QUANTICO, VA-A representative of Ohio state was among a group of academic counselors, educators and dignitaries that were presented with information regarding Officer Candidate School from the Fourth District of the United States Marines Corps.

Educators toured Quantico, a marine base, June 28. They were briefed on education opportunities for candidates and experienced some of training that is part of becoming a Marine Officer.

“The purpose of this workshop is to inform educators so they can in turn alert students to the opportunities that lie within a commission as a Marine Corps officer,” said Captain Christian Devine, the public affairs officer for the Fourth Marine District.

Devine said the Marine Corps has offered similar workshops to high school educators and coaches. However, this is only the third time the corps has focused on higher education for the purpose of officer selection.

Patricia L. Scharer, a professor of education at OSU attended the workshop. Scharer said the physical, emotional and technical training young men and women receive at Quantico reaches deeply into their abilities.

“They learn about such things as honor, respect, teamwork and a let’s-get-it-done attitude. Each are more than what’s needed to become a good Marine; they are the foundation of life skills that can be applied to the challenges of their future, in and out of the corps,” Scharer said. 

Richard Tewksbury, a professor of justice administration at The University of Louisville, an outspoken skeptic, said he was glad he participated in the educator’s workshop.

“It did teach me some things about the Marine Corps that I did not know, and it showed me another option that I can speak with my students about knowledgably,” Tewksbury said.

OSU has 25 students and alumni enrolled in the OCS.

“The process for becoming a officer is two-fold,” said Captain Brian Esprit, the officer selection officer for the Columbus area.

To complete OCS students must attend a 10-week session upon graduation or two six-week sessions. The first session in the summer between sophomore and junior year, the second between junior and senior year.

Upon fulfillment of a college degree and completion of OCS, candidates can accept a commission as an officer and begin Basic School, the second phase of the corps officer-training program.

The six-month Basic School, unlike the grueling 10-12 week OCS, focuses on developing leadership and tactical skills in commissioned officers.

“Once in the Basic School all the yelling and pressure stops, you are a Marine Corps Officer and treated as such,” Esprit said.

Esprit said the standard commitment after the acceptance of a commission is three and a half years; however, certain fields such as aviation require an additional commitment.

Esprit said the Marines will not take just anyone, “Part of the reason why we had this workshop is so that we may enlist the help of educators to find an applicant with a strong enough body, mind and strength of moral character to be in keeping with the high standards of the Marine Corp.”

“The Marine Corps offers many opportunities. One of them is being associated with the finest group citizens both men and women, the nation has to offer,” Esprit said.