Day Seven of Navy Officer Candidate School

Survivors Guide to Navy Officer Candidate School

"Day Seven" of Navy OCS

Day Seven (BLACK Saturday) Today will be your last test of Indoc week. Prepare to PT like you never have before. There are any number of ways your Drill Instructor can decide to put your class through this last test so its hard to say what will occur.

Drill Instructors will be circling like sharks and there will be many, many RPT sessions. Keep your bearing, give all you’ve got, yell loud, and it will be over before you know it. Realize one thing, today nobody will do anything right in the eyes of the Drill Instructors.

By the end of the day you will be exhausted, filthy, your uniform will be drenched in sweat and you will stink beyond comprehension. More importantly, you will be a part of Battalion. You are no longer Indoctrination Candidates but Officer Candidates and have survived the first week at OCS.

In the afternoon, your Class Drill Instructor will normally brief you on your RLP that occurs during the 3rd week. There will usually be examples laid out of how he wants everything folded and stamped. Be prepared to pay close attention and even take notes if you can on what he says. You will need to start preparing for the inspection this afternoon even though the inspection is two weeks away.

Class Billets:

Your Drill Instructor may also assign class billets. These include Class President, Class Vice-President, PT Body, RLP (or MTT, this will be explained later) Body, Knowledge Body, Drill Body, Watch Bill Coordinator, and 1st Lieutenant to name a few. These are positions of leadership within in your class and could be a good way to distinguish yourself. However, be careful if you decide to pursue one of these positions. You don’t want to over exert yourself and end up causing yourself more heartache in the future.

Tips for passing Indoc Week:

Sleep is valuable (especially Tuesday and Thursday nights) – do not waste time staying up after taps talking with your shipmates. Some candidates will want to get the class together and try to have class meetings. Try to limit these meetings to 15 min. or less. No matter how hard you try, you will not get things perfect the first week; there is just too much to take in. Cover the most important things, then get your sleep. It is far more important to be well rested to be able to stay awake in your briefs and be able to withstand the demanding physical requirements.

Hydrate, Hydrate, Hydrate:

It is very important that you keep enough water in your body so that you will not suffer from heat stress or cramps. You will be issued a canteen on your first day at OCS. You will carry this canteen with you everywhere you go, including the head.

You will find hydration posters in the head. Based off the color of your urine, it will suggest how much water you should drink. Basically, if your urine isn’t clear, you aren’t drinking enough water. If you aren’t getting up at least once in the middle of the night to make a head call, you aren’t drinking enough water. Do not worry about interrupting briefs to make head calls; the staff at OCS understands how much water you are drinking and will not deny you a head call. So, hydrate, hydrate, and hydrate. This cannot be stressed enough!!

No One is Perfect:

Your class will not get everything perfect the first week. Do not think that you are off to a bad start or already doomed for failure. You will screw up and your Class Drill Instructor will yell at you and RPT your class. This is typical and every class goes through a similar process. Listen to what the priors have to say and ask for their advice.

Also, the roll-ins that are added to your class are an invaluable tool. They have usually been at OCS for a while now, usually rolling for failing the in-PRT or other medical problems. However, do not write them off as useless failures; most people who have been to H-class emerge as class leaders since they have been at OCS for a while and know how things are done. Talk to them and listen to what they have to say, they usually have very useful insight on how to make life at OCS a lot easier.