Officer Candidate School (U.S. Marine Corps)
Encyclopedia
The United States Marine Corps
United States Marine Corps
The United States Marine Corps is a branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for providing power projection from the sea, using the mobility of the United States Navy to deliver combined-arms task forces rapidly. It is one of seven uniformed services of the United States...

 Officer Candidates School (OCS) is the entry-level training for Marine officers
Officer (armed forces)
An officer is a member of an armed force or uniformed service who holds a position of authority. Commissioned officers derive authority directly from a sovereign power and, as such, hold a commission charging them with the duties and responsibilities of a specific office or position...

, equivalent to recruit training
United States Marine Corps Recruit Training
United States Marine Corps Recruit Training, commonly known as "boot camp", is a program of initial training that each recruit must successfully complete in order to join the United States Marine Corps...

 for enlisted
Enlisted rank
An enlisted rank is, in most Militaries, any rank below a commissioned officer or warrant officer. The term can also be inclusive of non-commissioned officers...

 Marines. Located at Marine Corps Base Quantico
Marine Corps Base Quantico
Marine Corps Base Quantico, sometimes abbreviated MCB Quantico, is a major United States Marine Corps training base located near Triangle, Virginia, covering nearly in southern Prince William County, northern Stafford County, and southeastern Fauquier County...

, the school trains, screens, and evaluates potential Marine Corps officers. Unlike the other United States military services
United States armed forces
The United States Armed Forces are the military forces of the United States. They consist of the Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force, and Coast Guard.The United States has a strong tradition of civilian control of the military...

, the majority of Marine Corps officers complete OCS to earn a commission; the exceptions are midshipmen from the United States Naval Academy
United States Naval Academy
The United States Naval Academy is a four-year coeducational federal service academy located in Annapolis, Maryland, United States...

, limited duty officer
Limited Duty Officer
A Limited Duty Officer is an officer in the United States Navy or United States Marine Corps who was selected for commissioning based on his/her skill and expertise, and is not required to have a bachelor's degree. They are employed in situations where it is desirable to have an officer with...

s, and inter-service transfers.

Depending on the source, Officer Candidate
Officer Candidate
Officer Candidate is a rank in some militaries of the world that is an appointed position while a person is in training to become an officer. More often than not, an Officer Candidate was a civilian who applied to join the military directly as an officer...

s go through either a 10-week, or two 6-week courses over separate summers, designed primarily to screen and evaluate candidates' fitness to lead Marines by placing them in leadership positions in a stressful environment. Students are evaluated during 2-3 day garrison command billets at the company and platoon level, and squad and fire-team level tactical billets during field exercises.

History

Prior to World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...

, Marine officers came primarily from the Naval Academy, or were commissioned from the enlisted ranks. But as the Marine Corps expanded, it needed its own training pipeline for officers. OCS traces its roots to the "School of Application", established in 1891 in Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....

 With the expansion of the Marine Corps for World War I, all instructional efforts were consolidated in MCB Quantico, where they remain today.

Location

OCS is currently located at Brown Field at Marine Corps Base Quantico
Marine Corps Base Quantico
Marine Corps Base Quantico, sometimes abbreviated MCB Quantico, is a major United States Marine Corps training base located near Triangle, Virginia, covering nearly in southern Prince William County, northern Stafford County, and southeastern Fauquier County...

. The Platoon Leaders Class Juniors was at Camp Upshur until 1986, but was subsequently consolidated with the seniors at Brown Field
Brown Field
Brown Field Municipal Airport is located in the Otay Mesa neighborhood of San Diego, California, southeast of Downtown San Diego and named in honor of Commander Melville S. Brown, USN, who was killed in an airplane crash in 1936. Its primary runway is long....

.

Selection and entry

Entry to the Officer Candidates School comes from several different commissioning programs:
  • Officer Candidates Class (OCC) for college seniors and graduates
  • Platoon Leaders Class (PLC) for college students with one or more years left in school
  • Naval Reserve Officer Training Corps
    Naval Reserve Officer Training Corps
    The Naval Reserve Officers Training Corps program is a college-based, commissioned officer training program of the United States Navy and the United States Marine Corps.-Origins:...

     (NROTC)
  • Enlisted Commissioning Program (ECP) for enlisted Marines with a college degree
  • Meritorious Commissioning Program (MCP) for enlisted Marines within 18 months of graduation
  • Marine Enlisted Commissioning Education Program (MECEP)
  • Officers Candidates School(OCS) is guaranteed for Naval Academy graduates who chose to go Marine


Officer Candidates must pass a series of tests before being admitted into the Officer Candidate School. An Officer Selection Officer, usually a Captain, meets with a prospective Officer Candidate. Upon completing a satisfactory interview, the OSO then makes the decision to move the prospective candidate onto the next step. The prospective candidate then must complete a short essay about why they want to be a Marine Officer, provide identification (usually a birth certificate
Birth certificate
A birth certificate is a vital record that documents the birth of a child. The term "birth certificate" can refer to either the original document certifying the circumstances of the birth or to a certified copy of or representation of the ensuing registration of that birth...

 and Social Security card), pass a background check
Background check
A background check or background investigation is the process of looking up and compiling criminal records, commercial records and financial records of an individual....

, provide five letters of recommendation
Recommendation letter
A letter of recommendation is a letter in which the writer assesses the qualities, characteristics, and capabilities of the person being recommended in terms of that individual’s ability to perform a particular task or function. Recommendation letters are almost always specifically requested to be...

, and complete a physical medical exam.

After successful completion of these steps, the OSO may then conduct the Officer Candidate through a Physical Fitness Test
United States Marine Corps Physical Fitness Test
The United States Marine Corps requires that all Marines perform a Physical Fitness Test and a Combat Fitness Test once per fiscal year. Each test must have an interval of 6 months . The PFT ensures that Marines are keeping physically fit and in a state of physical readiness. It consists of...

. Upon reaching a score on the test that the OSO deems to be acceptable (usually in the range of 225 and above), the Officer Candidate then signs their contract (including their contract to attend the course, the fraternization
Fraternization
Fraternization is "turning people into brothers"—conducting social relations with people who are actually unrelated and/or of a different class as though they were siblings, family members, personal friends or lovers....

 policy acknowledgement and the Marine Corps drug policy acknowledgement). Candidates choose to enter the program as either a ground, air, or law contract.

After all of this information is sent to a review board, which will vote to decide if the Candidate should be accepted to Officer Candidate School. These review boards generally convene only once a month. After receiving a majority vote of acceptance from the review board, the Officer Candidate is officially accepted into the Officer Candidate Program and scheduled for a class.

Training

OCS screens potential officers using a program designed to test and assess the candidates with an emphasis on confidence and leadership abilities. This includes evaluated events such as the leadership reaction course and small unit leader evaluation exercise.

Regardless of course, the instructors usually include officers to handle most academic instruction, enlisted sergeant instructors (Staff Noncommissioned Officers taken from the drill instructor
Drill instructor
A drill instructor is a non-commissioned officer or Staff Non-Commissioned Officer in the armed forces or police forces with specific duties that vary by country. In the U.S. armed forces, they are assigned the duty of indoctrinating new recruits entering the military into the customs and...

 community) to conduct most of the day-to-day management, and other instructors (most often non-commissioned officer
Non-commissioned officer
A non-commissioned officer , called a sub-officer in some countries, is a military officer who has not been given a commission...

s) to teach most field skills. Officer Candidates on both courses have many related expenses (including travel to and from Officer Candidate School, meals, and lodging) paid for them, and receive a stipend
Stipend
A stipend is a form of salary, such as for an internship or apprenticeship. It is often distinct from a wage or a salary because it does not necessarily represent payment for work performed, instead it represents a payment that enables somebody to be exempt partly or wholly from waged or salaried...

 while in training to pay for uniforms, books, and other supplies. The Training and Education Command
United States Marine Corps Training and Education Command
The Marine Corps Training and Education Command is the primary training command of the United States Marine CorpsIt develops, coordinate, resource, execute, and evaluate training and education concepts, policies, plans, and programs for Marines to meet the challenges of operational...

 designs the program of instruction for OCS.

Platoon Leaders Class

The Platoon Leaders Class normally consists of two six-week training sessions taken between consecutive school years, which occur in the summers with no commitment during the school year. Young men and women at any accredited four-year college or university are eligible for this class.

Officer Candidates that attend the Platoon Leaders Class may opt for either the PLC Juniors/Seniors program or the PLC Combined program. In the Juniors/Seniors program, a freshman may attend the PLC Junior course the summer between their freshman and sophomore years, then attend the PLC Senior course the summer before their senior year begins. Sophomores can attend the PLC Junior course the summer before their junior year in school and the PLC Senior course the following summer. PLC Combined is a ten-week program for those interested in completing officer screening during a single summer after completing their junior year in college.

Training includes academic and field topics. Academic subjects covered include Marine Corps history
History of the United States Marine Corps
The history of the United States Marine Corps began with the founding of the Continental Marines on November 10, 1775 to conduct ship-to-ship fighting, provide shipboard security and discipline enforcement, and assist in landing forces. Its mission evolved with changing military doctrine and...

, leadership, close order drill, weapons handling, and general military subjects such as land navigation
Orienteering
Orienteering is a family of sports that requires navigational skills using a map and compass to navigate from point to point in diverse and usually unfamiliar terrain, and normally moving at speed. Participants are given a topographical map, usually a specially prepared orienteering map, which they...

, the Uniform Code of Military Justice
Uniform Code of Military Justice
The Uniform Code of Military Justice , is the foundation of military law in the United States. It is was established by the United States Congress in accordance with the authority given by the United States Constitution in Article I, Section 8, which provides that "The Congress shall have Power . ....

, interior guard, moral and ethical leadership, and basic combat. PLC candidates need to be physically fit as the physical training is demanding, for example, Officer Candidates in a PLC Senior course run and hike an average of 250 miles (402.3 km) or more during a six-week period.

Those that opt for the Juniors/Seniors program will find that the divided program is tailored to provide progressive training. The Junior course is an introduction into the Marine Corps, and allows the candidates to be evaluated and motivated for their possible commission. Physical training, small unit leadership, and basic infantry tactics are addressed, as well as significant academic instruction. PLC Seniors is an advanced course of indoctrination and contains similar physical training, small unit leadership, infantry tactics, and academics; but at a faster rate and with more instructor-induced stress. Those candidates that opt for the combined course cover the same areas of instruction, but it is integrated without the need to reevaluate candidates due to a year-long gap. NROTC midshipmen attend the PLC Seniors course for their final summer cruise, nicknamed "Bulldog".

Officer Candidates Course

The main alternative is the Officer Candidates Course, which is designed for college seniors or graduates and enlisted Marines, and consists of one ten-week training session. While the curriculum is identical to the 10-week PLC Combined session, OCC is held three times a year (winter, summer, and fall), and accepts only college graduates. Additionally, graduates of OCC are commissioned immediately upon graduation of OCS.

The Quigley

The Quigley is a legendary water obstacle used in training at OCS. Lieutenant Colonel William J. Quigley, a veteran of both the Korean
Korean War
The Korean War was a conventional war between South Korea, supported by the United Nations, and North Korea, supported by the People's Republic of China , with military material aid from the Soviet Union...

 and Vietnam War
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...

s, designed it in 1967. It consists of a long canal with 4 feet (1.2 m) cement culvert
Culvert
A culvert is a device used to channel water. It may be used to allow water to pass underneath a road, railway, or embankment. Culverts can be made of many different materials; steel, polyvinyl chloride and concrete are the most common...

s submerged in swampy, snake infested water; candidates must swim through the Quigley as a part of the OCS training program.

Further training

Officer candidates who complete OCS (and have obtained their college degrees) are then commissioned as Second Lieutenant
Second Lieutenant
Second lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces.- United Kingdom and Commonwealth :The rank second lieutenant was introduced throughout the British Army in 1871 to replace the rank of ensign , although it had long been used in the Royal Artillery, Royal...

s and sent to the The Basic School (TBS) at Quantico for six months of further training with other newly commissioned Marine officers from all other commissioning programs. At TBS, they receive the skills and knowledge necessary to lead Marines in combat; much like "every Marine is a rifleman", every officer is introduced to the skills necessary to lead a provisional rifle platoon.

External links

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
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