Communicating With Me at OCS

Here is some information about how to communicate with me while I'm at OCS.

Write Letters

For the first few weeks at OCS, I will not have access to electronic communication of any kind. Once I am able to use things like Facebook or email, I am anticipating that I will still NOT use them so that I can remain focused, not distracted by current events. So, written letters will be the requisite manner of contacting me. Please observe these guidelines.

Tips for Family Success

The OCS website provides the following tips.¹

Write letters to your candidates from the day they leave. Be positive and encouraging. Don't write anything negative that can wait until after training to discuss. The candidates are under significant stress, and if possible, you should try not to contribute additional stress. Do not be alarmed if letters home reveal some of this stress; it is normal. If you are worried, talk to your loved one's Officer Selection Officer (OSO) about your concern, and continue to encourage them in correspondance. Don't worry too much, though, because your candidate is well cared for and receives the best training from the finest instructors in the Marine Corps.

DOs and DON'Ts

• DO
• Send letters everyday. Mail is an important lifeline to candidates.
• Keep letters upbeat when you write; encourage your candidate.
• Remind them about Honor, Courage, and Commitment, and tell them what these values mean to you.
• Send pictures ONLY if they request them. Remember, EVERYONE will see them.
• Encourage others to send letters.
• Keep friends and family members updated on your candidate's progress.
• DON'T
• Miss Family Day or Graduation. It will be one of the proudest moments of your life.
• Send items to your candidate unless asked for. It is parental nature to want to send something. RESIST!
• Contact his/her commanding officer of any rank directly. If you have questions or concerns, contact the OSO first.
• Contact his/her sergeant instructors for any reason.
• Write on the outside of the envelope or put stickers or kiss marks.
• Put Marine, 2ndLt, 1stLt, etc. on the address to your candidate. They are candidates until they graduate OCS.

As I mentioned above, I will be attempting to reduce distractions with current events while at OCS. Please keep this in mind while writing letters to me. As an extreme example, my parents have already established with me that if we were to experience another death in the family while I'm at OCS, they will not tell me until I've completed training.

Letters complying with these guidelines will be very welcome while I'm at OCS!

Mailing Information

I do not yet know what my Company and Platoon will be, but one of the first things candidates must do is send a letter home to provide this information to their loved ones. This is the format you should use once that information is available:

Candidate Allen, Caleb, W
___ Company, ___ Platoon
Officer Candidates School
2189A Elrod Avenue
Quantico, VA 22134-5033²

Get News From Me

As aforementioned, I am tentatively planning on not doing email or Facebook at OCS. Neither do I intend to post many updates to this blog. However, I do plan to phone home when I get liberty, so my parents will have updates to pass along, and they should be posting them to this blog for me. If you write me a letter, I'll try to write back, but I am making no guarantees at this point — I just don't know into what I'm getting myself!



1. Source: Officer Candidate School — Candidate Family Information. ↩
2. Source: Officer Candidate School — FAQs — What is my candidate's mailing address?
See also, Officer Candidate School — Contact Information. ↩