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Spouse’s Question We have young kids (3 under the age of 4) and live across the country. Should I plan to bring them to Family Day and the Graduation ceremony, or just go out for it myself? -Sam Our Thoughts Hi Sam, After the insanity of OCS, the first thing your candidate will want is time with family and loved ones (coupled with many hours … Continue reading Should I Bring Kids to Family Day?
Candidate’s Question Do new officers have to live on base in the officer’s barracks at The Basic School? Can they stay off-base or rent an apartment nearby? Answer The majority of students at The Basic School will live in barracks on-base. If you are married and living nearby with your spouse, you will get a room on base but be considered a “brown-bagger,” commuting most … Continue reading TBS Housing Question
Candidate Question What is the pay for an OCS candidate while attending OCS? Is it disbursed once a month? Answer Candidates are considered at the pay grade of a Sergeant or E-5, “or the highest pay grade achieved if” entering… “directly from current service at a pay grade above E-5.” In other words, there’s no pay cut if you’re a prior enlisted Marine attending OCS. … Continue reading How Much Do OCS Candidates Get Paid?
Candidate Q: I had a question pertaining to having to maybe pull out of the upcoming OCS class. Is that possible? And would I be able to reapply for the next session? I was hit with some major news from a family member and health issues and I’m just not sure if I can mentally focus to do the job that needs to be done … Continue reading Deal With Distractions Before OCS
Question from family members looking to support their candidate: Should we send food to our candidate? Obviously they could use extra calories and will miss home cooking. Answer: No. They will probably either be forced to throw away the food right away, or put it in a closet until they are released to eat it. The official OCS website says the following: DON’T send items … Continue reading Candidate’s Family Q: Sending Food?
Candidate Question: During OCS and TBS, would my wife be provided housing in Quantico? A: Fantastic question! Very important–for OCS you will not be provided any type of housing for her at all. You should get a reduced BAH to help cover your rent but don’t count on it. At TBS you will live in the barracks (Bachelor Officers Quarters) and she can live in … Continue reading Candidate Q: Spouse housing at TBS?
The following information is compiled from multiple places on the web, including the official USMC OCS page, and is cleaned up a little with directions added and so forth. If it leaves any question unanswered, please leave a comment on the bottom of the page and we will update! Family Day and Graduation take place on the last two days of training. Family Day gives … Continue reading Marine OCS Family Day
Firstly, for all of the supportive families of OCS Candidates and new Second Lieutenants, thank you. It means so much for candidates to receive mail and encouragement while pushing through OCS, and to have family members present when they graduate or commission. To put all the relevant information in one place, we have created a whole new category just for OCS Families. If you have … Continue reading New Guide for Candidate Families
Heavily plagiarized from the Officer Candidates School official
The following information will give you an idea of what your loved one is going through while at Officer Candidates School, give you some tips that will help you and your candidate adjust, and list helpful tips that will ease your transition as a family member of a candidate undergoing Marine Officer training.
The day your loved one leaves for Officer Candidates School, he or she willingly embarks on a noble and difficult journey that tests his or her mental agility, physical prowess, and moral strength as they partake in training and evaluation with aspirations of ultimately earning the right of passage to become a U.S. Marine Corps Officer and serve our great nation.
The OCS training regimen offers unique and challenging features that no other service has – it will always remain professional, fair and safe, reflective of our Country’s finest military force. You are assured that the well-being and care of the son or daughter of America’s parents is of utmost concern and they are treated with respect and dignity.
Please read our guide to sending candidates mail at OCS before you drop anything in the mail that might make your candidate’s life harder!
Continue reading “What the candidate’s family needs to know”
While at Officer Candidates School, receiving mail is often one of the most enjoyable moments of any candidate’s day. However, there are certain thing that should and shouldn’t be done as a candidate and as parents/significant others/friends when receiving and sending mail. I’ll address this post to two different groups, first the parents, significant others, or friends sending mail to a candidate at Marine OCS. After I address that, I’ll discuss what candidates should and shouldn’t do when sending and receiving mail at Quantico.
At Officer Candidates School, mail is distributed every day except Sunday. When your candidate arrives at Officer Candidates School, he/she will send you a letter in the first few days informing you of his/hers new address which will look the address listed below. Candidates find out their company and platoon upon arrival, so don’t attempt to figure out beforehand, you’ll just have to wait a few days for the exact address.
Candidate Last name, First, MI.
___ Company, ___Platoon
Officer Candidates School
2189 Elrod Avenue
Quantico, Virginia 22134-5033
When sending mail to a candidate at Officer Candidates School, it’s important to be positive and encouraging. Your candidate will likely be under a great deal of stress, so the last thing you want to do is cause him/her more stress by sending discouraging letters. When you do send your candidate a letter, make sure to send it in a normal, discrete looking envelope. Sending any outrageous post cards, funny stickers, etc won’t cheer up your candidate as much as they will cause some ridicule from the Sergeant Instructors.
Continue reading “Our Family Guide on Sending Their OCS Candidate Mail”