OCS

OCS: Officer Candidate School.

There were 3 phases: green, black, blue.  Each lasted 2 months.  

GREEN: you wore green helmet liners and could never be found walking outside, had to run everywhere.  To the mess hall, to formations, to classes, to the laundry.

BLACK: did not have to run everywhere.  But still got in deep shit if we screwed up.  l and another guy were late to formation because we had to pick up our laundry.   

So, the training officer issued our punishment: pugil sticks for 30 minutes.  The other miscreant was 6' 4"; the largest guy in the class .  I was 5'10", not the smallest guy but close.  So we faked it as best we could when the training officer wasn't watching.  But I was still sore for a few days.

 It was the training officer's job to make as many candidates quit or get washed out as possible.  We got him back once.  He had us low crawl through a creek.  When we finished we grabbed him and through him in.

BLUE: now you've pretty much made it, and you're wearing a blue helmet liner.  The entire platoon would chant, "Everything's better with a blue bonnet on it!" when we went by platoons of Greenies and Blackies.  If you're about my age, you'll recall the chant advertising Blue Bonnet Margarine.