OCS - Officer Cadet School.
"To Lead, To Excel, To Overcome"
Situated within SAFTI MI, the SAFTI Military Institute which is the
home of the officer corp. There are several other advanced schools
there like the SAS (SAF Advanced School). So one can expect alot of
big shots (even officers from other countries) within the SAFTI
compound. Cadets beware!
Anyway the top percentile from BMT gets to go OCS. Of course for
those who signed on as officers they will likely go there too. And
its not the case that you must ace your IPPT, SOC and range to get
there.
Intakes
There are four intakes into OCS per year, each comprising of around
250-500 cadets. These intakes are in April(delta, foxtrot, sierra,
tango), June/July(bravo, echo, golf), September/October(alpha,
sierra, tango) and December(charlie, hotel). Each intake is denoted
by the batch number / year, e.g. I was from 45/01 OCC, which means
the 45th batch of Officer Cadet Course, 2001 intake.
TIP: to get to SAFTI, its recommended to take mrt
to boon lay and take a cab. if u take the bus 193 frm boon lay bus
interchange, it will stop outside safti, and u (cadets) will have
to MARCH all the way in - its really quite far in! at least 15 - 20
mins walk. taking a cab means u get to drop at carpark I within the
compound. u still have some marching in to do depending on which
wing u r in, but it saves half the journey. the normal cab fare frm
boon lay to safti is about $4.50
Anyway the structure of OCS:
So there are basically the army wings, the air force wings and the
navy wings. (Coys are known as Wings in OCS. Dun ask me why. Prob
to follow some US fashion)
The Structure of the Wings:
Wing Commander
Wing 2IC
Wing Sergeant Major
Platoon Commanders (usu 3 Pl; known as flight for air force and
something else for navy)
Section Commanders (OCS recently changed back to the fixed
instructors for each wing structure, rather than the roving
instructors)
TCO - training coordinating officer: plans ur trg prog and other
supporting stuff
Culture
Discipline is the cornerstone in OCS. Cadets are expected to either
march or double from point to point, and do so in step, and sing at
the same time. And they have to greet everyone else they meet along
the way - even older cadets - as the officers there would have told
you, cadets are the lowliest creatures, even worse off than
recruits! Be prepared to be punished for every mistake made.
Punishments range from push up, defaulters' parade, confinement,
extra duty (cadets need to perform CDO - cadet duty officer, and
CDS - cadet duty sergeant - duties), RP or restriction of
privileges - which is when a cadet gets charged for e.g. misfiring
(so DONT misfire!). A cadets outlook shows one's discipline and
hence it is essential to always look smart. One will need to iron
and even starch all uniforms and shirts.
Parades are commonplace - within the wing there are change of
command parades for cadet appointment holders, muster parades, and
within the school, monthly Commander's Parade at the parade square.
These are drilled into you by the daily first and last parade. No
movement in the file, no standing on one leg, position of arms when
holding bottles, reciting of officers' creed and core values, etc
etc.
"Stand-bys" are common too - at least in my time - and ANYTHING can
be asked for standby - bunk, bed, area, fieldpack, SBO, smart 4,
and the worse being UNIVERSE when instructors can ask to see
anything and expect them to be in "stand-by" condition. There are
ppl who have 2 sets of everything: one for use and one for standby.
I personally do not think tt is necessary unless u r damned
rich.
TIP: always have a "smartest 4" prepared ONLY for
parades - ironed, starched to its best. and normal smart 4 have to
be done properly too. make sure there are visible iron lines on
your pants, and no cock hair anywhere! and learn how to wear the
cap, the beret and the peak cap properly! have one pair of chiong
sua boots and one pair of drill boots - its worth the trouble
changing between them between lessons!
NOTE:btw, one gets to wear the peak cap - by far
my favourite headdress - when one's wing is the next to be
commissioned!
An integrity is critical - cadets can go out of course (OOC) for
displaying a lack of integrity. Some cadets had been made out of
course for playing with their ceremonial swords.
Standardisation is also very important - to emphasise the
importance of teamwork and cooperation.
what do u mean ur admin/pt attire is grey black/white
black/white red?the 1st color's for the shirt while the 2nd the
shorts?
