suggest jumping right into Part 1 of my Navy OCS series.
2. I went to OCS back in the 2010s, so it's possible that a lot has changed since then. This information is being shared with you solely for your own education.
Photo credits: Navy OCS Page (Remember that we are not allowed to use phone/electronic devices during OCS so there was no way any candidate can take any picture during OCS)
