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“You lose the idea that it’s about you,” Harper explained.
“Ultimately, you’re trying to get rid of any selfishness that might be
there and realize that what we’re doing at Officer Candidates School
is to learn that it’s not about us. It’s about learning how to work as
a team, learning how to follow directions, take directions and about
instant willing obedience. That was pretty much the purpose of it. If
they tell us to do something, we don’t have to think. We pretty much
do it.”
Being a former Division I student-athlete, Harper basically breezed
through the physical challenges. She admitted, though, that she
struggled with the academic part mainly because of the conditions
surrounding the classes.
Class sessions represented the only time that the candidates could
sit. Plus, the room was quiet and warm.
“So for those of us who were struggling because we got four to five
hours of sleep every night, it was hard to stay awake when they were
teaching you the material,” she said. “And during the tests, it was
always silent. No one was allowed to talk, so I found myself falling
asleep in the middle of the tests.”
Jones, too, excelled in the physical fitness tests, but he and Harper
admitted they faced a serious challenge toward the end of Officer
Candidates School. Instructors woke the candidates at 1 in the morning
T
his was a no brainer. The minute I
stepped into training at OCS, I knew this
was definitely where I needed to be. I can
see myself really making a career and
taking this the distance and serving my
country to the best of my abilities.
Former Tech football player
Greg Jones
“
W
hile I was at Tech, I was really looking
forward to being pushed and pushed
beyond what I was capable of – and they
[Tech’s coaches] definitely did it. But once
I was done, I was like, ‘Well, I’m not done
being pushed.’
Former Tech women’s swimmer
Holly Harper
“
”
and made them hike in formation 10 miles through the woods in the
rain—while carrying 75-pound packs.
Once they reached their destination, they found themselves going
through small unit leadership evaluations, or SULE. Instructors test
candidates on their abilities to lead a squad through a mission. The
candidates rotate being a squad leader in which he or she receives an
order, develops a plan, delivers the order to the squad and executes
the mission.
The day runs long. They didn’t finish until around 8 p.m.
“It turned out to be about 25-26 miles [of hiking] just that day,”
Jones said. “It’s kind of the culminating event at OCS, and I’m sure
other candidates would tell you the exact same thing—it’s a butt kicker.
It was one of the tougher things we had to do. In football, we had the 5
a.m. workouts, and it kind of reminds me of doing that, but just doing
that on repeat. That was the toughest event we had.”
Tech athletics played at least a small role in helping both Jones and
Harper get through Officer Candidates School. For sure, they learned
discipline, focus and unselfishness while competing as a student-
athlete for the school.
As a swimmer, Harper often got up at 5 a.m. to head to the
Christiansburg Aquatic Center to train in a cold pool, and then
after classes, she often returned to the pool for more training.
Continued on page 44