This is a page for Frequnetly Asked Questions that I have been receiving. I will update this page as neccesary, probably fairly frequently at first. Ill make anouncements on the front page as I do so.

Q. What you would recommend for the PT regiment. Like how many miles should I be practicing before I went to OCS and how fast?

A. Run, run, run. The first week here you will be expected to run four miles in a battalion run at about a 9:00/mile clip. The majority of PT is run based, so you will do yourself a huge favor if you are in shape. Upper body is also a fairly big emphasis: being able to do at least 5 pull-ups and 40 push-ups without a break will make your life easier, though it’s not as important as being able to run.

Q. Can I bring civillian clothes?

A. Yes, DO bring civilian clothes. You will get weekend passes (they vary by how well you class is progressing,) and you should bring enough clothes to last a few days if neccesary. It’s also nice to be able to not wear the same thing every weekend.

Q. Can I bring my car?

A. Yes, I would also highly recommend it. You will have a fair amount of opportunity to drive around (weekends, weekday nights later in the course) and it makes life easier to have a car to get around in.

Q. After the initial 12 weeks how do things go from there?

A. After the 12 weeks you will wait for a BOLC II slot, which can be as
long as 4 months because there is a backlog, then you will go to your
BOLC III school. After that, you go to your unit.

Q. While waiting for BOLC II slot, what would I be doing in the interim?

A. You will be PCS’d to your BOLC III station, and do random duties (and
be getting good pay for it) there until you get into BOLC II. Once you
get in, you’ll go to BOLC II then right back to BOLC III and start
that immediately. BOLC II is 7 weeks, BOLC III depends on your branch,
but is roughly 4 months, give or take.

Q. I am prior service but am coming in as a college option, and I would be skipping Basic Training. Do I need to bring everything in the packing list or we would get supplies?

A. If your break in service is more than 90 days (I’m assuming it is)
then you will get a full issue of clothing. There is still a fair
amount of stuff on the packing list that you will have to buy once you
get here, but you will get a new full clothing issue.

Q. Could you please add more pictures?

A. I wish I had more ‘action’ shots, but I’m not thinking of taking pics
when I’m doing something. I’ll try haha.

Q. My wife/fiance/girlfriend (husband/boyfreind) doesn’t know if this is right for us/is nervous about being an Army Wife (Spouse), what would you say?

A. I think it is absolutely the right thing to be doing; the pay is quite good especially considering the economy right now, and there are some benefits that you will find nowhere else. Of course, there are disadvantages, but such is Army life.

Beyond that, and probably more importantly, is that you are joining the profession of arms; it is not something to be taken lightly and you will have to subvert yourself to your profession’s needs at times. But take pride in the profession, and your spouse/girlfreind/boyfreind will as well. You are becoming a part of something bigger, and of course look out for your own interests when the need arises, but the benefits are not the only reason to be doing this. If it is, then don’t come.

Q. You’ve mentioned on your blog that you already had your branch prior to going to OCS, and therefore the OML wasn’t as much of a consideration for you.  Is this typical for prior service?  Would a prior service candidate usually receive notice of his branch before going to OCS?

A. I am National Guard, and am going back to NG, so I was already had a branch through them. It is the same way for soldiers on active duty coming to OCS: they will already have their branches. The other class of candidates, the so-called College-Options (college-ops,) are usually college grads who went through basic training and then straight to OCS. However, prior service soldiers with a break in service are considered to be a college-op because they had a break it service. That is, they weren’t on active duty going into OCS, so they will have to compete for a branch at OCS. This is not necessarily a bad thing in my mind, because the active duty people in a lot of cases didn’t get the branch they requested. College-Ops will have the opportunity to get (more or less) any branch they want, though they just might have to be high on the OML to get it.

Q. Any other tips?

A. Try to get here at least a day early, but don’t sign in if you don’t have to or you’ll get stuck doing details. Explore the post, buy the stuff you need, etc, and stay in a hotel or something till you have to sign in Sunday.

Bring lots of PT’s, more than the packing list says. You will sweat
like crazy here (if you’re not here in summer, of course you won’t sweat as much and won’t need as many PT’s) and PT’s barely last a day. Laundry is tough as well the first couple weeks as you have to get lucky to get any laundry done during the week, so make sure you have enough clothes to last a week. Also bring a laptop if you can. The packing list says highly recommended, but it is a huge benefit to have one.