OCS Lexicon
Additions, corrections, and/or expansions are welcome...

Term,   Definition and Comment

ABO          Area Beautification Operation/s
                    Landscaping, Gardening, painting rocks

Activities and Clubs          
                    See Social Activities

                    Offered as stress relief, but more commonly viewed as another opportunity for
                    success

Adjutant's Pace    
                    120 steps per minute (precisely) To keep the body fit, and the time
                    between points shorter

Bubbling          
                    Uncontrolled laughter, smiling, grinning.Usually in response to First Class one
                    on one dialog, make that Monologue

Cooperate and Graduate          
                    The only sure mantra for success in OCS
          
                    1. Process whereby First Class would "plant" pieces of the answer to a problem,
                    then charge a Second Class to solve the problem, thus promoting stress and a
                    desperate effort to "cooperate"

                    2. A system essential to graduating, forced the identification and efficient use of
                    individual skills against common problems, like academics

First Class          
                    Officer Candidate status for the last three months of training. Point at which
                     you forgot how it was to be "Second Class"

Gadget  
                    Vernacular, usually reserved for Aviation Cadet trainees. Noted for their general
                    lack of style/military bearing, discipline, and frequent inability to return a salute

Hiding from training          
                    Thinly veiled attempts to avoid confrontation with members of the
                     First Class.  An art form practiced by most, but success achieved by few.  Those
                    who succeeded usually promoted to vaulted positions on transition to First Class

Lock your eyeballs          
                    Term used by First Class when noting a Second Class candidate looking anywhere
                     but straight ahead. Self explanatory

Lounging          
                    An Officer Candidate at rest. Never permitted; and when observed invariably
                    drew SDR's

Mister          
                    A term of endearment used by all First Class to address members of the Second
                    Class          You got it!

On the wall          
                    A directive, peculiar to OCS, and not in the Air Force list of commands,
                    which meant stand at attention with the heels of your shoes touching the wall
                    behind you. Probably used as a safety tool to prevent injury to Officer Candidates
                    who might accidentally fall backwards while being instructed or queried by one
                    or more members of the First Class

Pea Picker          TBD          

Peer Ratings          
                    A highly sophisticated process of individual evaluation performed by each
                    member of the group on all of the others.  A highly biased, cruel, inhumane and
                    generally defective way to determine the performance of peers.  As administered by
                    OCS, assured the loss of many exceptionally qualified Officer Candidates.

PT             Physical Training. A rigorous EARLY morning round of running, pushups, sit-ups
                    and pull-ups which began at dark and started every working day - Never participated
                    in by the Commissioned Staff

SDR          
                    S ? Discrepancy Reports. All Second Class Officer Candidates were required to
                    carry small forms on their persons, readily available for documenting infractions

                    1. Carefully documented incidents of a Second Class (and only Second Class)
                     candidate's failure to meet the high standards of discipline and bearing required by
                     the officer corps

                    2. A magnificent example of what can go wrong when human nature runs amok

                    3. Usually worked off on Saturday mornings, instead of visiting spouse or some
                     other frivolous pastime - like studying

Second Class          
                    Officer Candidate status for the first three months of training          
                    As in; "You'll always be Second Class"

Showing Emotion          (See "Bubbling)          

SIE          Self Initiated Elimination. Withdrawing, "without prejudice" from the Officer Candidate
               Program

Social Activities          
                    Social forums created to provide opportunities for rest and relaxation
                    Actually--highly structured and formal mechanisms for evaluation Victorian
                    courtesies; extended opportunities for Commissioned Staff and First Class
                    evaluation; and a way to rope the spouses into the "discipline and deportment"
                    expected of the Officer Corps

Square Meals          Eating while sitting at attention, neither looking left nor right, except to
                    respond directly to First Class. A damn hard way to eat, somewhat stress prone,
                    but certainly NOT hazing

The Honor Code 
                     A code of honor, that, simply stated: An officer candidate will not lie, cheat
                     or steal, nor permit it of others. Not a bad code. On the other hand, any code, when
                    administered without justice and wisdom can become a tool for evil.

Tiger Pit          ?          

Unauthorized Item          
                    Any item not specifically authorized to be in the possession of an
                     Officer Candidate          
                     Example:          The paper protectors used on hanger wires over which you put
                     uniform pants.

White Glove          Used to inspect for cleanliness

                    1.Nominally, wiping up dirt brought in by First Class on shoes, then attributed to
                      Second Class lack of sanitation and cleanliness

                    2. A major source of pride for all graduates, and a respected sign of quality military
                      discipline and bearing

Woolly Boggers
                    

This page was last updated on: October 28, 2002