OCS Part 3 RLP

The second and third week pass by without too many surprises. Your class should be wearing the Navy Working Uniforms (NWUs) by the beginning of the second week. It feels great to get out of the poopy suits! The boots are going to be painful for the next few weeks, especially if you were like me and did not double up your socks the first time you wore them. I ended up with a huge sore on the back of my heal that never fully healed until close to graduation.

During those weeks you will be assigned an M16 rifle for drill. The firing mechanisms are welded shut so it is purely a drill weapon. Do NOT ever call it a gun. You will be taught how to hold it and movements to perform that must be done flawlessly. The class will screw up these movements and this is extremely annoying to the drill instructor and will get you beat mercilessly. This becomes a fact of life at OCS.

In between learning drill moves, chow hall procedures and proper greetings you are expected to be preping for Room, Locker, Personal Inspection that will be conducted at some point around the 4th week. This will be by far the hardest inspection conducted at OCS. Not only must you have the Big 3 down pat but your uniforms must be in pristine condition. They must be ironed and folded just right in the proper measurements or hung just right in your locker. There are strict regulations on how to label each item and the condition it should be in upon inspection. Most candidates will fail this inspection the first time, that is expected. This will guarantee a horrible beating for the entire class. One class filled their hallway with about six inches of sand and then cleared it out, swept, mopped and waxed it. Most candidates will pass the inspection on their second try. If not they are sent or rolled to holding company (H-class) to be put in the next class and try again. I speak from personal experience on this one. It was a little rough preparing for RLP while I had bronchitis. I passed on my third try, that was the only time I failed at anything while at OCS.

You can breathe a big sigh of relief at having passed the RLP, this is the biggest hurdle for most candidates. It also secures your place at OCS, by this time your class is no longer the most inexperienced. You will be expected to serve as a role model for the newest candidates, this will continue until you graduate.