The first perks that I want to mention was that we now have access to phones as we enter the CandiO phase, allowing us to enter the CandiO phrase and SMS our family/friends, who will likely be surprised to learn that were were gone for only two months.
We were overjoyed to be able to contact our loved ones, but we were also warned not to take and distribute any photographs. It could contain information we are not at liberty to disclose. So we could tell our relatives, but not our entire social media.
Capstone
During my OCS time, it was rumored that it would be skipped, but we went ahead and completed it anyhow. It’s basically a series of team-building exercises, some of which can be rather strenuous. Fortunately, at this stage I had a solid crew to work with and we breezed through the test with flying colors. This is the last thing scheduled for the second phrase, but I’ve already explained that schedules were subject to change. A couple students from rollover joined our class as well.
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Battle Station
Everything we’ve worked on over the past six weeks comes together in Battle Stations. Swimming, survival, teamwork, firefighting, damage control, and rescue are just some of the skills that will be put to the test during this 12-hour scenario.
Simply as its name, it prepares us for a real naval battle, vs either another ship or land. This was not a scheduled event, it could happen anytime to simulate the real situation. Our class started around 2100 (9:00PM) and ended up around 1000 in the morning.
To be more explicit, a series of missile strike sound was followed by a great deal of rapid illumination and flashing. In response to the “Battle Station,” we retrieved our flotation equipment, dove into the sea, swam back, and boarded the ship. Then we put what we’d learned in Damage Control class to use, mending the “Buttercup” (name for where it happened) bursted pipes and other structural damage. We fought the blaze, big fire and then pretended to have to abandon ship by jumping out again, climb up and navigate to find the escape route. In this situation, some had to step up and took command.
(Picture gallery below, click on it to view more)
And the story goes on …
The battle stations event marked the end of my Officer Candidate, and became a Candidate Officer (Candio). We learned a lot of knowledge for effective leadership over this time period (nothing related to academic or PT). We put this knowledge to use by keeping an eye on the newest OCS recruits and making sure everything else at OCS ran successfully. A billet (responsible position, aka. a job) was given to me. It’s fascinating that there’s a set quantity of gold bars for each type of billet and people were really aiming too high. Since I was not interested in leading a squadron, the last three weeks were quite low-key for me. You got to know, at the end of OCS, we all started as an “Ensign” no matter how gold bars you earned.
However, our final grade, which we have accumulated from the first week, was what ultimately determined our standing. At the end, we could be able to choose the ships and bases, from top to bottom grade. During OCS, I discovered that most people choose to be stationed in Japan or Europe because of the free travel opportunities they provide, and a lot more things. The Japanese base was also ranked as the best base in the navy. Since I am the second in my class, I decided to settle down somewhere I would be close to my family. And I do not want to disclose that.
On the last day of the ninth week, Friday, we donned our khakis, assumed responsibility for our assigned billets within the regiment, and ripped open our candio boxes. In essence, Candio-Box is a care package to commemorate the achievement of becoming a candio, that was sent from our family. Since we couldn’t have any alcoholic beverages or solid foods till now, they’re stocked with sweets and munchies. There is usually a lot of binge eating on the night of the candy box.
This is also the phrase that we could have extra minutes during chow time and coffee. We could be able to meet the rest of our class. When I first started at OCS, there were close to eighty-five people in my phrase; now, there are just about forty. I did notice, however, that there were two distinct types of people during: the humble and the arrogant. I do not want to get deeper into this but it’s a common sense that we felt proud when we were at this phrase. There were some who took it too high (and far) and looked down on the new OCS recruits, who we were once. It was our responsibility to instruct of other new classes, not to give them hell.
Overall, the final week of OCS was relatively uneventful. Most of my time was spent filling out paperwork, assisting other recruits, and making final preparations for graduation. The night before graduating, there was a recession for family, and a graduation ceremony the following morning.
At the end of the day, I’m glad I went through OCS and became a navy officer. I’ve come a long way and put in a lot of effort to get here. My loved ones were very supportive with my choice to serve. Taking this next step to serve my country fills me with enthusiasm.
For those who keep reading til here, I thank you for your support and please do not hesitate to ask any questions if you have. You can also refer to my FAQs or Glossary pages for more information.
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)
