Week 1

Blue Line Ceremony

You will have your “blue line” ceremony.  Personally, I thought this was anti-climatic. After which, the instructors give you the impression that OTS is going to get so much harder.  Although training does seem to get more intense, it only stays this way for a few weeks.  Manage your time effectively. We had our Physical Fitness Baseline test this week.  This one “doesn’t count”, but hopefully, you came in shape and score high, because if you get hurt later, they MAY be able to use this score for your graduation requirement.

First Paper

In class, you will get your first paper requirements.  In my opinion, these papers are NOT difficult as long as you have good attention to detail.  The tongue and quill and AU-1 style guide are your friends here, so USE them.  I got a 97 on my first paper and only lost points because I forgot my name (dumb).

Team Building Exercise

You will also have your first team-building exercises (TBEX) in class.  Basically, your flight is tasked with a “scenario” to solve.  It may involve riddles or a sequence of clues (think escape room).  Personally, my flight performed very well on these, however, the end result isn’t what matters.  The important thing is that the assigned leader understands the scenario, communicates well with the other members, is organizing and/or delegating the group, and shows that they are managing their resources effectively.  If you are not the assigned group leader, do you best to make the leader look good–don’t argue or waste time, but, if you have a good idea then share it.

Pennant Test

You will continue to have a lot of scheduled drill this week and it will conclude with your flight taking the Pennant Test.  The Pennant evaluation is heavily dependent on the performance of the current Flight Leader, but, it should be a breeze if they practiced enough and are confident in his or her ability to march, call cadence, and make corrections to the flight.