flygal22 said:
I was told to bring a second pair of running shoes, brand new, and they can be different than what you run in - for inspections. Someone has also suggested a head lamp, and small flashlight.
Not really necessary. You will want a second pair of shoes for inspection, but your drill instructor might require that they be Miss Judy shoes. In any case, you can buy them from her. A light is definitely a good idea, I thought it was on the requried list.
flygal22 said:
Is everybody packing the stuff they want after OCS in their car? Or leaving it home?
PACK IT! Even if your recruiter told you that you could return home after OCS, that is not always the case. Only people who have an official prior duty station will be authorized any kind of personal goods shipment. That generally means only BDCP and priors coming directly from the fleet. Some recruiters (like mine) did not understand this rule, but the people in the Personal Property Office made it very clear. No shipment of goods is authorized until new service members (officer or enlisted) arrive at their first pemanent duty station. API is not a permanent duty station (regardless of how long your there), so there is no guaranteed chance to get your stuff until you get official orders to primary.
Here is my story. I came from Portland, OR and reported to OCS in Feb 05. My recruiter told me that I could either drive or fly to p'cola, either way, the Navy would pay my travel costs (true). She also told me that during OCS, I could set up a PCS move to Pensacola so my things would be there when I commissioned or shortly after (false). Also, she said that I could do O-HARP duty between OCS and API (partially true).
At OCS, I found out that I would not be allowed a move, and I would not be allowed the 500 lbs personal goods shipment for TDY orders. Also, my timetable did not fit with being able to do O-HARP, so I did not have any chance to return home before API. I didn't have clothes, or dishes, or anything except the one change of civvies I brought with me to OCS (I packed light). More importantly I didn't have my car. I considered just living in the BOQ, but that was not possible. Fortunately, I was able to find a roommate that had pretty much everything.
The moral of the story is to drive to pensacola (even if it is 3000 miles) and bring as much of your stuff as you can fit. If you get stuck in A-pool for a while, you could be waiting for many months before you recieve permanent duty station orders.
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