After finding out I'd be leaving for the Navy, I realized my life was about to change! I knew my dad had just given his English Setter, Ladybug, to my grandpa to keep him company, so I decided to buy him a new puppy. This is when Forget-me-not Callie was introduced to our family! She is a beautiful golden retriever who always gets herself into trouble! We all love her, and she's been a best friend to us all!
Right before I left, I took a vacation to North Carolina to spend some time with my sisters. It was such a great time, and we've got the tattoos to prove it!
I left for training on Easter day 2006. OCS is a 12-week school in Pensacola, FL where you are trained by Navy officers and chiefs, and Marine Corps drill instructors. They are masters at instilling military bearing and discipline and somehow transform regular civilians with college degrees into military leaders. We took classes, learned the history of the Navy, did a LOT of push-ups and running, and were judged on our officer-like qualities. On July 7th, I completed the training and received my commission. There was a commissioning parade and my whole family, Uncle Ken, plus my two best friends, Jaida and Callie, came down to see it! It was one of my proudest moments and the beginning of an exciting career!
For the first few weeks, we couldn't go anywhere but to chow, class, PT (physical training), and our barracks. We really bonded as a class though, and began to make lifelong friends.
Above, a picture from our class drill competition. Each class in OCS participates in a series of drills with M1 rifles, stationary and while marching. Our gunnery sergeant, GYSGT Smith, USMC, led us. We scored very high and earned the right to be "honor class 14-06."
Below, a few of the guys at our JMAC competition. JMAC stands for Joint Military Athletic Competition. We rode a bus up to Fort Benning, GA to compete against the Army and the Air Force in a series of athletic events consisting of pull-ups, push-ups, sit-ups, and running. There was also a tug-of-war competition. We ended up finishing behind the Army. It was just great to get off our base at Pensacola and see some other form of civilization!
A few of the best men I'll ever meet and I out on our first liberty night. We went to eat at Peg Leg Pete's, a seafood restaurant on Pensacola Beach. Ironically enough, it still remains my favorite all-time restaurant to this day!
(L-R): Chip Evans, USN SpecOps (SEAL); Ryan Chamberlain, F/A-18 Superhornet Pilot; me; Bryon Yamaji, EA-6B Prowler ECMO.
Yamaji and I at our first dining out. Yamaji is a former Marine, my lifeline at OCS, and an amazing friend!
The last weekend at OCS, there is a staff vs. candidate softball game. There are some beverages of choice available, but best of all, great combat stories from our gunnery sergeants and chiefs! (We lost, by the way!)
This is GYSGT (now 1stSGT) Griffith, USMC, and I at our Change of Command ceremony. This event is held the day before commissioning and is the passdown of candidate command to the next OCS class. Everyone's family is in town to see this presentation, and is a great way for them to witness what we have been training to do. The bars on my collar represent Candidate Captain, which was the highest "rank" in my graduating class. I had the responsibility of passing command to the next Regimental Commander in the following class.
The night before our commissioning, there is an event named "Hi Moms." It is a dinner and awards presentation for the families to meet and greet the OCS staff, see us dressed up in our seasonal uniforms and receive our first official "congratulations" from the staff. It starts with drinks and dinner, and then the awards presentation, and then GYSGT Smith called our class to the floor, and made us "PUSH" one last time. The families all got a kick out of it, and it was great to know that it was one of the last times we would have to do that!
The morning of July 7th, my commissioning day. We started at 0500 for the grad run, a 3 mile run around base with all of the colors and all of the participating OCS classes plus anyone from the families who wanted to run. Then off to the sand pit, or "Rose Garden" where we would demonstrate our daily routine of getting physically worked in the sand. A marching demo and a chow time routine later, we finally were able to go shower and change for the graduation parade. Because I finished the top graduate, I earned the honor of leading the parade onto the field and delivering the commands.
Following the parade, we went to the chapel where we took the oath, received our commission and our first salutes. The first salute was given by the class drill instructor and chief, as they are the enlisted men who trained us. It was the most humbling moment of my life; I respect those two men more than I can explain.
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