Helpful info for COT

[dolphins00]

Hey everyone,

I received an email from someone currently at COT. I found the info helpful so thought I would share it with you.

Hope you can get something out of it too!!

I wish my recruiter would have told me how mean they are to you the first couple of days. He said they would be "testing your commitment" because "they try to weed people out in the first couple of days" (which is stupid to say because we've already been commissioned so it is almost impossible to get out). I was not prepared. Be ready because they start yelling at you literally the moment you get out of your car. They bring in all these drill sergeants from Lackland plus a couple that are stationed here.

I had a very heavy government issue green duffel bag (make sure you buy one beforehand if possible), a laptop case, and a garment bag with my uniforms and the taxi driver literally dumped me out in the middle of the parking lot. Apparently I was taking to long to pick it all up because within a few seconds they were screaming at me to hurry up, pick up your stuff and come read the instructions on the sign. They gave me two seconds and then apparently I took too long to read the sign because they were screaming at me again. They expect you to stand perfectly at attention, preface everything with "Sir" and do everything exactly as they say.

You think they will treat you nicely and as adults because you are an officer but they treat you exactly as they would a new recruit in basic training in order to indoctrinate you. Make sure you have your hair up off your collar and your shirt tucked in! Oh, and make sure you have at least two changes of civillian clothes because that's what you wear the first two days while everyone is getting their uniforms.

You will have about five minutes to find your dorm room (after you are marched to the dorm), unlock it, dump your stuff, fill up your hydration system (you will wear one constantly) and grab a folder off your bed with your name on it and meet back in the lobby. If it is around mealtime, you will have about five minutes to eat in the chow hall while they scream at you about how they don't have time for you to savor your food. They will give you a copy of the OTS manual when you check in, make sure you have it easily accessible so you can read it every time they are not actively marching you or (you guessed it) you will get screamed at.

The day you check in doesn't count as an actual in training day. On the next day (your first actual day) they wake you up at 4:30 am by screaming in the hallway "Everyone get out here right now!" and everyone comes out shaking in their pajamas. They then tell you that you have exactly three minutes to get completely ready for the day.

Basically, your first week or two you are getting screamed at constantly by MTIs (drill sergeants). They make you stand outside for hours in the hottest part of the day for marching practice. Make sure you wear sunscreen and drink lots of water! We had quite a few people get heat-stressed.

The good news is all that horrible treatment makes you bond really fast with your flight. Mine has 15 other people of different ages, ethnicities, and backgrounds and we all look out for each other like family. Since we only have 1 1/2 weeks left, the instructors pretty much leave us alone (all but two of the drill sergeants go back to Lackland after the first week is over; it's a TDY for them).

Overall, I think this has been a positive experience. Everyone is our flight has a special duty within the flight, for example I am my flight's computer officer, and there's a social officer, athletic officer, etc. If something interests you, make sure you volunteer because you will get stuck with something. You rotate through leadership positions so I think I am a better leader for coming here.

Don't worry so much about the PT. You have a total of four PT sessions the whole training period. We took did our PFB on the first Friday and just did the PFA (the one that counts) yesterday. Being physically fit helps, but it's not a deal-breaker. It really is about mental strength: the ability to withstand the stress and to learn vast amounts of information in a short amount of time. They admit they deliberately stress us out as much as possible because we have to be able to perform effectively under pressure. Most important, I think, is forget you're a nurse. They make you sign an agreement that you will not practice your medical specialty unless it's a situation concerning life or limb. They have their own IDMTs who take care of injured people. You are an officer first. People like to look down on medical officers saying, "oh, you're just a limited-duty officer," (i.e. not a "real" officer) but they what they put you through makes you just as tough and smart as a line officer.

Sorry this is so long but I think if I were going through this again I would want to know all this stuff. Bottom line is: I'm glad I'm here, even if I wasn't the first few days. I have made some incredible friends and had a lot of fun.

[shapely]

Thx for the info. My recruiter's tried to prepare me for the healing. I don't think I'll ever get used to it. But it's part ofit and this too shall pass

[HNELLA]

It is hard to believe anyone can go through the forever process to get commissioned and not have some understanding of what happens at COT. This board has had many tips and advice on what to expect and how to prepare.

[shapely]

Oops...healing should have been yelling. Trying to type on iPod. It sometimes changes words and I don't notice. Oh well

I think people know what to expect if they've been around for a while. Before finding this site my recruiter told me alot but this site has really reinforced it. It's the new ones that make posts before searching because they are so excited. I personally like the little reminders...keeps me focused and motivated :)

[Wheaties]

What does COT stand for and what is it? I'm looking to join the navy next year or 18 months from now, and I have been browsing this forum from time to time to familiarize myself with the terms and the process of joining.

[carolinapooh, BSN, RN]

COT - Commissioned Officer Training. Each service calls it something different. The Navy calls it ODS - Officer Development School (used to be OIS, Officer Indoctrination School), and the Army calls it OBLC, Officer Basic Leadership Course. All of these schools are the "short version" of officer training for direct commission officers, which usually includes all medical professions, JAG officers (lawyers), and chaplains.

The TI's at COT are mostly assigned to Maxwell; my guess is that during the summer surge they do have a few who are there TDY from here, but for the most part that's their permanent duty station. And they do not treat you anything like they do a new basic trainee - take it from someone who knows. As I've said many times before, the yelling they do to you on the first day is NOTHING like what goes on over across campus at Basic Officer Training (the folks you'll hear referred to as "OTs" and who have to greet you with the greeting of the day whenever they meet you because they're enlistees and you're commissioned), and it's nothing like what goes on here at Lackland (I'm stationed at Wilford Hall Medical Center here at the base).

It is NOT that bad. I realize that for folks with no prior military service it's a bit of culture shock, but it's not bad. It's not personal, it has nothing to do with you - it's the military. And it only lasts about two weeks. But keep in mind these people are military training instructors - it's their job to scream at you. There's truly nothing more irritating than hearing your fellow COT classmates complain "the TIs yell at me". They're supposed to. It's part of the atmosphere, part of the training, and it's mild in comparison to what the troops that will work under you endured down here at Lackland.

It's a big big pet peeve of mine. It annoyed me when I heard the TIs EXPLAINING THEMSELVES to the class - the fact that they had to do that is appalling. It's not personal. It's the military. It's the way it is.

They're not trying to weed you out so much as they're trying to expose you in a tiny amount of time to life in the military. They're trying to change your thinking and the way you view things, because you have to view things differently now. You're in the military and life is different.

Notice how the author of the email said it made her flight bond quicker - that's the ultimate purpose of it. In Basic they spend eight weeks (it was six when I went through) breaking you down to teach you how to function as a team. You can't be individualistic in the military and the discipline is their technique of choice to break that habit. So it does serve a purpose.

Sorry - BIG pet peeve of mine....

What's infinitely worse than the yelling is the disorganization and the lack of consistency I saw the whole time I was there, and based on what my friend is telling me, it's still that way. I personally don't understand how it's possible.

[HNELLA]

I am wondering is it possible to get vegetarian or vegan meals while at COT??

[carolinapooh, BSN, RN]

Sort of - they usually have one choice at the cafeteria that's meat-free. My friend who's a captain here at WHMC who works in the SICU is a veggie too and she said it wasn't exactly easy.

And when we have MREs (I think there were about five days we ate them if I remember right), there are veggie ones available. Make it clear to your flight that you need a veggie one because there usually aren't many of them in the box.

[carolinapooh, BSN, RN]

Oops...healing should have been yelling. Trying to type on iPod. It sometimes changes words and I don't notice. Oh well

I think people know what to expect if they've been around for a while. Before finding this site my recruiter told me alot but this site has really reinforced it. It's the new ones that make posts before searching because they are so excited. I personally like the little reminders...keeps me focused and motivated :)

You'd still be amazed at the number of people who have recruiters who tell them nothing.

I realize that the new environment is culture shock for a straight civilian (and possibly even more so for a straight civilian who's not eighteen). I remember that BMT didn't bother me too much but I also wonder if that's because I'm a military brat by birth and sort of knew what to expect.

[legs068]

I am one of those people that my recruiter told nothing to. He just told me that we will have lots of class time and will have to pass the PT and basically a piece of cake.....

[carolinapooh, BSN, RN]

He's comparing it to BMT. In a lot of ways it IS a lot easier than Basic was, but in a lot of ways it's harder. BMT is organized and regimented. Believe me when I say COT couldn't be further from it.

[lifeafter40]

As an enlisted person all you really have to do is what you are told...period. So, Basic training is focused on getting you to understand the concept of team work and following orders. As an officer, you will be required to make decisions for yourself and those placed under you. Officer training focuses more on this aspect. In both cases, yelling (and sleep deprivation) help to create a stressful environment in order to train you to make those choices under duress (or to follow them). It is a way of simulating some of the stress that will accompany a combat deployment... as that is our ultimate training purpose. To support the war effort.

So although officer training (for medical personnel) may not be as physically demanding or demeaning as that for enlisted, it is still mentally stressful, and it will be physically demanding for someone who is not prepared for it.

Now I have not personally been through officer training yet, so those of you who have please add to or correct anything I have said. However, it is not fair to a civilian who has not been exposed to the military, for a recruiter to say that training will be a piece of cake without further explanation