Paul here with your week 7 update for Officer Candidates School. Graduation is still a few weeks away,, but it will be here before you know it.

Week 7 begins with your candidate conducting the Obstacle course.

About halfway through the week, candidates will be introduced to the Small Unit Leadership Evaluation (SULE 1). A SULE evaluates their mental, moral, physical, and leadership development. For many, the SULE pushes candidates to their limits of mental, physical, and emotional endurance; SULE demonstrates that they are capable of much more than they previously believed.

During SULE 1, they will carry their rifle, pack, and other gear through the woods in groups of 4; a Fire Team. They will then take turns being the fire team leader as they conduct a series of missions. When it’s your candidate’s turn to be the fire team leader, they’ll receive an order and be responsible for developing a plan, delivering the order to the fire team, and executing the mission while maintaining control of their team and the events as they unfold. Once the mission is completed, the fire team leader will be evaluated on what went well and what didn’t.

Next on the schedule, candidates will have more classes on History 4, 5, and 6. As you can see, Marine Corps’ history is just as important as fighting and physical conditioning skills. Lastly, they finish up the week with a 6-mile hike.

That’s it for this week’s update. In your letter this week, ask your candidate about their time on the Obstacle course. Don’t forget, you can send an exchange gift card with your letter to ensure your candidate has everything they need while they’re away.

I’ll be back next week with intel on week 8.

Semper Fidelis,
Sgt. Maj. (ret.) Paul Davis