There were several exams and assessments during the final week of my Officer Candidate phrase, and I also made some great new friends. Whatever the case may be, drill entails practicing various “actions” with the rifle numerous times daily. We were not that proficient as they are doing on Youtube, but at least we learned.
These events in this post might happen during week 7 and 8 for some classes.
Khaki Inspection
One of the types of uniform inspections that we had to go through was the khaki inspection. It’s really quick and easy, but keep in mind that we were at OCS school and not at our house, so even a minor crease or stain may result in us receiving a failing grade. Honestly, this is one of the events that noone failed.
(below is a picture gallery, click on it to view more)
Officer Personnel Inspection (OPI)
Same as RLP, also known as ORLP (Officer Room Locker Personnel Inspection), with the exception that there was no exercise included during the examination. Our general knowledge, which we have been studying and working on up to this point, was evaluated by oral tests during inspection. The OPI tests the knowledge on any subject that is suitable for inspection and evaluates the level of confidence and competence while wearing the appropriate seasonal uniform. In general, attention to details.
The interesting thing here is that I was being graded by my shipmates, so as I mentioned before, made friends, and made acquaintance was really helpful. Those who failed could be able to do again the following day, so mostly noone failed.
(below is a picture gallery, click on it to view more)
Service Dress Blue Inspection
Another uniform inspection, this is optional. This is not for all of the classes, mostly for DCO (Direct Commission Officer) or NSI (New Student Indoctrination). Let me pause for a minute an explain: OCS is what we were going through, DCO is a short-program for people who already commissioned/enlisted (about 2 weeks), and NSI for those who wants to become officers (still in school)
(below is a picture gallery, click on it to view more)
Watchstanding (Watchkeeping)
No kidding, but one of our responsibilities was to watchstand various positions necessary to keep the base running continually, like we do on boys (ships). In my case, I and a few other applicants took turns standing guard at the entrance ways and inside the building.
Mid-PFA (Physical Fitness Assessment)
Like previous PRTs, but closer to the Navy’s recommended annual schedule. For the mid-PFA (there are 4 during OCS), we needed a score of “Good Low.” As a result of a childhood ankle injury, I never developed a passion for jogging because it caused my feet to suffer after a time. I ran with that knowledge in mind, but I won’t lie and say I was shooting for anything no more than a “passing” rating. I often did push-ups in college, so they were no sweat for me. Ab crunches hurt, therefore I always put in extra time to improve. At first, I couldn’t eat or sleep for a few days since the pain in my abs prevented me from doing either. To be honest, it was tough at first, but as my abs got acclimated to it, I had no trouble at all.
And it marks the end of my Officer Candidate phrase, moving on to Candidate Officer (CandiO) training.
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)
