ULTIMATE OFFICER CANDIDATE SCHOOL GUIDEBOOK: What You Need to Know to Succeed at Federal and State OCS
An Interview withThe Ultimate OCS Guidebookauthor Ryan N. PierceSB:Most people are familiar with the four military branches: Army, Air Force, Marines, and Navy. Can you explain to our readers how Officer Candidate School fits into each one of these branches?RP: Officer Candidate School (Army, Navy, Marine, and Coast Guard) and Officer Training School (Air Force) is an avenue for enlisted service members to earn a commission. Traditionally (before the late 1930s), each branch of the service had singular commissioning sources by way of the academies (West Point for the Army, Annapolis for the Navy). Officer Candidate School was created to support the need for Army Second Lieutenants in preparation for the U.S. entry into WWII. My book speaks specifically to Army OCS. While Service Members from other branches can transfer to the Army and attempt Army OCS, the book is written from an Army Soldier's perspective, for Army Soldiers.SB:What prompted you to writeThe Ultimate Officer Candidate School Guidebook?RP: When I entered the Army National Guard in January of 2003, I was looking for anything I could get my hands on to get an edge prior to Basic Training and Officer Candidate School. Sadly, nothing existed at the time. All I had to go on were old stories and rumors. In 2008, I saw Mike Volkin's book,The Ultimate Basic Training Guidebookand had an epiphany, I could write a similar book for soldiers who are considering Army Officer Candidate School. I wrote the book I wished I'd had seven years ago when I was entering OCS.SB:What steps do prospective candidates need to take to be accepted into OCS?RP: You need to be a basic training graduate. Candidates must also be a U.S. Citizen, at least 19 years old, and a college graduate. For Federal OCS, candidates must not have passed their 29th birthday at the time of selection. For State OCS, the age limit is 35. Age waivers may be considered for the Federal and State OCS. An interim security clearance is the minimum to enter OCS. A Secret clearance will need to be awarded in order for the graduate to be promoted to First Lieutenant. The process can be very extensive and background checks for security clearances are very time consuming. If you are an interested party, get you packet together and turned in quickly.SB:What is the biggest obstacle new officer candidate's face when getting accepted to OCS?RP: Physical fitness and security clearance are tied for the most common reasons soldiers are delayed or prohibited from earning a commission through OCS. In my book, I lay out a simple fitness program I used during my time at Officer Basic Course. Getting in shape after a long spell away from the military can be difficult. However, maintaining your fitness level is key to a successful career in OCS and beyond. As for security clearances, if a person has a spotty credit history or a prior arrest (almost always disqualifies), it can prevent or at the very least slow down the process of earning a SECRET security clearances (the minimum for earning a commission). Potential candidates need to research their credit history, fix blemishes and also make sure their identity is intact so they are not being held accountable for someone else's wrong doing.SB:Since your experience level is based on State OCS, how did you incorporate the Federal OCS coursework into the book?RP: Research and speaking with those who are currently Federal OCS TAC's as well as interviewing Federal OCS graduates. The biggest difference between the two OCS programs is time and schedule. All of the course work is the same, but given in different schedules: State fast-track is a compressed 9-week format; State-traditional is a 16-month course from April to August of the following year and is broken down into four phases: two drill weekends; a 15-day annual training period held in June; one weekend per month for a period of 13 months; and a final 15-day annual training period. culminating with graduation and commissioning; or Federal 12-week fun fest at Fort Benning, GA (Federal). I hope to reach as many Federal Candidates as State Candidates. I truly believe it will be equally helpful for both.SB: What is the biggest obstacle new officer candidate's face when getting accepted to OCS?RP: The daily grind of OCS is very taxing on a person. Learning to cope and continue to make well-informed decisions while under constant stress is the muscle memory candidates take with them throughout their career. On a scale of one to ten (1-10) with one being the least stressed out and ten being the most stressed, OCS keeps soldiers hovering at the high end of the scale. At OCS, life and limb are not on the line; but the stress is very real.