Navy Times-Marine Corps Edition
Published: 07-27-98
Category: COVER STORY
Page: 14



Enlisted Experience Not Necessarily An Advantage

By Phillip Thompson


QUANTICO, Va.

Trying to decide if OCS is harder than boot camp is like trying to decide which Marine division is the best.

But one thing is for sure -- OCS is no picnic, even for salty staff NCOs who decide to trade in their stripes for butter bars, a growing trend of the '90s.

And having such knowledgeable officer candidates presents some unique challenges, both for the candidates and the enlisted instructors at OCS.

"Some of them don't feel like they ought to have to go through all this because they've been through boot camp," said GySgt. Wayman Lowe, a platoon sergeant at OCS who is also the assistant Marine-option instructor at the University of Southern California.

That feeling of superiority sometimes runs counter to one key philosophy at OCS: leaders must be followers first.

"The unsuccessful NCOs are those who fail to demonstrate humility and subordinate themselves," said Col. John LeHockey, OCS commanding officer.

For some, that humility is a jolt.

"You come here thinking, 'Hey, I've got a lot of experience,' and here's one of your peers yelling at you," said SSgt. David Karp, a Marine Enlisted Commissioning Education Program student at the University of Oklahoma who has served as the intelligence chief in the 4th Marine Air Wing.

But experience is in the eye of the beholder and to some candidates, the "real Marines" are the real deal.

"I feel like a kid around the MECEPs," said Matthew Bain, 21, a Citadel student who went through the six-week "Bulldog" course in June and July. "It makes it tough, because these guys have a lot of field experience . . . But they're good. They help us out so we can learn."

Another down side for NCOs who have had the benefit of time in the Fleet Marine Force: closer scrutiny.

"I think we're harder on them because we expect more from them," Lowe said.

More responsibility

Candidates and instructors agree that, in some respects, OCS is harder than boot camp, especially in two areas: PT and leadership.

"This is harder because you have to think," said Scott Bailey, an Echo Co. candidate who served as an infantryman in the Marine Corps reserve.

Franklin Freeman, another Echo Co. candidate, agreed.

"Recruits are machines," he said July 2, after completing the Crucible. "An officer candidate is a thinking unit."

Sgt. Melvin Euring, a student at the University of Nort4 Carolina, said a big difference in the two is how quickly candidates take charge.

"At boot camp, you don't get responsibility until late (in the training cycle)," said Euring, a Marine Enlisted Commissioning Education Program student. "Here, you're expected to come prepared and take responsibility right away."

OCS is also more demanding physically, Euring added.

With 89 hours scheduled hours of physical training events, OCS is not for the faint-hearted or the out-of-shape.

"The physical fitness is far more different than at recruit training," LeHockey said. "And physical fitness leads to other things. If you're out of shape, you fall asleep in class, you fall behind on the hikes, you don't have the endurance to keep up."

The staff recognizes the differences between recruit training and OCS, too.

"Candidates know the basics and are a lot more locked on," Lowe said. "A recruit is raw and you have go over things over and over."

And while it may seem that having a leg up may be a way to "get over," most instructors said that doesn't really happen, mainly because of the intense supervision and the fact that every candidate, regardless of background, must be evaluated on performance, not experience.

Leaving a legacy

For the instructors, all of whom have served as drill instructors, training candidates has a different feel to it.

"With a recruit, you change his whole personality," Lowe said. "You see the whole transition from civilian to Marine. With candidates, your sense of satisfaction comes from knowing that most of the candidates have what it takes . . . it's our job to show them that they do."

And for SSgt. Nathan Bliss, a Golf Co. sergeant instructor, that satisfaction also produces a legacy of leadership.

Bliss said he sees his role at OCS as a chance to shape the future of the Corps, by transferring his experience and knowledge to the men he may someday salute.

"It's through history that we make history," said Bliss, the assistant Marine-option instructor at the University of Kansas. "There's only one of me, but I can make a difference with 30 or 40 candidates."