Navy OCS-First Salute

[Single Seat]

PS is this the sliver dollar you guys are talking about? I don't want to be the douche that gives the wrong coin.

Yes. Nearing graduation you should delegate someone in your class to go out to a local jeweler and place an order for everyone. I think my class ordered something like 200 coins, so you want to lead turn it. Prices vary with the price of silver, usually between 18 and 23 bucks a coin.

 

[PropAddict]

Is that (very expensive) Morgan silver dollar traditional for some reason?
I used one of these for mine. . .

Well, mine was a 2007 (my comm year). A buddy ordered them through the local Navy Fed branch. We got a whole roll (uncirculated!) between the bunch of us, and since we went through the bank, they each cost the princely sum of. . . $1.

 

[Tom]

Are F'ing you kidding me? That's the stupidest thing I've heard (in about 2 days). Are we TRYING to become as lame as the USAF? Have the traditions of AOCS really been lost in the move? Are they raising warriors or bureaucrats?

One of our DI's had an old cigar box that his grand father had carried personal stuff in, on Iwo Jima. He had it full of everySILVER dollar he'd ever recieved from his OCS grads (over 400 of them) and said he would be buried with them. That's how much they mean to those guys.

I can assure you it is true. A great naval tradition is dying, but there are ways around it.

 

[HueyCobra8151]

In case any Marines are reading this, or if anyone wants to get one for their DI, look around for one of these:

 

[wink]

Is that (very expensive) Morgan silver dollar traditional for some reason?
I used one of these for mine. . .

Well, mine was a 2007 (my comm year). A buddy ordered them through the local Navy Fed branch. We got a whole roll (uncirculated!) between the bunch of us, and since we went through the bank, they each cost the princely sum of. . . $1.

This is a copper clad, not silver dollar. The debate is over silver, real silver one dollar coins.

 

[PropAddict]

I see. It seems I was remiss in that regard. Well, the BM3 who got it sure seemed pleased anyway.

Apparently a numismatics course should be part of all officer accession programs.:icon_tong

 

[Single Seat]

I see. It seems I was remiss in that regard. Well, the BM3 who got it sure seemed pleased anyway.

Apparently a numismatics course should be part of all officer accession programs.:icon_tong

Your first mistake was trusting a BM. Not the brightest bulbs on the tree.

At least you didn't single handedly look like a douche as your entire class all gave your DI/CPO a $1 coin.

 

[Ribida]

I know I'm going to get flamed for this but I think its important to show both sides of the coin... If you want to go out and buy a DI or CPO a special coin, by all means go ahead, in my class we all paid the 20 bucks or whatever it was for the real silver coins. However, you should know that all of the DI's while I was there would call up their silver guy every few months and trade in the coins. My particular DI would joke about how they try to turn them all in when the rate is going good.

I wish all of the Drill instructors and CPO's were like the one in the earlier story, saving all of the coins they've received over the years, but know that atleast some, if not most and just turning them in for cash. While I don't agree with some of the changes I've seen them push through at newport, I think some of it is going in the right direction. In pensacola we had to stock the DI's fridge with food and drinks, pay for all of the functions we attended (and covered the tab for the officers and enlisted staff that attended) as well as get the class officer/DI/CPO gifts, which for our class ran us about 100-150 a person.

I'm not going to say my DI didn't do a good job training me, but it's also his job, I don't do my job everyday expecting someone to give me all these gifts, but at OCS all of the things I listed above were EXPECTED of us. And once I get to know the staff there, watched many of them drive home drunk after every dining out and softball game I began to lose respect and wonder how important my gift really was...

Just food for thought

 

[HueyCobra8151]

The tradition is that you give a silver dollar to your first salute.

Why do you care if he frames it in a heart shaped box with your name engraved on it or if he sells it, it's his to do with as he pleases. I agree that it is kind of shitty, but oh well.

 

[Single Seat]

If you want to stray from tradition, join the Air Force. They have none, less for your cheap ass to worry about.

 

[m0tbaillie]

If you want to stray from tradition, join the Air Force. They have none, less for your cheap ass to worry about.

Swwwwwish! Nothin' but net!

 

[Catmando]

As an AVROC, it was by circumstance that my proud recruiter rather than an AOCS DI eventually gained my first salute upon my commissioning in Kansas - over two years after his baiting and capturing this reluctant, slippery fish.
(IIRC, it was an 1898 Silver Dollar I gave him.)

 

[wink]

In pensacola we had to stock the DI's fridge with food and drinks, pay for all of the functions we attended (and covered the tab for the officers and enlisted staff that attended) as well as get the class officer/DI/CPO gifts, which for our class ran us about 100-150 a person.

We never had to do any of this back in AOCS. Maybe this is one of the "traditions" carried over from OCS when the two merged years ago. I have to admit, I don't see the training value in paying the officer and enlisted staff tabs at parties. In fact, I find it particularly reprehensible that any OCS officer would accept. I never allowed any of my troops to pay for my drinks, or even a fast food lunch. It just isn't done. Rather, it is the other way around. Even in the airline business the Captain pays for the beers. Not withstanding my aversion to having the junior or trainee pick up a social tab, you will see many more instances of forced economic participation in the fleet. Get used to it. I have dropped many hundreds of dollars at dinners, parties, and other events for Korean Naval Officers, an Australian Submarine, Yeoman Warders in the Tower of London, the CVW, hosting USMC and AF junior officers during a EUCOM exercise in Germany, and various other overseas admins, parties for sister squadrons, etc. Your duties and obligations are many. Call it tradition, diplomacy, courtesy, respect, fellowship, or whatever. It may be costly.

 

[Single Seat]

!

We never had to do any of this back in AOCS. Maybe this is one of the "traditions" carried over from OCS when the two merged years ago. I have to admit, I don't see the training value in paying the officer and enlisted staff tabs at parties. In fact, I find it particularly reprehensible that any OCS officer would accept. I never allowed any of my troops to pay for my drinks, or even a fast food lunch. It just isn't done. Rather, it is the other way around. Even in the airline business the Captain pays for the beers. Not withstanding my aversion to having the junior or trainee pick up a social tab, you will see many more instances of forced economic participation in the fleet. Get used to it. I have dropped many hundreds of dollars at dinners, parties, and other events for Korean Naval Officers, an Australian Submarine, Yeoman Warders in the Tower of London, the CVW, hosting USMC and AF junior officers during a EUCOM exercise in Germany, and various other overseas admins, parties for sister squadrons, etc. Your duties and obligations are many. Call it tradition, diplomacy, courtesy, respect, fellowship, or whatever. It may be costly.

HAHAHAHAH!!! Know how to drive an airline capt crazy? Throw 4 pennies under his seat and tell him there are 5. Cheap bastards! (A4's notwithstanding)

 

[Spekkio]

I know I'm going to get flamed for this but I think its important to show both sides of the coin... If you want to go out and buy a DI or CPO a special coin, by all means go ahead, in my class we all paid the 20 bucks or whatever it was for the real silver coins. However, you should know that all of the DI's while I was there would call up their silver guy every few months and trade in the coins. My particular DI would joke about how they try to turn them all in when the rate is going good.

I wish all of the Drill instructors and CPO's were like the one in the earlier story, saving all of the coins they've received over the years, but know that atleast some, if not most and just turning them in for cash. While I don't agree with some of the changes I've seen them push through at newport, I think some of it is going in the right direction. In pensacola we had to stock the DI's fridge with food and drinks, pay for all of the functions we attended (and covered the tab for the officers and enlisted staff that attended) as well as get the class officer/DI/CPO gifts, which for our class ran us about 100-150 a person.

I'm not going to say my DI didn't do a good job training me, but it's also his job, I don't do my job everyday expecting someone to give me all these gifts, but at OCS all of the things I listed above were EXPECTED of us. And once I get to know the staff there, watched many of them drive home drunk after every dining out and softball game I began to lose respect and wonder how important my gift really was...

Just food for thought

Honestly, give whatever you feel is right. A lot of people feel pressured into getting $20-30 coins just because of the group mentality that comes out of being in OCS, which is a little ridiculous.

As far as picking up tabs for class staff members: After a $60/head dining out tab thanks to ritzy Newport prices, our class decided to rent out the O-club for hi-mom's (free) and opted out of buying an open bar for anyone. We also only ordered a couple of dessert/snack dishes. The old man actually forced us to order more food than we originally wanted to, even though it ultimately didn't go. Cost $12 a head when it was all said and done, and after the 40 min we were all free to spend the evening with our families. Definitely a wise choice.