Happy Independence Day! The 4th of July is one of my favorite holidays, and one that I believe unites all Americans.
It also reminds me of becoming a Commissioned Officer. I was in OBC class 81 which took place during the 4th of July. It's no wonder our class battle cry was, "Boom, born on the 4th of July!"
OBC was a one of my favorite experiences of being a Corps officer. It brought together officers from all disciplines to be trained for a common cause. The camaraderie makes you feel part of something bigger than yourself.
Interestingly, the very first OBC class was in 2007. After 2008, all new calls to active duty were required to attend the two-week course. Prior to this, OBC was the Basic Officer Training Course (BOTC). It was just a two day course and was optional.
There is no doubt that OBC is critical for officer development. I wonder what training officers received through the decades since 1889. Was there officer training through the World Wars and beyond?
If you know more history on BOTC, OBC, etc., please comment!
-Sean Navin
"Be PHS Proud!!!"
Wow, Doug, now that’s some history there! What a great story. Thanks for sharing, sir!
Thank you for the post, sir! My OBC experience was exceptional as well. My OBC Class (116) was…interesting. we had our first day on Sunday, March 15. The next day, the Chief came in first thing and told us that as soon as we had our CACs (Scheduled on that very Thursday), we were headed home. Notwithstanding that probably half or better of our guest lecturers were teleworking or otherwise responding to the emergency in some fashion, the COTA team bowed-up and got a job done! We headed home, and the rest was virtual. In a way, we were a first: the first hybrid OBC.
Our class was small, 11 strong – a group that even in 4 days I connected with on a level that I thought I had lost entirely after leaving the Navy ten years earlier.
Our battle cry was “OBC 116; lean, mean, health machine. We will fight COVID-19!” That we are, and that we have done. As soon as we graduated, we hit the ground at a blistering pace, standing up in direct response to a wholly unprecedented pandemic our nation currently faces. I feel proud to have trained with these heroes of our Nation. Happy Fourth of July!
Albeit a footnote of history,