Prior Knowledge - Officer Candidate School

All Hands, June, 2001 by Jim Watson

"YES, SIR," echoes off the old brick walls followed promptly by, "No, Sir," and "Aye, Sir!"

"Are you prior enlisted?" growls the candidate of staring right into the officer candidate's eyes, just inche from his face and in a tone that could make anyone cringe and wonder what in the world made them think they could do this for 13 weeks.

Eyeing him with the curiosity of a three-year-old and wondering what is the best response to this, he sucks it in and says, "Sir?"

"Never mind. Continue," shouts the candidate officer and the whole line of new officer candidates explodes into repetitions once again.

"Yes, Sir! No, Sir! No excuse, Sir! This indoctrination candidate does no have an answer, Sir," pounds through the hall and catches the ears of the other officer candidates who have already been there for weeks, reminding them of days gone and thought to be behind them.

OFFICER CANDIDATE SCHOOL (0CS) is a frenzy of information, where everything is new and taught from scratch -- Navy terminology, military customs and traditions, even "Anchors Aweigh" and the "Navy Hymn" are sung so many times they become hard to forget. It's a part of the Navy most people never see.

For the prior-enlisted Sailors who make up a significant portion of each incoming class, the intensity level and professionalism of the training comes as no surprise. They, along with civilians from all walks of life, have been flocking to Pensacola, Fla., where OCS is located aboard the Naval Air Station.

"About 30 percent of the typical OCS class consists of candidates with prior military service," said CDR Bob Kallio, director of Officer Candidate School. "Their experience and confidence brings a valuable team-building spirit and example to those candidates with no prior military service.

"[Prior-enlisted Sailors] show those without the benefit of military experience that the demands of the course can be met. They also demonstrate that individual performance and teamwork are key to success in the military' Kallio added.

"As the training progresses, priors often take on added responsibilities in the applied leadership phase, where they actually run the day-to-day operations of the seven to 10 concurrent classes comprising the regiment," said Kallio. "Prior enlisted candidates help make OCS a cost-effective program by greatly accelerating the learning curve of all candidates. It's synergy in action."

This synergy is felt across the board and is evident in the way the officer candidates look to their prior-enlisted roommates and peers.

"Eric (Candidate Officer Sears) always maintained a calm disposition despite all of the stress. His evenness definitely rubbed off on me, and he always coordinated and led our study groups," said Candidate Officer Jared Kennedy. "When we would go through the questions and answers in preparation for a test, Eric would explain the answers drawing from his eight years of Navy experience."

The help Kennedy received is not uncommon throughout OCS. More and more prior-enlisted Sailors like Candidate Officer Eric Sears, a prior Cryptologic Technician 1st Class (SW), are progressing to the officer ranks and helping out other candidates on the way.

Things like Navy jargon, the rank structure and proper uniform etiquette may seem simple enough to the average Sailor, but for someone off the street, it's a whole new world that must be taken in quickly to succeed. This opportunity can be all too frightening if there isn't someone there to lend a helping hand.

"The easiest thing here is that you already know how things work," said Sears, who received his appointment to OCS after completing a bachelors of science degree in business administration. "The hardest thing is structuring your time. Boot camp did that for me. Here, it's pretty much up to me to decide when I am going to shower, study or prepare for an inspection. You just can't let yourself get lazy."

OCS is not unlike enlisted boot camp. It still requires individuals to learn about the Navy in a short amount of time, take on new responsibilities and perform under immense stress, just like the Great Lakes experience. This is what the prior-enlisted Sailor has over the college graduate off the street -- the Sailor has already had similar training and through consistent, top-notch performance has earned the right to attend OCS.

The 13-week OCS course has been designed by Navy officers and educators to give an individual a basic working knowledge of the high-tech naval establishment afloat and ashore, to prepare that individual to assume the responsibilities of a naval officer and begin developing them to their full potential.

"This place is a lot tougher than I thought it was going to be," said former Hospital Corpsman Ruth-Ann Acevedo, a candidate officer in her ninth week of training. "I came in with a degree in biology and then decided to try for OCS.

After I got it, and had been here for a few weeks, I saw that there is really no way to prepare for this. Mentally you tell yourself that this will all be over soon. One drawback to being prior enlisted is that the OCS staff naturally looks to those candidates, and expects them to be on top of everything.