The bus ride from Fort Jackson to Fort Benning could have been about 3 days longer. Six hours was not enough time to prepare mentally and physically for OCS. However, we were able to watch a few movies and catch some zzz’s. On the outskirts of Atlanta, we sat down for a nice lunch at Cracker Barrel. Conveniently, my parents were traveling the same route and ended up running into us when we ate lunch. It was very nice to see them one last time.
Upon arrival at Fort Benning, our group in-processed at HHC. This included a lot of paperwork and photocopying. After dinner chow, we basically had personal time until lights out at 2200. The next morning, wake-up was a beautiful 0700 and the rest of the day consisted of chow and a 4-hour off-post pass to buy things for our packing list. On Sunday, we were able to attend church, where we had donuts and coffee. For the rest of Sunday, we participated in “area beautification” (i.e. raking, weed-picking, and edging).
On Monday morning, we woke up around 0400 and took our “classing-up” PT test. I scored a 278, and met the PT cutoff of 260 for my class, 009-11 in Delta Company. After the PT test, we moved our bags from HHC to Delta Company. Considering how long the packing list was, I’m surprised I was able to move all of my bags in one trip. I had an Army duffel, two backpacks, and a huge rolling suitcase to carry across the Battalion in the humid Georgia heat. The rest of the day, or week for that matter, consisted of in-processing and long, boring briefs.
We did have a few training events, however, with one being the CWST (Combat Water Survival Test). Considering my extreme fear of water, I did okay. The first event was a 15 meter swim in full ACUs, rubber M-16, and FLC vest. I attempted, but did not make it more than about 2 feet before they took my weapon away and told me to get out of the pool before I drowned. The second event was a blind drop from a 3 meter high dive in the same uniform as event 1. The trick to this event was holding onto the M-16 when you hit the water. Again, I attempted, but apparently forgot to tightly grip the weapon, so it flew out of my hands when I hit the water. The third event was an equipment ditch. I attempted the event, but was not able to take off my FLC vest fast enough before I broke the surface of the water. Unfortunately, I did not earn any points for the day, but I did pass the test, so I am not at risk for recycle. There were many others who were afraid of water, too, so I wasn’t the only CWST reject.
(me about to go off the 3 meter high dive)
(me on the verge of drowning)
(the equipment ditch)
At night, during the first week, we mostly worked on our room set-up and barracks maintenance. There wasn’t a lot of studying to do during study barracks, but we were required to study things like the OCS Alma Mater, Chain of Command, General Orders, OCS Honor Code, etc.
Chow has been the biggest struggle so far in OCS. Each company is allotted 30 minutes to prepare, eat, and clean-up. There is a detail crew that preps trays & silverware, glasses of Powerade and water, as well as cups of water at the exit door. Forced hydration is a big deal here. Since we are coming up on summer quickly, the cadre have been very strict about the amount of liquid we are drinking. At each meal, we are required to drink 2 glasses of Powerade, 2 glasses of water, and an additional cup of water after our meal. During the day, we are also required to sip on Gatorade and water. So, needless to say, we are very hydrated. It doesn’t leave much room (or time) for food, so most of our calories are coming from Gatorade.
(before we are allowed to enter & exit the chow hall, we have to complete 1 pull-up for every week we've been at OCS)
The barracks are decent. I was spoiled at BCT with brand new barracks and DFAC (chow hall), so anything less than brand new seems dingy. I have 1 roommate, but other females have 2, with a total of 2-3 per room. We have 4 toilet stalls and 4 shower stalls in the latrine, so personal hygiene time is very limited. The cadre are very strict about lights out and personal time right now while we are getting accustomed to OCS. The only “free day” we really had was the Sunday after week 1, where we had about 5 hours of personal time in the evening. Otherwise, we are limited to 1 hour of personal time every night where we are allowed to use our computers and cell phones. Technically, we can use our computers during study barracks, but only for military purposes.
So far, the first week was a success. In-processing briefs were really boring, but next week we’ll be delving into our classes like Military Intelligence and Call for Fire. The biggest struggle will be to stay awake. We’ll also be doing a lot more PT starting Monday with our first AGR. On Tuesday, we have our first 5-mile conditioning ruck march, and Thursday is our 4-mile Battalion run. I’ve heard that if I make it through these first few PT events, I should be golden for the rest of the cycle. With the grace of God, I will make it through and push the limits of my confidence and strength.
