WEBVTT 00:07.260 --> 00:09.427 The Navy's officer candidate school or 00:09.427 --> 00:11.560 O CS at naval station , Newport Rhode 00:11.569 --> 00:13.930 Island is an intensive 13 week course 00:13.939 --> 00:16.209 that transforms civilians and fleet and 00:16.219 --> 00:18.409 listed sailors into naval leaders . 00:19.059 --> 00:21.003 Selection is competitive and those 00:21.003 --> 00:22.892 accepted into the program will be 00:22.892 --> 00:25.003 challenged mentally and physically as 00:25.003 --> 00:27.226 they develop character and competence . 00:27.430 --> 00:29.152 As the Navy's future leaders , 00:29.152 --> 00:31.374 candidates must demonstrate integrity , 00:31.374 --> 00:33.152 accountability , initiative and 00:33.152 --> 00:35.374 toughness to earn their commission as a 00:35.374 --> 00:37.930 naval officer . The O CS training 00:37.939 --> 00:39.569 program has three phases , 00:39.599 --> 00:42.419 indoctrination , academic and applied 00:42.430 --> 00:43.430 leadership 00:48.770 --> 00:51.189 in the induct phase . Um Sometimes 00:51.200 --> 00:53.422 we'll call that like the militarization 00:53.422 --> 00:55.756 or the the indoctrination phase , right ? 00:55.756 --> 00:57.922 It's all about learning the very basic 00:57.922 --> 01:00.033 procedures of being in the military . 01:00.033 --> 01:02.367 So things like how to wear your uniform , 01:02.367 --> 01:04.700 how to address people of a certain rank , 01:04.700 --> 01:06.867 um how to do proper greetings , things 01:06.867 --> 01:08.922 like that . Then when you get to the 01:08.922 --> 01:10.922 officer candidate phase , the goals 01:10.922 --> 01:12.922 change quite a bit , right . So now 01:12.922 --> 01:14.644 you're learning specific naval 01:14.644 --> 01:16.756 knowledge . So you'll take classes in 01:16.756 --> 01:18.922 naval engineering and weapon systems , 01:18.922 --> 01:22.089 naval history , cyber warfare at O CS . 01:22.160 --> 01:23.938 Students are expected to arrive 01:23.938 --> 01:26.260 mentally and physically prepared for a 01:26.269 --> 01:28.680 rigorous program . Physical training is 01:28.690 --> 01:31.120 conducted five days a week and consists 01:31.129 --> 01:33.500 of running , sprinting and high 01:33.510 --> 01:36.250 intensity interval training . Students 01:36.260 --> 01:38.339 will complete four physical fitness 01:38.349 --> 01:40.660 tests with the first week's test 01:40.669 --> 01:42.940 completion allowing candidates to 01:42.949 --> 01:45.379 commence training in the O CS program . 01:46.370 --> 01:48.481 Prior to coming here , I never worked 01:48.481 --> 01:50.537 out in the morning . I was always an 01:50.537 --> 01:52.669 afternoon exerciser . So adapting to 01:52.680 --> 01:54.870 the 5 a.m. workout schedule was really 01:54.879 --> 01:56.879 rough in the beginning , especially 01:56.879 --> 01:59.157 because they take coffee away from you , 01:59.157 --> 02:01.101 But they have a very unique way of 02:01.101 --> 02:03.157 motivating you even when you're half 02:03.157 --> 02:05.268 asleep . So you get used to it pretty 02:05.268 --> 02:08.949 quickly . I think one of the biggest 02:08.960 --> 02:11.720 mistakes that people make is they look 02:11.729 --> 02:13.479 up what the physical readiness 02:13.490 --> 02:15.546 standards are and they think that if 02:15.546 --> 02:17.768 they can meet those for their age group 02:17.768 --> 02:19.879 that they're going to be set , but my 02:19.879 --> 02:21.990 advice would be to make sure that you 02:21.990 --> 02:24.212 can exceed them because you're not just 02:24.212 --> 02:26.434 going to be doing P RT S here . You are 02:26.434 --> 02:28.434 going to be pushed physically every 02:28.434 --> 02:30.379 single day . And duper , that's my 02:30.379 --> 02:32.490 other , my other suggestion , duper . 02:33.589 --> 02:35.350 So I was a big runner chief , 02:35.360 --> 02:37.249 especially during COVID and I had 02:37.249 --> 02:39.082 picked up Triathlon and marathon 02:39.082 --> 02:41.193 running . So that was something I was 02:41.193 --> 02:43.416 doing a lot . But what I was neglecting 02:43.416 --> 02:45.582 was high intensity interval training . 02:45.582 --> 02:47.360 So before coming here , I had a 02:47.360 --> 02:49.416 lieutenant that I worked with and he 02:49.416 --> 02:49.020 said you can be the best runner you 02:49.029 --> 02:51.251 want . But if , when you get to O CS if 02:51.251 --> 02:53.140 you're not good at high intensity 02:53.140 --> 02:53.020 interval training , you're gonna have a 02:53.029 --> 02:55.350 hard time . So I took that information 02:55.360 --> 02:57.949 to heart and started doing hit workouts 02:57.960 --> 03:00.160 about 4 to 5 months before coming here 03:00.410 --> 03:03.830 and they've paid dividends . Military 03:03.839 --> 03:06.429 indoctrination begins upon arrival 03:06.850 --> 03:09.380 before one can lead . One must learn to 03:09.389 --> 03:13.020 follow O CS incorporates us Marine 03:13.029 --> 03:16.240 Corps drill instructors or dis on staff . 03:17.360 --> 03:19.082 They are charged with ensuring 03:19.082 --> 03:21.138 candidates are able to follow orders 03:21.138 --> 03:23.529 with strict discipline , execute , 03:23.539 --> 03:26.330 marching and rifle drills and possess 03:26.339 --> 03:29.380 attention to detail when I'm 03:29.389 --> 03:31.699 instructing drill for them , I'm 03:31.710 --> 03:33.710 letting them understand the instant 03:33.710 --> 03:35.877 willingness , obedience to orders that 03:35.877 --> 03:37.988 they're gonna expect from their , you 03:37.988 --> 03:40.600 know , junior sailors and , and sailors 03:40.610 --> 03:43.649 in general under their charge . So when 03:43.660 --> 03:45.882 I'm teaching drill , it , it's teaching 03:45.882 --> 03:47.716 them . Yeah , the discipline and 03:47.716 --> 03:49.716 military burden , it's also instant 03:49.716 --> 03:51.938 willing , disobedience to orders at a , 03:51.938 --> 03:54.104 at a split second . You know , they're 03:54.104 --> 03:56.327 able to accomplish the task at hand and 03:56.327 --> 03:58.438 then that's what they're gonna expect 03:58.438 --> 04:00.660 from their sailors out in the fleet . I 04:00.660 --> 04:02.493 think definitely the , the drill 04:02.493 --> 04:04.271 instructors bring an element of 04:04.271 --> 04:06.382 discipline that's foundational . They 04:06.382 --> 04:08.382 instill that in you . From the very 04:08.382 --> 04:10.716 beginning , we are taught to be leaders , 04:10.716 --> 04:12.660 but we also need to know when it's 04:12.660 --> 04:14.827 appropriate to follow and having a , a 04:14.827 --> 04:16.938 drill instructor present to teach you 04:16.938 --> 04:19.160 how to have that discipline . Even when 04:19.160 --> 04:18.674 you think that you've reached your 04:18.684 --> 04:21.375 limit , I think was foundational to all 04:21.385 --> 04:23.607 of us , becoming better officers in the 04:23.607 --> 04:27.260 fleet officers are expected to 04:27.269 --> 04:30.070 demonstrate and uphold standards . A 04:30.079 --> 04:32.089 candidate's ability to learn strict 04:32.100 --> 04:34.200 attention to detail is paramount as 04:34.209 --> 04:35.931 their standards are frequently 04:35.931 --> 04:39.459 inspected , the room locker and 04:39.470 --> 04:41.581 personnel inspection is an evaluation 04:41.581 --> 04:44.549 of militarization standards conducted 04:44.559 --> 04:46.809 during the indoctrination phase and is 04:46.820 --> 04:48.987 one of the first major inspections . A 04:48.987 --> 04:50.730 candidate must pass 04:52.980 --> 04:54.970 the R LP inspection room . Locker 04:54.980 --> 04:56.760 personnel inspection is for the 04:56.769 --> 05:00.380 candidates to be able to execute 05:00.390 --> 05:02.200 certain tasks under a stressful 05:02.209 --> 05:04.098 environment . Um So we're putting 05:04.098 --> 05:05.987 through them a lot of stressors , 05:05.987 --> 05:07.987 they're being screamed at , they're 05:07.987 --> 05:10.042 having to do strenuous exercises and 05:10.042 --> 05:11.820 then being able to answer basic 05:11.820 --> 05:13.820 question knowledge , questions that 05:13.820 --> 05:15.931 they've learned only in the past five 05:15.931 --> 05:17.931 days to a week is something that we 05:17.931 --> 05:19.820 expect them to move on to and for 05:19.820 --> 05:21.598 further training . So once they 05:21.598 --> 05:24.589 complete the R LP , now the staff here 05:24.600 --> 05:26.822 at O CS is confident that they're gonna 05:26.822 --> 05:29.269 be able to go and be leave the in do 05:29.459 --> 05:31.549 phase behind and become a junior 05:31.559 --> 05:35.100 officer candidate . Definitely the most 05:35.109 --> 05:38.779 difficult part for me was the leg lifts . 05:39.709 --> 05:41.931 You know , you , you do what you can to 05:41.931 --> 05:43.980 prepare physically , but you , you 05:43.989 --> 05:46.510 never really can take uh into account 05:46.519 --> 05:49.630 fully . Just how much stress and £7 05:49.640 --> 05:52.029 boots on each foot are really going to 05:52.040 --> 05:55.250 hinder your performance . My best 05:55.260 --> 05:57.829 advice would be to start studying the 05:58.260 --> 06:01.709 verbatim knowledge early on because it , 06:01.720 --> 06:03.664 there's , there's a big difference 06:03.664 --> 06:05.609 between knowing something and then 06:05.609 --> 06:07.664 knowing it well enough to be able to 06:07.664 --> 06:09.720 regurgitate it verbatim while you're 06:09.720 --> 06:11.887 being screamed at , while you're being 06:11.887 --> 06:15.459 pt while you're under duress . So know 06:15.470 --> 06:18.079 that because people tend to do kind of 06:18.089 --> 06:20.256 weird things when they're stressed out 06:20.256 --> 06:22.570 and in a strange environment . So in 06:22.579 --> 06:24.635 order to perform at the best of your 06:24.635 --> 06:26.980 ability , know the verbatim knowledge 06:26.989 --> 06:30.700 like the back of your hand . OK , no 06:30.709 --> 06:32.709 one is going to be perfect at every 06:32.709 --> 06:34.820 single aspect of R LP because there's 06:34.820 --> 06:37.042 so many different parts to it . There's 06:37.042 --> 06:36.850 some things that only you can do . For 06:36.859 --> 06:39.026 example , the physical aspect , no one 06:39.026 --> 06:41.248 else can do that but you , but in terms 06:41.248 --> 06:43.359 of practicing knowledge , making sure 06:43.359 --> 06:45.137 that you're doing your verbatim 06:45.137 --> 06:47.192 knowledge correctly . Getting all of 06:47.192 --> 06:46.980 your folds right , getting your socks 06:46.989 --> 06:49.322 right , getting your PT stack perfectly . 06:49.322 --> 06:51.433 12 inches . All these absolute minute 06:51.433 --> 06:53.100 details that go into the R LP 06:53.100 --> 06:55.045 inspection , no one is going to be 06:55.045 --> 06:57.322 perfect . And I think that's the point . 06:57.750 --> 06:59.806 It's not only testing you , but it's 06:59.806 --> 07:01.917 testing how well you can reach out to 07:01.917 --> 07:04.139 others and say , hey , I don't know the 07:04.139 --> 07:04.010 answer to this . I don't know how to do 07:04.019 --> 07:06.839 this effectively . I need help because 07:06.850 --> 07:08.683 no one's ever gonna have all the 07:08.683 --> 07:10.572 answers wherever you go . And for 07:10.572 --> 07:12.794 something that you want to collectively 07:12.794 --> 07:14.961 pass as a group , you need to be there 07:14.961 --> 07:17.183 to support each other . And this is the 07:17.183 --> 07:17.079 first true event where you really do 07:17.089 --> 07:18.978 need to rely on each other to get 07:18.978 --> 07:20.811 yourselves ready and then you by 07:20.811 --> 07:22.867 yourself need to put out and perform 07:22.867 --> 07:25.033 the day of . That's the most important 07:25.033 --> 07:27.256 thing that I learned from all up here . 07:31.450 --> 07:33.339 Once a candidate has successfully 07:33.339 --> 07:35.394 completed the rigorous trials of the 07:35.394 --> 07:37.172 indoctrination phase , they are 07:37.172 --> 07:38.950 promoted to the rank of officer 07:38.950 --> 07:41.117 candidate and transition to the second 07:41.117 --> 07:43.006 phase of training academics . The 07:43.006 --> 07:44.617 academic phase builds on the 07:44.617 --> 07:46.790 indoctrination phase and candidates 07:46.799 --> 07:49.399 take on an extensive academic workload 07:49.440 --> 07:51.329 including engineering and weapons 07:51.329 --> 07:53.190 fundamentals , naval history , 07:53.484 --> 07:55.704 seamanship , operations , damage 07:55.714 --> 07:57.936 control and firefighting , and maritime 07:57.936 --> 08:00.047 navigation . In the officer candidate 08:00.047 --> 08:01.881 phase , candidates progress from 08:01.881 --> 08:03.936 learning how to follow and work as a 08:03.936 --> 08:06.464 team to beginning to lead before one 08:06.475 --> 08:08.586 can lead others . One must be able to 08:08.586 --> 08:10.864 lead themselves and time management is 08:10.875 --> 08:13.325 critical to O CS S high stress 08:13.334 --> 08:17.260 environment . It is a really 08:17.269 --> 08:19.839 hard workload balance . Definitely the 08:19.850 --> 08:22.017 good thing is is that we're all coming 08:22.017 --> 08:24.239 from college at some point . So we have 08:24.239 --> 08:27.320 the ability to manage uh an academic 08:27.329 --> 08:30.079 life as well as an extracurricular life . 08:30.649 --> 08:32.871 Um I think that played a huge role into 08:32.871 --> 08:35.038 it , but the system is really designed 08:35.038 --> 08:37.205 to push you to your limit . So in this 08:37.205 --> 08:38.927 phase , it's a lot about those 08:38.927 --> 08:41.205 academics . So they pack your schedule . 08:41.205 --> 08:43.316 You have to be really good at carving 08:43.316 --> 08:45.371 out that time on your own because no 08:45.371 --> 08:47.316 one's gonna do it for you . If you 08:47.316 --> 08:49.427 think you have time to yourself , you 08:49.427 --> 08:51.593 don't . So you're studying , you're at 08:51.593 --> 08:51.030 the chow hall , you're waiting for your 08:51.039 --> 08:53.261 shipmates to sit down . You're studying 08:53.270 --> 08:56.000 if you're in class and the instructor 08:56.010 --> 08:58.539 is not there yet , you're studying . If 08:58.549 --> 09:00.605 you can get through staying awake in 09:00.605 --> 09:02.549 class , come back to the hatch and 09:02.549 --> 09:04.382 study , you're gonna be ok . The 09:04.382 --> 09:06.438 transformation of a candidate into a 09:06.438 --> 09:08.327 naval officer would be incomplete 09:08.327 --> 09:10.049 without the close training and 09:10.049 --> 09:12.105 mentoring of some of the navy's most 09:12.105 --> 09:14.271 experienced deck plate leaders , chief 09:14.271 --> 09:16.160 petty officers , only chief petty 09:16.160 --> 09:18.327 officers can serve as recruit division 09:18.327 --> 09:21.609 commanders or RD CS at O CS . And they 09:21.619 --> 09:23.599 are entrusted to develop these 09:23.609 --> 09:25.498 candidates into the Navy's future 09:25.498 --> 09:28.830 leaders . I want to help develop 09:29.099 --> 09:31.266 leaders in the future . The difference 09:31.266 --> 09:34.700 between Great Lakes and here is that my 09:34.710 --> 09:36.821 boot camp was different . When I went 09:36.821 --> 09:38.766 through my , my whole job was they 09:38.766 --> 09:40.877 train you to be a leader , but you're 09:40.877 --> 09:40.590 more here . You're , you're following 09:40.599 --> 09:42.821 orders , right ? When you go on board a 09:42.821 --> 09:45.340 ship as a naval officer , you're not 09:45.349 --> 09:47.460 gonna have many people that are gonna 09:47.460 --> 09:47.239 hold your hand . You need to make the 09:47.250 --> 09:49.472 decisions , you need to be able to take 09:49.472 --> 09:51.694 charge and take that leadership in that 09:51.694 --> 09:53.806 role . And as a , as a chief , when I 09:53.806 --> 09:55.639 went through my select phase , I 09:55.639 --> 09:57.806 learned about all that through my time 09:57.806 --> 09:59.861 in the Navy . So I want to make sure 09:59.861 --> 10:02.028 that we help develop naval officers to 10:02.028 --> 10:01.140 understand that that is the role 10:01.150 --> 10:03.206 they're going to be taking we're not 10:03.206 --> 10:02.950 gonna hold their hand through this 10:02.960 --> 10:05.016 process , but we're going to develop 10:05.016 --> 10:07.127 them and make sure that they take the 10:07.127 --> 10:09.293 role in times and situations when they 10:09.293 --> 10:08.719 need to take control and take charge 10:08.729 --> 10:12.320 that they will . And the R DC . Si mean , 10:12.330 --> 10:15.179 they know the navy . So with regards to 10:15.210 --> 10:17.650 Navy knowledge procedures , all of 10:17.659 --> 10:19.881 those things that you need to know that 10:19.881 --> 10:21.826 are navy based like your uniform , 10:21.826 --> 10:24.048 you're not gonna get away with anything 10:24.048 --> 10:26.270 shy of perfection when it comes to your 10:26.270 --> 10:28.840 interactions with an R DC already sees 10:28.849 --> 10:30.571 brought a level of passion and 10:30.571 --> 10:32.793 commitment and excitement about his job 10:33.450 --> 10:35.561 and a level of professionalism that's 10:35.561 --> 10:37.617 inspired everyone in our class to do 10:37.617 --> 10:39.506 better . All of us want to be the 10:39.506 --> 10:41.561 sailor that's and the junior officer 10:41.561 --> 10:41.289 for the future that our chief would 10:41.299 --> 10:43.521 want to work with . I think that one of 10:43.521 --> 10:45.577 the most important things that AN RC 10:45.577 --> 10:47.577 brings is their prior relationships 10:47.577 --> 10:49.632 with other junior officers . They've 10:49.632 --> 10:51.688 worked with junior officers from all 10:51.688 --> 10:53.743 types , both when they , before they 10:53.743 --> 10:53.090 became a chief , as a junior enlisted 10:53.099 --> 10:55.630 all the way up to the present time and 10:55.640 --> 10:57.960 they know what they want to see in 10:57.969 --> 11:00.191 junior officers moving forward . That's 11:00.191 --> 11:02.302 why it's so important to have them as 11:02.302 --> 11:04.302 our primary instructors . They know 11:04.302 --> 11:06.469 what makes a good officer . They makes 11:06.469 --> 11:08.469 what no one makes a bad officer and 11:08.469 --> 11:10.691 they want to see every single candidate 11:10.691 --> 11:12.913 under their command leave in the former 11:12.913 --> 11:15.136 category they want to see good officers 11:15.136 --> 11:17.191 leave the fleet because they know in 11:17.191 --> 11:19.136 the future though all of us in our 11:19.136 --> 11:21.358 class and every candidate that comes to 11:21.358 --> 11:23.302 this school is going to be leading 11:23.302 --> 11:25.469 junior sailors just like he was and he 11:25.469 --> 11:27.469 wants to do the best for them . Not 11:27.469 --> 11:29.525 only the best for us but every other 11:29.525 --> 11:31.929 sailor in the fleet . Each O CS class 11:31.940 --> 11:34.770 is led by a fleet lieutenant known as 11:34.780 --> 11:37.849 the class officer . Class officers set 11:37.859 --> 11:40.026 the standard for candidates , training 11:40.026 --> 11:42.026 and transition from the first day . 11:42.026 --> 11:44.640 They report to O CS . Um When it came 11:44.650 --> 11:46.450 time to select my show duty , I 11:46.460 --> 11:48.460 specifically asked the detailer , I 11:48.460 --> 11:50.682 wanted to do something where I could be 11:50.682 --> 11:52.738 in a mentoring role . I wanted to be 11:52.738 --> 11:54.627 able to impact kind of the Navy's 11:54.627 --> 11:56.738 future . Um I feel like I have a good 11:56.738 --> 11:58.849 personality for being able to connect 11:58.849 --> 11:58.830 with the candidates , the young 11:58.840 --> 12:00.784 officers , things like that . So I 12:00.784 --> 12:02.951 wanted to come here to be able to make 12:02.951 --> 12:04.618 a good impression on the next 12:04.618 --> 12:07.900 generation of the Navy's officers . The 12:07.909 --> 12:10.076 class officer is very different . They 12:10.076 --> 12:11.965 take kind of that backseat , they 12:11.965 --> 12:14.187 mentor you , they teach you how to be a 12:14.187 --> 12:16.353 leader . I had a great teaching moment 12:16.353 --> 12:18.576 with my class officer actually just the 12:18.576 --> 12:20.631 other day . Um I was reaching out to 12:20.631 --> 12:22.853 him because there was a conflict in the 12:22.853 --> 12:25.076 schedule and my words to him were , how 12:25.076 --> 12:27.187 would you like me to proceed ? And in 12:27.187 --> 12:29.298 four simple words . He said , what do 12:29.298 --> 12:29.080 you suggest ? And that was when some 12:29.090 --> 12:31.312 kind of light bulb really clicked . And 12:31.312 --> 12:33.479 I was like , I need to learn how to be 12:33.479 --> 12:35.590 able to come up with my own solutions 12:35.590 --> 12:37.479 and present them . And that was a 12:37.479 --> 12:39.701 really valuable teaching moment . We're 12:39.701 --> 12:41.479 serving someone who's genuinely 12:41.479 --> 12:43.590 passionate for his job and passionate 12:43.590 --> 12:45.534 and proving the mission and uh the 12:45.534 --> 12:47.646 people that he's currently supporting 12:47.646 --> 12:49.534 under him . And so when we become 12:49.534 --> 12:49.289 officers , we should all carry that 12:49.299 --> 12:51.355 same exuberance for our own jobs and 12:51.355 --> 12:53.243 make sure that we can inspire our 12:53.243 --> 12:55.410 sailors the same way . That's what I'm 12:55.410 --> 12:55.289 most , most grateful for that . Class 12:55.299 --> 12:58.359 officer is brought . The final event of 12:58.369 --> 13:00.480 the officer candidate phase is battle 13:00.480 --> 13:02.780 stations . Battle stations is an all 13:02.789 --> 13:04.733 day crucible event that challenges 13:04.733 --> 13:06.789 candidates to use everything they've 13:06.789 --> 13:08.789 learned , drawing on leadership and 13:08.789 --> 13:10.900 problem solving skills , teamwork and 13:10.900 --> 13:12.789 toughness to overcome obstacles . 13:12.840 --> 13:14.729 Candidates must demonstrate their 13:14.729 --> 13:16.618 skills in firefighting and damage 13:16.618 --> 13:19.190 control , seamanship , water survival 13:19.450 --> 13:21.409 and officership to successfully 13:21.419 --> 13:23.880 complete battle station . Battle 13:23.890 --> 13:26.330 stations is the last event that they'll 13:26.409 --> 13:29.260 uh undergo before they transition from 13:29.460 --> 13:31.539 officer candidate phase into Candio 13:31.549 --> 13:34.450 phase . Uh So it's a physical event , 13:34.460 --> 13:36.830 it lasts all day and it's several 13:36.840 --> 13:39.840 phases . It pushes you mentally 13:39.849 --> 13:41.905 physically just like everything else 13:41.905 --> 13:44.719 here . But it is very much a team sport . 13:44.729 --> 13:46.618 Your class team is involved . The 13:46.618 --> 13:48.979 Candio is from the uh senior class is 13:48.989 --> 13:52.679 involved . So it it has a really um 13:52.690 --> 13:55.130 fun sense of camaraderie that goes 13:55.140 --> 13:57.690 along with it . So that is an 13:57.700 --> 13:59.922 experience that I would tell you that I 13:59.922 --> 14:01.756 will never forget . Uh So you're 14:01.756 --> 14:04.000 actually , you know , you're up way 14:04.010 --> 14:06.179 earlier than the usual five o'clock 14:06.190 --> 14:08.479 morning PT and then from the moment 14:08.489 --> 14:10.711 that you wake up , you're just put in a 14:10.711 --> 14:12.656 stressful environment . You know , 14:12.656 --> 14:14.767 you're trying to account for all your 14:14.767 --> 14:17.100 shipmates , you're trying to , you know , 14:17.100 --> 14:19.211 stick with your battle buddy . Um You 14:19.211 --> 14:21.322 know , you're being like , you know , 14:21.322 --> 14:23.322 you know , that , you know , you're 14:23.322 --> 14:25.545 working out , you're just doing so much 14:25.545 --> 14:25.479 in the span of a time that you know , 14:25.489 --> 14:27.711 so from the moment you wake up , it's , 14:27.711 --> 14:28.711 it's go time 14:33.719 --> 14:36.030 upon completion of battle station , 14:36.080 --> 14:38.136 officer , candidates are promoted to 14:38.136 --> 14:40.191 candidate officer and advance to the 14:40.191 --> 14:42.469 applied leadership phase . Candidate 14:42.479 --> 14:44.479 officers have the opportunity to 14:44.489 --> 14:46.322 exercise the leadership and team 14:46.322 --> 14:48.489 building skills . They have built over 14:48.489 --> 14:50.711 the previous phases by having oversight 14:50.711 --> 14:52.840 over the entire S regiment 14:56.070 --> 14:58.237 in all the earlier phases . You have a 14:58.237 --> 15:00.459 lot of little responsibilities to carry 15:00.459 --> 15:02.626 your , your kill card to lock your two 15:02.626 --> 15:04.848 drawer , uh to tuck your shoelaces in . 15:04.848 --> 15:07.181 Now , you have immense responsibilities . 15:07.181 --> 15:07.150 Uh not as immense as they'll be in the 15:07.159 --> 15:09.270 fleet but immense for officer Kane at 15:09.270 --> 15:11.437 school . Making sure people get fed uh 15:11.437 --> 15:13.381 med bods , make sure people get to 15:13.381 --> 15:15.603 medical appointments . Uh The Commodore 15:15.603 --> 15:15.159 and the Deputy Commodore , making sure 15:15.169 --> 15:17.280 that the whole squadron runs smoothly 15:17.280 --> 15:19.169 where we are in can officers . As 15:19.169 --> 15:21.225 senior chief Hobgood said this place 15:21.225 --> 15:23.225 wouldn't run without us . We are in 15:23.225 --> 15:25.502 charge of the daily flow of this place . 15:25.502 --> 15:25.174 And so that's an immense responsibility . 15:25.184 --> 15:28.335 And so it's uh O CS is a final goodbye 15:28.344 --> 15:30.511 of how to , of teaching us how to deal 15:30.511 --> 15:33.554 with stress responsibility and trying 15:33.565 --> 15:35.676 to translate that to what we're going 15:35.676 --> 15:38.525 to see in the fleet . We call candidate 15:38.534 --> 15:40.701 officer phase , the applied leadership 15:40.701 --> 15:42.701 phase . That is when we're not only 15:42.701 --> 15:45.034 responsible for ourselves and our peers , 15:45.109 --> 15:47.220 but we also take on a leadership role 15:47.220 --> 15:49.387 in being responsible for our juniors , 15:49.387 --> 15:51.276 the other classes , we're now the 15:51.276 --> 15:52.998 senior class at O CS and we're 15:52.998 --> 15:55.053 responsible for their development in 15:55.053 --> 15:56.942 every way . We're responsible for 15:56.942 --> 15:59.276 ensuring they're following all policies , 15:59.276 --> 16:01.387 all regulations and for ensuring that 16:01.387 --> 16:00.929 they have the resources they need in 16:00.940 --> 16:02.996 order to develop and are getting the 16:02.996 --> 16:04.996 support they need right now . Every 16:04.996 --> 16:07.107 single night that I can , I'm heading 16:07.107 --> 16:09.273 over , I'm part of the sock staff . So 16:09.273 --> 16:11.162 what that means is I'm supporting 16:11.162 --> 16:13.496 primarily the senior officer candidates . 16:13.496 --> 16:15.551 So every single night I'm going over 16:15.551 --> 16:14.719 there and helping them prepare for 16:14.729 --> 16:17.369 their big inspections , which are OP I 16:17.770 --> 16:21.369 and navigation and those are known as 16:21.380 --> 16:23.380 some of the big killers in the sock 16:23.380 --> 16:25.602 phase . But that's not the only thing I 16:25.602 --> 16:28.099 do . And that's because every single 16:28.109 --> 16:30.530 person in our class who has a billet or 16:30.539 --> 16:32.739 any kind of role they can expect that 16:32.750 --> 16:34.917 they'll be doing that role primarily , 16:34.917 --> 16:36.750 but everywhere else that there's 16:36.750 --> 16:38.917 something that needs to happen , we're 16:38.917 --> 16:40.917 gonna support it . We need to be as 16:40.917 --> 16:42.750 flexible as we can right now . I 16:42.750 --> 16:44.972 guarantee you that after this is over , 16:44.972 --> 16:43.969 I'm gonna look at my phone and there's 16:43.979 --> 16:45.923 about 20 messages in there with at 16:45.923 --> 16:48.090 least three fires to put out and we're 16:48.090 --> 16:50.090 all going to work collectively as a 16:50.090 --> 16:52.312 group to do it . So what we're learning 16:52.312 --> 16:54.535 is through the applied leadership phase 16:54.535 --> 16:56.423 is how to support others in their 16:56.423 --> 16:58.479 development and the execution of the 16:58.479 --> 17:00.590 mission from a leadership perspective 17:00.590 --> 17:02.757 and also how to work together with the 17:02.757 --> 17:04.812 war room to execute that mission and 17:04.812 --> 17:04.579 all the flexibility that's needed . In 17:04.589 --> 17:06.811 order to make that happen , we're truly 17:06.811 --> 17:08.867 coming together as a team for this . 17:10.630 --> 17:12.463 The combination of all phases of 17:12.463 --> 17:15.219 training at O CS results in a candidate 17:15.229 --> 17:17.285 officer raising their right hand and 17:17.285 --> 17:19.340 taking the oath of office officially 17:19.400 --> 17:22.280 being appointed an incident . They are 17:22.290 --> 17:24.550 now ready to serve with honor , courage 17:24.560 --> 17:26.760 and commitment and proceed to their 17:26.770 --> 17:29.150 follow on schools and operational duty 17:29.160 --> 17:31.689 all around the world as a US Navy 17:31.699 --> 17:35.000 officer . So , uh O CS graduates 17:35.010 --> 17:37.010 compared to other uh commissioning 17:37.020 --> 17:39.849 sources , in my opinion , are typically 17:39.859 --> 17:42.760 a little bit more squared away . Uh We 17:42.770 --> 17:44.881 really drill into them the importance 17:44.881 --> 17:47.800 of formality and respect for kind of 17:47.810 --> 17:49.810 the the rank structure . Uh They've 17:49.810 --> 17:52.219 been in this high stress environment 17:52.229 --> 17:55.150 surrounded by officers and senior level 17:55.160 --> 17:57.216 enlisted leaders for , for months at 17:57.216 --> 17:59.609 this point . And so I think they're , 17:59.619 --> 18:01.949 they're really good at showing up on 18:01.959 --> 18:04.150 day one and sort of being in the right 18:04.160 --> 18:06.130 mindset to start learning and 18:06.140 --> 18:08.473 developing themselves as a naval leader . 18:08.939 --> 18:11.719 Uh I would say it means it means a lot 18:11.729 --> 18:14.390 more than words can explain . Uh For me 18:14.400 --> 18:16.567 personally , if I've had more people , 18:16.567 --> 18:18.678 tell me I wasn't gonna , you know , I 18:18.678 --> 18:20.789 wasn't gonna make it . I wasn't gonna 18:20.789 --> 18:22.733 get selected into O CS than people 18:22.733 --> 18:25.067 actually helping me and actually saying , 18:25.067 --> 18:27.178 you know what you will get selected . 18:27.178 --> 18:29.400 So being here and being so close to the 18:29.400 --> 18:31.511 finish line knowing , you know what I 18:31.511 --> 18:33.733 came from what it took to get here , it 18:33.733 --> 18:35.956 means a lot . You know , you also , you 18:35.956 --> 18:35.260 know , you take an oath . So knowing 18:35.270 --> 18:37.492 that I'm gonna take that oath and , you 18:37.492 --> 18:39.900 know , hold myself to those standards 18:39.910 --> 18:43.130 every day . So I would say it , you 18:43.140 --> 18:45.449 know , I can sit here and I can say , 18:45.459 --> 18:47.681 you know , it means doesn't mean that , 18:47.681 --> 18:49.903 but honestly , words will never be able 18:49.903 --> 18:52.070 to explain the feeling because it took 18:52.070 --> 18:54.070 so much to get to this point and to 18:54.070 --> 18:56.070 know that now I'll be able to , you 18:56.070 --> 18:58.292 know , come in and you're like , oh , I 18:58.292 --> 19:00.570 wanna be the changer , I wanna do this , 19:00.570 --> 18:59.630 but you're not actually doing it . So 18:59.640 --> 19:01.807 now when you actually put your package 19:01.807 --> 19:03.918 and you get accepted , you go through 19:03.918 --> 19:05.807 the program . Now is your time to 19:05.807 --> 19:07.920 actually have that opportunity to be 19:07.930 --> 19:10.097 the change that you've always said you 19:10.097 --> 19:12.319 wanted to be and you know , to help and 19:12.319 --> 19:14.374 guide sailors that were once in your 19:14.374 --> 19:16.541 shoes trying to put in a package , but 19:16.541 --> 19:18.374 didn't have that help . I'm very 19:18.374 --> 19:20.541 excited for it though . I kind of feel 19:20.541 --> 19:22.708 like the top of one mountain is always 19:22.708 --> 19:24.541 the bottom of the next . So I am 19:24.541 --> 19:26.763 looking forward to the challenge . It's 19:26.763 --> 19:28.819 gonna be a gear shift . Definitely . 19:28.819 --> 19:30.930 But the way that I look at it is if I 19:30.930 --> 19:33.097 was able to shift gears and take on oc 19:33.097 --> 19:36.150 si can take on anything . When a staff 19:36.160 --> 19:39.030 member says ears , we say open , 19:40.469 --> 19:42.580 I've been at the bottom of the barrel 19:42.580 --> 19:44.747 before I'm ok , going back there as an 19:44.747 --> 19:48.349 officer . And I know that I don't 19:48.359 --> 19:50.415 intend to be the officer , the prior 19:50.415 --> 19:52.520 enlisted that carries myself around 19:52.530 --> 19:54.697 with a little bit of swagger because I 19:54.697 --> 19:56.863 already know how things are . I intend 19:56.863 --> 19:56.719 to keep my ears nice and open . I 19:56.729 --> 19:58.989 intend to learn as I go along and I 19:59.000 --> 20:01.111 intend to take in as much information 20:01.111 --> 20:03.439 as I can and utilize the experience of 20:03.449 --> 20:05.505 those who have been there before and 20:05.505 --> 20:07.671 who have lived through this experience 20:07.671 --> 20:09.893 in order to become a better officer and 20:09.893 --> 20:11.893 a better person . I want to take as 20:11.893 --> 20:14.116 many opportunities as I can to learn my 20:14.116 --> 20:15.893 trade and to learn how to be an 20:15.893 --> 20:18.099 effective leader so that I can one day 20:18.109 --> 20:20.220 be the person developing those junior 20:20.220 --> 20:22.220 sailors and helping them along this 20:22.220 --> 20:24.387 path . Like I am in the Candio phase , 20:24.719 --> 20:26.775 the men and women that graduate from 20:26.775 --> 20:28.941 officer candidate school depart with a 20:28.941 --> 20:31.052 sense of purpose and understanding of 20:31.052 --> 20:33.052 what it means to be a naval officer 20:33.052 --> 20:34.886 worthy of that special trust and 20:34.886 --> 20:37.108 confidence that we place in them . They 20:37.108 --> 20:39.275 have what it takes to be successful by 20:39.275 --> 20:41.441 applying the lessons learned here at O 20:41.441 --> 20:43.650 CS out in the fleet , they will lead 20:43.660 --> 20:46.040 sailors and be members of the greatest 20:46.050 --> 20:47.420 navy the world has ever seen .