In the Marine Corps, commissioned officers and enlisted Marines fulfill different roles on active duty and initial training is tailored to prepare each for their respective future in the profession of arms.
The modern comparison between Recruit Training and Officer Candidates School, or OCS, can be boiled down to the missions of the two institutions. According to the OCS website, the mission of the school is to “educate, train, evaluate, and screen officer candidates to ensure they possess the moral, intellectual, and physical qualities for commissioning, and the leadership potential to serve successfully as officers in the operating forces.” The Marine Corps has two recruit depots: San Diego (males only) and Parris Island (females and males but physically segregated). Their mission statements are essentially the same, and Parris Island’s is listed quite simply as follows, “We make Marines who are committed to our Core Values in service to the country.”
Based on their missions, it is clear that boot camp serves to mold and transform a recruit into a capable basic warrior while OCS focuses on evaluation of the individual as is.
OCS is a screening ground while Recruit Training exists to train. There is no guarantee of success at either institution, but it is generally accepted that a recruit will earn the title Marine so long as minimum (though demanding) requirements are met and upstanding morality is evident. Officer candidates, on the other hand, face severe attrition rates and can voluntarily withdraw from the program at various points.
Which is More Difficult?
The most common question revolves around perceived difficulty, but this is an entirely subjective question. Some areas can be assessed objectively, however. Recruit Training is longer, placing potential Marines in a 13-week period of instruction with a week of administration at either end, although each “admin week” contains training events and the watchful eyes of drill instructors. OCS varies in length depending on the program (see below).
Diet and Physical Expectations Compared
Recruits eat a tightly controlled diet that is monitored by their drill instructors. Caloric intake is considered and recruits found to be over established weight limits are given a “diet tray” that limits fats and calories. Officer candidates, conversely, are offered a variety of foods and encouraged to consume carbohydrates to compensate for rigorous activity. Candidates found to be overweight are not allowed to begin training and are dismissed.
OCS places a higher physical demand on candidates, and prospective officers are required to show for training running a minimum 225 on the Marine Corps Physical Fitness Test, or PFT. The PFT consists of three graded events: pull-ups, crunches, and a three-mile run. Recruits run the PFT during boot camp but are allotted time to prepare during mandatory physical training that is generally held three times a week. On arrival, recruits take an initial strength test that tests the same events as the PFT but in an abbreviated form as it is understood that physical condition will improve in the boot camp environment. Recruits also receive individual training under the auspices of their drill instructors. “Punishment,” for lack of a better term, is usually doled out in the form of push-ups and various other calisthenics for transgressions during recruit training. This is strictly controlled by orders and regulations governing drill instructors in order to instill discipline yet avoid posing any harm to recruits. Their entire unit generally answers a misstep; presumably to build cohesion through shared responsibility.
In contrast, officer candidates are mostly held solely accountable for their actions and do not receive punishment in the form of physical exercise. Retribution for errors is mostly conducted in the form of written essays and disciplinary chits, which are recorded in the candidates’ record. Academic or physical achievements in graded events are also recorded, but too many negative entries can result in dismissal. Individual accountability in OCS vice group responsibility in recruit training matches the future expectations that will be levied upon the Marines.
"At recruit training the recruits have very little knowledge about the military, and we have to hand-drag them through everything. They learn through constant repetition and support. We teach them instant obedience to orders." said Staff Sergeant William Sweeney, while an instructor at OCS and quoted in an official Marine Corps news article by author Staff Sergant F. B. Zimmerman. Instructors at OCS are senior Marine staff noncommissioned officers, or Staff NCOs, who previously served successfully as drill instructors at recruit training.
"At OCS we don't stress teamwork as much,” Sweeney continued. “To a candidate, a platoon is one - himself. The candidates hit the ground running. When we tell them to do something, we expect it to get done without constant supervision."
Controlled Activity During Evening Hours
Recruits are also allotted a set amount of time for sleep. Hollywood images of a sergeant hurling trashcans in the middle of the night are not accurate to modern recruit training. Recruits are obligated to stand sentry duty at night on a rotating basis, though. Candidates also perform these duties, but are additionally expected to prepare and study for future events during the evening hours, while recruits are guided on similar preparation during scheduled periods during the day.
The comparison is indeed a complicated one, but essentially can be summarized as follows: officers will be expected to lead a unit almost immediately upon completion of their initial training. Enlisted Marines will have time to build confidence and train for the leadership roles they will fulfill further in the future of their career. So leadership among junior Marines is most definitely cultivated but time remains for those who require additional training and instruction.
Commissioning Programs
- Unites States Naval Academy (no mandatory OCS attendance)
- Platoon Leaders Class (one 10-week combined session or two six week sessions)
- Officer Candidates Class (one 10-week session for college graduates)
- Naval ROTC and various enlisted commissioning programs (one six-week session)
Paul Bertolone - Paul Bertolone has written for Suite101.com since 2008. He is an avid reader, crossword puzzle fanatic, tech geek, beer aficionado, ...
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