Last updated: June 24, 2026
Weeks 10–12 are the final stretch of Navy OCS — the Candidate Officer (CandiO) phase, when you finally regain phone access, take on the Capstone team exercises and the grueling 12-hour Battle Stations, and get ready to commission as an Ensign. Here is how my last weeks at OCS played out.
The first perk I want to mention is that we regained access to phones as we entered the CandiO phase, which finally let us text family and friends — who were usually surprised to learn we had only been gone for about two months.
We were overjoyed to reach our loved ones, but we were also warned not to take or share any photographs, since they could contain information we were not at liberty to disclose. So we could tell our relatives about it, just not post it across social media.
Capstone
During my time at OCS it was rumored that Capstone would be skipped, but we completed it anyway. It is essentially a series of team-building exercises, some of them fairly strenuous. Fortunately, by this stage I had a solid crew to work with and we got through it with flying colors. This is the last thing scheduled for the second phase, though — as I have said — schedules were always subject to change. A couple of students from rollover joined our class as well.
(Picture gallery below — click an image to view the others.)
Battle Stations
Everything we 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 put to the test during this 12-hour scenario.
As the name suggests, it prepares us for a real naval battle, whether against another ship or on land. It was not a scheduled event — it could happen anytime, to simulate a real situation. Our class started around 2100 (9:00 PM) and finished around 1000 the next morning.
To be more specific: a series of missile-strike sounds was followed by a great deal of rapid illumination and flashing. In response to the “Battle Station” call, we grabbed our flotation gear, dove into the water, swam back, and boarded the ship. Then we put our Damage Control training to use, mending the burst pipes and other structural damage in the “Buttercup” (the name for where this took place). We fought the blaze, and then pretended we had to abandon ship — jumping out again, climbing up, and navigating to find the escape route. In that situation, some of us had to step up and take command.
(Picture gallery below — click an image to view more.)
And the story goes on …
Battle Stations marked the end of my Officer Candidate phase, and I became a Candidate Officer (Candio). We learned a great deal about effective leadership during this time (nothing academic or PT-related). We put that knowledge to use by keeping an eye on the newest OCS recruits and making sure everything at OCS ran smoothly. I was given a billet (a responsible position — essentially a job). Interestingly, there is a set number of gold bars for each type of billet, and people were really aiming high. Since I was not interested in leading a squadron, my last three weeks were fairly low-key. Keep in mind that at the end of OCS we all start as an “Ensign,” no matter how many gold bars you earned.
What ultimately determined our standing was our final grade, accumulated from the very first week. At the end, we got to choose ships and bases in order from the top grade down. During OCS I learned that most people choose to be stationed in Japan or Europe for the free travel opportunities, among other perks — the base in Japan was also ranked the best in the Navy. Since I finished second in my class, I chose to settle somewhere close to my family. I would rather not disclose exactly where.
On the last day of the ninth week — a Friday — we put on our khakis, took responsibility for our assigned billets within the regiment, and tore open our Candio boxes. A Candio box is a care package from family to celebrate becoming a Candio. Since we could not have alcohol or solid treats until then, they are stocked with sweets and snacks, and there is usually a lot of binge eating on the night of the Candio box.
This is also the phase where we got a few extra minutes during chow time and access to coffee, and could finally meet the rest of our class. When I first started OCS there were close to eighty-five people in my class; by now there were only about forty. I noticed two distinct types of people during this phase: the humble and the arrogant. I do not want to go too deep into it, but it is only natural that we felt proud at this stage. Some took it too far and looked down on the new OCS recruits — who we had once been. Our job was to instruct the new classes, not to give them hell.
Overall, the final week of OCS was relatively uneventful. Most of my time went to paperwork, helping other recruits, and making final preparations for graduation. The night before graduating there was a reception for family, followed by the graduation ceremony the next morning.
At the end of the day, I am glad I went through OCS and became a Navy officer. I came a long way and put in a lot of effort to get here, and my loved ones were incredibly supportive of my choice to serve. Taking this next step to serve my country fills me with enthusiasm.
To everyone who read this far, thank you for your support — please do not hesitate to ask any questions. You can also check my FAQs or Glossary pages for more information.
New here? I suggest starting with Part 1 of my Navy OCS series. Note: I went through OCS back in the 2010s, so some details may have changed since then — this is shared for educational purposes only. Photo credit: the Navy OCS page. (Candidates cannot use phones or electronic devices during OCS, so there is no way for a candidate to take photos there.)
This post is part of my full Navy OCS Journey series — follow it week by week from the start.
