Openbah / Journal of a Marine Officer Candidate

Author: Openbah

  • Beaver Lake Triathlon

    Back in the end of July Beaver Lake had a triathlon. You could enter with two other people as a team, one person completing each event, or as an individual and complete the triathlon yourself. The three stages of the event were swim (325 yards), canoe (1 mile), and run (1.35 miles). Having never been a competitive swimmer or canoer (does that word exist?) I planned on entering as a team with two friends, Allison and Drew.

    On the morning of the triathlon at 8:30 I got a call from Allison telling me Drew called and can’t make it. So I did what any logical person would do and did the triathlon myself. I came in fifth place overall. The swim was by far the hardest stage of the event. I have to practice for next year.

  • Contract signed

    I signed my contract yesterday with the Marine Corps. The paperwork is finally finished, now I have to wait to hear back from the board about my acceptance.

    A lot of people I talk to don’t understand that this is a competitive process. They hear stories on the news about the military failing to meet recruiting quotas for the 4th month in a row and think that everyone that applies is a shoe-in, which is not the case. Some branches and programs are failing to meet quotas, but not the one I’m applying to.

    I will be ecstatic if I am accepted, I should find out mid-August. Until then it’s going to be hard to think about anything else.

  • Final PFT

    I did my final PFT the other day. I got a 272 out of a possible 300. I did 18 pull-ups, 100 crunches, and ran 3 miles in 20:53. I wasn’t too happy with my run time but it’s an overall decent score and I’m going to go with it.

  • Letter from dentist part 2

    About a month ago I visited my dentist to get a required letter stating that my teeth were in “good condition.” He noted in the letter that I had some “minor tooth decay,” aka, a couple cavities. To my defense, not having any insurance made it too easy for me to procrastinate getting the dreaded fillings.

    My OSO told me that OCS expects you to arrive in perfect physical condition, and this includes your teeth. They say cavities aren’t usually a problem, but more serious issues are a ticket home.

    Not wanting to take a chance, I decided to suck it up and go back to the dentist and get my cavities filled. It wasn’t nearly as bad as I thought it would be. My teeth are now in “stable” condition.

    [ Read Letter from dentist part 1 ]

  • Cycloplegic eye exam

    Part of the medical screening process for applicants of the Marine Corps Aviation program is a cycloplegic eye refraction. Never really having been to an eye doctor before, I can’t begin to guess of what I’m in for. All I know is that I’ll have to wear funny glasses all day following the exam. For those of you who know anything about eye exams, the requirements are as follows:

    a. Visual activity 20/30 OD & OS must be correctable to 20/20
    b. Cycloplegic refraction:
        (1) Myopia refraction
        (2) Hyperopia no greater then +3.00 diopters
        (3) Astigmatism no greater then +/-0.75 diopters.