What was unique was they were the first class in recent history to do so without losing any candidates during this Phase.
In the past 18 years, according to the 254th Training Regiment OCS staff, National Guard Training Center, Sea Girt, no other class has completed this training phase without losing at least one Soldier. OCS candidates are free to ring the “Drop On Request” bell (DOR Bell) at any time during their training, removing themselves from the program.
The 35 candidates left Sea Girt July 17, not knowing what to expect. At Camp Rell, Conn., which hosts Phase I of OCS training for the region spanning Delaware to Maine, the Staff went to work on the New Jersey Candidates. Besides the stress portion, there was significant classroom training, along with individual tasks that each candidate had to pass in order to graduate from Phase 1. These tests included day and night land navigation courses, 25 CTT training tasks, a 5-mile road march with 35-pound packs, numerous classroom tests and self-leadershippositions. Portions of the training were conducted in a tactical scenario at Stone’s Ranch, Conn.
The New Jersey candidates now face the last two phases of the OCS program, which will be at Fort Benning, Ga., and Sea Girt. They are scheduled to complete their training in June 2005.