The Officer Candidate School experience: 8 weeks of sweat, bruises, sore muscles, blood, tears, physical exhaustion, sleep deprivation and intense stress...And that's just what I went through at home with the kids! (Mike had it tough too)
We picked Mike up at the airport on Saturday after 8 weeks of Officer Candidate School (OCS). Here's Mike (soon-to-be Lieutenant Hill) with his best supporters and fans, Dad and Mom Hill.
[Mike] Here I am at OCS in South Dakota. It's my last major step before Flight School in Alabama. It was eight weeks of intense training, including a combination of classroom instruction and field combat training. At this point I'd gone 6 days without a shower. Still didn't keep the bugs away, though. Or the instructors.
[Mike] The guy on the ground is an "opposition force" enemy combatant being searched by officer candidates, while the instructor (the guy without a 40 lb. rucksack and 30 more pounds of gear) observes.
[Mike] Here's my team moving tactically through the woods toward an objective (but more likely an ambush). Note the green straps worn on helmets and torso: it's a "laser tag"-type system.
[Mike] Here's a typical break between classes: a "smoking" session. The guys in the black hats are our instructors. Their goal is to create mental and physical stress to test and increase our ability to function in stressful, confusing combat conditions.
