NROTC MO OCS "Bulldog" Course

I promised to try and add the few things Kinnem omitted in his posts.

We were surprised this weekend to get an email from a professional company that takes portrait shots of all OCS candidates and offers them for sale. Candidates in cammies with US and USMC flags behind.

DS advised that the candidates are offered the chance to purchase a Platoon photo ($10.00?) and also a yearbook ($35.00?) (full of photo's and a CD with all photo's taken during the course). I am not confident on the costs. DS wasn't sure he was going to buy them. DS thinks these are also offered for sale during family day and graduation.

Leaving in a few days to attend family day and graduation. DS has called on weekend liberty the past 3 weekends. He did very well and is pleased with the outcome. Last weekend he announced that he had his "papers" (whatever that means) and that he would be graduating unless he did something stupid. He was pretty proud. Can't wait to see him later this week.
 
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I am glad to hear things are going well for him. Poor guy won't get much time to recover before college starts back up though! I can only imagine what a relief it must be once this is done and passed. I know you must be quite proud.
 
2nd Increment 2014 Graduation

Attended DS’s graduation from OCS this weekend. The entire weekend was well done and we enjoyed some of the best weather Virginia could possibly offer during August. In fact, it was uncharacteristically cool with low humidity. The OCS staff did a great job organizing the events and the graduation parade was first class.

Family day starts with a 5-mile motivational run for the candidates led by the OCS Commanding Officer. The route is posted on the OCS website along with the start and turnaround times. We positioned ourselves near the turnaround site so we could see the unit both ways – good thing as we missed DS on the outbound leg. Finally saw him on the return leg. We stood along with 50 other parents/ families at the corner of Anderson and Caitlin Avenues. The runners hit our spot around 6:15am. Running in formation was nothing new for the candidates but having folks on either side of the road cheering them on certainly picked them up a bit!

Hint: Getting on base at 5:30am at the main gate can be a little slow and backed up. Plan accordingly. All you need to show is your driver’s license to gain access.

Family day orientation is an hour-long presentation led by the OCS Commanding Officer. The presentation began at 8:30am. He did a great job describing the objectives and training cycle at OCS. I was surprised at the attrition rates for the NROTC students. Remember, these are candidates that have been on Scholarship for 3 years and vetted extensively over that time. Most have had some exposure to the military via the summer cruises. All should have been briefed and prepared for the OCS course by their schools. Still, 22% failed to complete the course. According to the CO’s brief: “147 NROTC candidates arrived at OCS, 138 began training with Company L of that 108 (78.26%) are scheduled to graduate this cycle; compared to 131 of 170 (77.1%) that graduated from Company G in 2d Inc Summer 2013.” The reasons provided were: DOR (2), Not Physically Qualified (3), Performance issues (21) and Integrity issues (4) = 30 drops.

The CO’s brief is posted here: https://www.trngcmd.usmc.mil/OCS/FA...AMILY DAY IL CO COMMAND BRIEF SUMMER 2014.pdf

Following the brief, parents are escorted to the parade deck where the candidates are standing in formation. They are dismissed from there and free to spend several hours on liberty. There is a formal tour of The Basic School (TBS) offered but we couldn’t convince our DS to participate. He wanted to get off base and away from things. I think it was a missed opportunity – he doesn’t. Anyway, we were able to get off base and have a leisurely lunch and sit in hotel for a while. DS had to be back by 4:30pm. This turned out to be a challenge.

Hint: It seems all of Virginia and the eastern seaboard spends their Saturdays in a parking lot known as I-95. I suppose their intent is to head to the shore or something but honestly it may have been the worst traffic jam I have ever encountered. We were staying in Woodbridge, VA which is 8 miles from the main gate entrance for Quantico. We left at 2:30pm and got our DS to the barracks at 4:25! 2 hours to go 8 miles! We had one panicked candidate in the car who threatened more than once to get out and run back. No idea if coming north was any better – it didn’t look like it.

The graduation parade was on Saturday morning. The parking area opened at 8:00am and the parade was at 9:00am. We arrived shortly after 8:00 and were some of the first to get to the stands. There was a steady stream of vehicles and by 8:30am the stands were pretty full. From our vantage point, there were always seats available but you end up having to climb over people to get to an empty spot on the bleachers. People were arriving and finding spots all the way up to the start of the parade. On good thing about arriving early is that we got to see the final practice and saw where DS would be for the event. Lots of good picture opportunities as well.

The graduation was exceptionally well done and the fantastic weather made it even better. Afterwards, the candidates are dismissed and meet up with family, friends and fellow candidate for pictures.

One final comment from a former Marine. I could not be more impressed with the OCS staff and active duty Marines I saw this weekend. They are carrying on the Marine standards in an exemplary fashion. I reserve the right to pull out the “old Corps” card every once in a while but mostly in jest. I am confident that the young men and women graduating this weekend have passed the bar and will honor the past while forging the future. I have to admit I got a little choked up during the ceremony and greeting my son afterwards. Semper Fi!
 
Great information. Sounds like a hectic time though. :)

I am curious. If someone chooses to DOR, does he/she have to pay the scholarship back? I would assume so. Suppose this person is dropped for physical reasons, what then?

Something else I have been wondering about and this may change year-to-year. How long is the wait between commissioning and going to TBS?
 
I am curious. If someone chooses to DOR, does he/she have to pay the scholarship back? I would assume so. Suppose this person is dropped for physical reasons, what then?

Something else I have been wondering about and this may change year-to-year. How long is the wait between commissioning and going to TBS?

DOR - I would assume that the acronym is accurate and it is a voluntary drop. By this time in a Midshipman's life, the obligation/ contract with the government is in effect so I believe that a payback would be required.

Regarding the time lag from commissioning and TBS - the OCS Commanding Officer stated that the average is 9 months but that it can (and does) change all the time. My DS knows of individuals from his school that reported immediately and others that waited six months.
 
I am reviving this old thread because there is great info here and I just reread every word! I dropped my DS off at the airport a couple of hours ago. He looked so handsome in his civilian attire lugging his seabag! So proud of him. I was happy that one of his fellow MIDN is on the flight with him. They can keep each other company on their 2 hour wait over in Chicago. One thing that wasn't made clear is what happens when they arrive at their final destination. The info said someone will be waiting for them. I don't know if they get sent away on buses or hang out there until all incoming MIDM have arrived. FUN FUN. I am doing my very best not to text him every 30 min to see what he is up to. LOL Oh, I wish I could be a fly on the wall. Moms miss out on all the fun. Well, as for now our plan is to attend his graduation but we will be driving so it will become a small vacation.

None of the links posted in this thread work anymore so I will have to track down their updated versions. I don't know if there are any other Marine option MIDN or parents here going though the same thing this summer, but if so BEST of luck to you!
 
Best wishes to your son Sampia! When the candidates arrive in Washington, they are to report to the USO where they are pooled until they have enough for a busload which then departs to Quantico. Some could wait a long time, some very little. Just a matter of timing.

Regarding the links, I noticed a few weeks ago that all the USMC training commands websites were moved. I recommend you go here and poke around for some of the information we linked previously. http://www.trngcmd.marines.mil/Units/Northeast/OfficerCandidatesSchool.aspx
 
Thanks for the link. It was as you said, they waited for a group and then left. Pleasant surprise for me, they did not immediately take the phones. He arrived there Sunday and as of Monday night, (future parents, take heart!) he had his phone and sent me a few texts. For dinner, they ate boxed meals. They did their medical testing yesterday, shots, lab work, etc. Then they sat around while PLC completed paperwork that they hadn't done as a unit. My DS's only complaint was of boredom. He says all the people in his platoon are very nice. The PLC seniors helped teach others how to make their beds. No DIs yelling yet. LOL They don't meet then until Friday and then the fun begins. Today is Tuesday. I have not heard from him yet so maybe they took his phone finally. Yesterday, he texted me at 5 AM to give me his address. No phone call. Needless to say, I am much less stressed having been able to get some information from him. It is still going to be a long 6 weeks for me. For him, poor kid. LOL But he wants this and I am very proud and happy for him. The first pictures will be posted July 8. I read that somewhere. So, much as Kinnem did, I will be checking multiple times a day.
 
Yeah, the PLC seniors were helpful to all the NROTC kids in my son's increment as well. The first few days are all the in-processing stuff. I'm sure he at least won't have time for boredom once pick-up happens on Friday. Once that happens, it will be 2-3 weeks before you hear from him again while they have a liberty Sat. PM.
 
kinnem's right - the fun will start on Friday. Until then, they have the physical, gear will be issued and they will spend an inordinate amount of time marking gear, they will get haircuts and field day (clean) the barracks. I think they also do the physical fitness test during this time.
 
Searching the internet didn't help me much with this question. I saw a little something about visitors being able to rent room on base vs at a motel off base. Since we will be driving, and from what has been posted here, I would really love to avoid the traffic to and from there while trying to beat the clock and not miss anything. Does anyone have any info on this?
 
Sampia: I don't know about staying on base. There is a hotel right outside the main gate near the Marine Corps museum but I didn't see much in the way of restaurants or services in the immediate area.
 
It's called MCB Crossroads. It's a hotel on base essentially. Sponsored family and friends can stay there. Not sure you can make a reservation, your DS probably has to for you. During the summer time these places tend to be pretty packed as folks PCS. There might not even be an opening. I am sure if you called they can give you the scoop. Your DS might be able to call on one of his Saturday Libos and make a reservation. To be honest you would more than likely drive off base any ways, especially for dinner. Traffic of course can suck around the DC area even down into Stafford. The drive from Stafford isn't that bad. Quantico tends to do a decent job getting folks on and off base. Gate renovations have really helped too. If you stay up by Potomac Mills you would reverse commuting against traffic so there is always that option. It's a quick drive and would make for a consistent commute and a ton less traffic concerns. It's maybe 10 miles at the most from Quantico to Potomac Mills. Same to Stafford, but during commuting hours, traffics can be an issue.
 
Thanks for the replies. Potomac Mills sounds promising. I would rather drive farther than sit stuck in traffic because no matter how extra early I start out, seems I am always running late!
 
Tons of shopping and food in that area. Tons of hotels also. It's opposite traffic so it's easier than coming from Stafford. If you are going to head into base between 0630-0800ish build in extra time. That is the main rush. They open up extra lanes to come on base and do a good job getting folks through as quickly as possible. Have your IDs ready. There are plenty of signs set up on base for OCS graduations that will direct you right to the Battalion. If you haven't been to the Marine Corps Museum highly recommend it. The Globe and Laurel is a very unique dining experience of you are looking for something different. If you are on base there is fast food at the exchange area or hit up the strange town of Q Town too.
 
Excellent Korean "Deli" in Q-town serving breakfast and lunch. I highly recommend their Bulgogi. DS and I got off the interstate when going through the area twice recently just to get a bulgogi sandwich. I think the name of the place is MyDeli, 1 block off the main street in Q-Town. There is also a new Filipino place which recently opened up but we haven't been able to try it yet. Of course there are more barber shops there per square mile than anywhere else on earth if you're interested in getting a haircut, but I expect there is only 1 style to choose from. :)

We stayed in Stafford when we went up for graduation and had no problem with traffic. Of course we were on Base prior to 6AM for the Moto run. We used US 1 to get from the hotel to the base and back.

I agree with NavyHoops that the Marine Corps Museum is well worth a look see. I spent all day in there once and barely got through it. We keep going back for more when we are in the area and have some time. Saw some newly minted 2 LTs wandering around in there this past March in their Service Alphas. They got their butter bars that very day.

The buffet lunch at the O Club after graduation was well worth the money. Pretty tasty. We also got to meet some of the Sergeants when we were there.

There may or may not be a tour of TBS later on graduation day. Not many showed up for it; but we did and thought it was worth it, if only to see where the kid will be after college graduation. Very nice facility. If only they had gotten that new gym too. Only 30 days to go until he's at TBS!!!
 
I read somewhere else about the restaurant Globe and Laurel and I definitely want to visit there. Kinnem, I do really like Bulgogi. Never had it is a sandwich though and can't say that it sounds appetizing. Cucumber kimchi is edible. :). Haven't had that since I quit Hapkido. Museum, TBS tour, I wan't to see it all! I had a dream a couple days ago that I was at OCS. I had to sleep in the back of the truck and then I was riding around on a hover board just having a blast.

30 days until TBS-- Not long. Hopefully he has been enjoying these last couple months as a free man. LOL.
 
I have a question about the pictures on the website for OCS. Some have been posted and the date stamp on them are from February 2013. Someone playing hooky from work and pulled out the archives? Or it may be that the date was wrong on whatever equipment the photographer used. The outside pictures sure don't look like winter to me but I don't know much about February in Quantico. Someone asked a question about it on the forum but so far there's no reply. Did anyone notice that from last year's group? I noticed the year on some from the first increment was also 2013. Well, until there is an answer to this mystery I will look at all of them hoping to see one with my son.
 
Two weeks down. Forget about my DS! I am having a rough time! LOL. Call me crazy, but I just reread this entire forum and it made me feel better. More connected with him. I got my first letter today, Not counting the first one which started off "they made me write this"! Actually 2 in 1. The second one he put in there to apologize for sounding so negative in the first one. I was not alarmed because I had read somewhere that this is to be expected and completely normal. I hear that the tone improves as the weeks go by. His main complaint is lack of sleep and having to starve. Those are two things my DS takes very seriously. Especially the food. He said his spirits are high. He mentioned again, as he had in a text about how great everyone in the group is. I know that is helping him a lot. He did his personal best on the PFT run. Running has always been his hardest thing so that was good news. On a sad note, one of the guys from his unit has been sent home. Only two weeks in! My DS did not know the facts but he thinks it was not being physically prepared.

I am counting down the days until I get to see him graduate. Looking forward to him being able to hang out with me off base. I know he will spend what few hours he has free sleeping in my hotel room so I won't get much time to talk to him. LOL. Waiting for the next batch of pictures with fingers crossed.
 
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