Ductus Exemplo - Leadership by Example

The mission of Officer Candidates School (OCS) is to educate and train officer candidates in Marine Corps knowledge and skills within a controlled and challenging environment in order to evaluate and screen individuals for the leadership, moral, mental, and physical qualities required for commissioning as a Marine Corps officer.

Marines are forged in a furnace of shared hardship and tough training. This intense experience creates bonds of camaraderie, espirit de corps, and standards of conduct so strong that Marines will let nothing stand in the way of accomplishing their mission. Marine Corps officer candidates are trained and challenged not only physically and mentally, but morally as well. These three challenges, when combined, forge the bedrock of the character of a Marine officer.

Officer Candidate Training is divided into five phases and is broken down by Training Week. Each phase builds upon the others, reinforces those skills and values necessary to become a Marine Officer, and provides goals for the candidates.

Phase I - In-Processing (Days 1-4) is the beginning, where the foundation and reinforcement of Core Values and ethics starts, and where candidates begin administrative and medical in-processing, receiving their gear and uniforms, take the Initial Physical Fitness Test (IPFT), learn basic military customs and courtesies, and are placed in their respective training company.

Phase II - Transition (Week 1-3). Combat Conditioning and learning about the Marine Corps in classes on General Military Subjects. Here your loved one will be indoctrinated into the Marine culture, Marine Corps leadership, and close order drill. This is the hardest three weeks your loved one has probably ever endured as they undergo a transition of "I" to "we."

Phase III - Adaptation (Week 4-5) begins the evaluation process, with an increased responsibility on billet holders and an emphasis on leading one's peers. Candidates receive additional training in land navigation and basic tactical training.

Phase IV - Decision Making and Execution (Week 6-9). Candidates are evaluated on four major leadership events, demonstrating leadership traits and principles while exhibiting knowledge of tactics instruction in a field environment. This includes the culminating leadership events such as the Small Unit Leadership Evaluation.

Phase V - Out Processing (Week 10). Candidates feel the transition from officer candidate to Basic Marine Officer during the final week leading up to graduation and commissioning.

Honor, Courage, and Commitment. These are the Marine Corps' Core Values. Combined with training on ethics and leadership traits, they are incorporated into every aspect of training, resulting in Marine officers who are committed to our core values in service to their country. These values make up the bedrock of a Marine's character. During training, candidates learn to embrace these values as a standard of conduct, and develop leadership traits like integrity, discipline, teamwork, duty, and esprit de corps. Platoon staff members also conduct guided discussions with candidates after training events to reinforce these values.

Combat Conditioning - builds a strong foundation for future Marine officers by increasing core and upper body strength, developing proficiency navigating various obstacles, and hiking long distances under load.

Close Order Dirll - the basic way in which platoons march and move from place to place and one way that candidates learn discipline and teamwork. At first, candidates practice staying "in step" with the rest of the platoon and Sergeant Instructor cadence. However, as training continues, the platoon becomes a well-oiled machine performing synchronized, complex drill movements.

Academic Classes and Discussions - Candidates are challenged academically through guided discussions and a multitude of lectures on Marine Corps history, policy, regulations, and customs and courtesies. Candidates must pass exams regarding the information they are taught.

Leadership Reaction Course - an evolution designed to see how a candidate can perform as a fire team leader (four person team). During this evolution, the candidate will be given a problem that they have to negotiate with time restraints and limited equipment.

Team Assault Course - an evolution designed to give the individual candidates the skills needed to work as a small unit to be able to negotiate different types of obstacles. During this evolution, candidates will also be put under a controlled amount of stress to be able to further evaluate their leadership skills.

Small Unit Leadership Evaluation (SULE) - the culminating leadership evaluation event at Officer Candidates School. It is designed to evaluate a candidate's mental, moral, physical, and leadership development. For many, SULE II will be the first time a candidate has reached the limits of their mental, physical, and emotional endurance; SULE II will demonstrate that they are capable of much more than they previously believed.

Candidates undergo a variety of evaluations to screen their abilities to become Marine officers. Candidates are evaluated daily by their Sergeant Instructors for their performance and how well they are developing an understanding and personal ownership of core values, ethics, and leadership. These evaluations include the aforementioned training events.

If a message is required to notify a candidate of an emergency situation at any time during officer candidate training, please contact the America Red Cross at 1-877-272-7337 to have an official message sent to Officer Candidates School, MCB Quantico, Virginia. In order to process the message quickly, please provide the candidate's name, social security number, company, and platoon.

Graduation and Family Day Events

Official Graduation Information, including specific times, parking details, base access passes, and maps will be provided to each graduating candidate for distribution approximately four - five weeks into the training cycle. 

For the OCC-247 Graduation Guidebook click here. Please note that this does not include the Base Access Pass required for base entry. You must contact your candidate prior to graduation to obtain this pass.

Any announcements can be found on our Facebook site at https://www.facebook.com/USMCOCS/. 

Family Day

Family Day occurs the day prior to graduation. Family Day kicks off with the Commander’s Motivational Run, where you'll have the chance to cheer on your candidate during a 2-mile formation run. Spectators can watch from the bleachers on the OCS Parade Deck. Guests typically dress casually and comfortably, keeping the weather in mind.

After the run, your candidate will be granted liberty (authorized absence), giving you your first chance to spend time with your new Marine. This is a wonderful opportunity for your Marine to show you around the local area. Your candidate must be returned to Brown Field by 4:00 PM on Family Day.

Graduation Parade

The Graduation Parade takes place at Brown Field (Officer Candidates School) on the final day of training. The ceremony recognizes candidates who have met the challenge and successfully completed the demanding curriculum. During the parade, the top performing candidates and OCS staff receive awards, the Commanding Officer and Reviewing Officer will each address the guests, and the candidates will conduct a pass-in-review.

General audience seating is in the bleachers. VIP seating is in the reviewing stand. Accessible seats are available under the tents or in front of the bleachers. Seating is first come, first serve. The ceremony is held outdoors, so we encourage guests to dress appropriately for the weather. The uniform for this event is business casual for civilians and Seasonal Woodland MARPAT for Marines (or service equivalent). VIP guests will receive a formal invitation upon submission from their candidates.
 

Commissioning

For those candidates who successfully complete the course, qualify, and choose to accept their commission as Second Lieutenants in the United States Marine Corps, the commissioning ceremony will take place during the Graduation Ceremony. At the conclusion of the Graduation and Commissioning Ceremony, each newly commissioned Marine will conduct their own personal pinning ceremony on the Parade Deck or other location of choosing. This formal ceremony allows the new Lieutenant to have individuals of their choosing pin the gold bars, signifying the rank of Second Lieutenant, on their uniform. They will also receive their first salute from an enlisted service member of their choice. Many candidates request their first salute from Staff Non-Commissioned Officers from their platoon staff, who play a crucial role in their development from candidate to Marine Corps Officer. 

Please direct any questions or concerns to your candidate’s Marine Officer Instructor (MOI), Officer Selection Officer (OSO), or call 703-784-2376. We hope to see you there!
 

Transition to The Basic School (TBS)

Following the Commissioning Ceremony, all Second Lieutenants will be free of their obligations to Officer Candidates School and are now responsible for checking into TBS.  The new Lieutenants must follow the timeline and guidance explicitly stated on their individual orders for administrative check-in to TBS. More guidance will be provided from the TBS Staff upon check-in.

Officer Candidates School is located on Marine Corps Base (MCB) Quantico. MCB Quantico is located in Northern Virginia, near Prince William County. It is accessible from Interstate 95 or Highway 1. MCB Quantico is south of Washington D.C. and north of Fredericksburg, Virginia. There are exits on both the north and southbound lanes of I-95 that will provide access to a Quantico gate.

There are only two entry gates easily assessable from Interstate 95 or Richmond Highway to MCB Quantico that will grant you access to OCS:

Russell Road Gate:

This gate is commonly referred to the “Commissary Gate” or “back gate”. The hours are 5:00 am – 10:00 pm daily. This is the recommended gate when visiting OCS. When traveling on Interstate 95, use Exit 148 “Marine Corps Base Quantico”. Once through the gate, continue straight on Russell Road. Keep right at the traffic circle while passing Crossroads Inn on Dunlap Road. Turn right at the stop sign onto Range Road. You have arrived at OCS.

Fuller Road Gate: 

This gate is commonly referred to the “Main Gate”. This gate is open 24/7. This gate is most used when traveling from Interstate 95 South by taking Exit 150A “Triangle/Quantico”. Once through the gate, continue straight on Fuller Road for over two miles. Follow the sharp right turn to a traffic light and continue straight through the light. You are now on Barnett Avenue. At the Y intersection, continue left. Keep left again towards a bridge. Continue straight and you have arrived at OCS.

• What is the closest airport?

• Can I bring food or drink to the ceremony?

• Is there a gift shop?

• When will I know if my candidate is going to graduate?

• Are ride-sharing services (Uber, Lyft, and taxis, ect.) allowed on base?

• Can you transport to OCS via train?

• Can I wear my dress uniform to attend the ceremony?