OTS Weeks 2017 Series
I am starting a new series under the category “OTS Weeks 2017.” A civilian select completed OTS this year and has shared his notes with me for your benefit. I am editing what he sent me, tagging keywords with blog “tags,” and posting these with his permission. The tags will allow you to cross-reference certain events from my original OTS Weeks 2015 series, in addition to random OTS Tips which are added along the way. Please post any questions you have and the Air Force Journey team will do our best to answer your questions for you.
As I progress through my career I plan to document my own personal journey as an officer, but this means my first hand knowledge of the application process and OTS will become dated. I can only continue giving relevant advice on these subjects with your help. If you have anything to share about your own journey and think it would benefit the community, please sent it our way so we can “lock it in” with a blog post for everyone’s benefit.
The rest of this series has been written by our guest author. Here is his profile:
- Civilian Select
- OTS Gradudate, 24 TRS, 2017
Arrival
Class started on Tuesday and as soon as you show up on the OTS campus you hit the ground running. MTI’s will be there to “greet” you after you park. If you remember, make sure to tuck in your shoelaces, empty your pockets, tuck in your shirt, remove all jewelry. If you don’t remember, MTI’s will be sure to correct you. You’ll immediately learn some basic drill calls (attention, parade rest, basic marching), and get a second to drop your stuff in your dorm room and get some MRE’s. For the entire first week, you’ll either be handing in paperwork, buying your uniform (if you don’t already have it), or working on drill.
Preparation Advice
The best way to prepare for this week is to make sure you have every document necessary (copies may be a good idea) and have your documents sorted in a way that you can easily find them. For my uniform, I bought my white and desert sand shirts ahead of time, as well as my boots and socks. I had them pre-rolled as I was able to get a dorm guide before arriving, thanks to a Facebook group that was created for my class before class started. I highly advise looking for a class Facebook page, as you’ll be able to connect with priors and non-priors and get set-up for training together. As for drill I had a marching band background, and a lot of the movements were somewhat similar. It would be best to get an idea of facing movements, how to salute and the position of attention and parade rest, just to avoid getting yelled at a bit. I would recommend asking your recruiter about these as they should be able to help.
No matter what, you’re gonna get yelled at. Understand that it is part of the process and do not take it personally. Listen to what they’re telling you, adjust, and continue forward. You will also receive your OTSMAN and your HAWK (I’ve heard they are no longer going to be giving out a HAWK, so that’ll be less memorization work for you). The things to really focus on immediately are Chapters 1 and 3 of the OTSMAN, and learning the Airmen’s Creed and Air Force Song. The DFAC is where you will get yelled at 90% of the time, so learn those procedures (for both sides, trust me).
Physical Training (PT), Closing Thoughts
You will not be scheduled or do much of any PT this week. My advice here would be come prepared, do push-ups and sit-ups in the room, and run on the weekend. Stay as active as you can so you can knock out your PFB (Physical Fitness Baseline) and not have to worry about doing a retest in another week or two. One person from our flight failed the PFB, then failed the makeup by 1 sit-up and got sent home. Come prepared. Wakeup is 0430 and lights out is 2200. Due to how many people are going through each class, you will most likely have three people to a room.
After reviewing the above post about Week 1 I thought I would add that a new OTSMAN did in fact drop on 5 Dec 17, and it now has “Warrior Knowledge” which people are assuming will take the place of the HAWK. It is available for download in the Wings Portal.
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