Our last week of hard training is finally over, and we completed our last test on Wednesday. We concluded the physical training day with a three hour battle of three-on-three pugil sticks, or padded sticks that simulate rifles with bayonets. (Males fight males and females fight females.) By the end of the day we were exhausted but in high spirits. Our graded events had come to a close and we knew we had met the requirements to graduate. We just had one more difficult, but untested, event: A twelve-mile hike with our 60 lbs pack.

While most families were preparing their Thanksgiving meal, we were eating an MRE at 5am and getting ready to step off for our last hike. At first, it seemed stupid that we would do this last hike when it seemed like OCS was ending. Why make us go through this untested event and provide one more opportunity for candidates to get injured? But that was the importance of completing this hike together. Could we stay motivated and continue to give 100% even when our grades and evaluation did not depend on it? Could we push ourselves without needing motivation from our instructors? Could we look out for each other and encourage our peers?

Most of us successfully completed the hike. One of the most embarrassing things you can do as a Marine (or soon-to-be-Marine) is fall out of a hike. A few did just that. Although I thought this was an untested event, officers still evaluated us. The next day, they dropped some of the hike drops from OCS and did not allow them to graduate.

Those of us who did make it through were rewarded after 4 hours of hiking by long hot showers. Once we were finally clean, we marched to the mess hall for an amazing Thanksgiving meal served to us by our Commanding Officer, a USMC Colonel. Two of the many leadership principles we learn are to look out for the welfare of those under our command, and to set the example. The Colonel demonstrated both of these principles throughout OCS. Rather than relaxing on Thanksgiving Day, he arrived at the mess hall to serve over 300 candidates and talk to each of us individually. He asked us how our feet were feeling after the hike, did we get enough to eat and if we were ready to graduate. He demonstrated one of the key elements of looking out for the welfare of your Marines: Eat last, once you have served everyone under you.

The lesson was not lost on us. It was one more reminder of our responsibility as officers. The higher one ranks, the less one should be thinking of oneself. Once we get to the fleet, our highest priority is accomplishing the mission while looking out for the welfare and safety of the Privates and Lance Corporals under us.

This week we had our final test: the Small Unit Leadership Evaluation (SULE). It tests our physical fitness, communication skills, leadership ability, academic proficiency, land navigation, aptitude in taking and giving orders, decision making process, command presence, ability to motivate peers and composure under pressure and time constraints.

To deprive ourselves of sleep, we camped out Tuesday night and received homework to complete by the morning. The wake-up call sounded at 1:30 am and we stepped off at 3:00 am for a 9-mile hike with our 60 lbs packs. We completed the hike just as the sun rose and spent the rest of the day doing field exercises where we practiced leading a squad (13 Marines) in attacking different objectives. We also practiced receiving and issuing a 5-paragraph order – a form of issuing a mission to one’s subordinates that includes the enemy’s situation, the mission that must be accomplished, the purpose for the mission, the way it will be accomplished and all the administrative and logistical details. We practiced communicating one of these orders to 60 of our peers and then leading 12 of our peers in carrying out the order. At the end of the day, we received another 5-paragraph order that we would use the following day for our SULE evaluation. We slept a couple hours in our tents that night and got up at 3:45 to start the longest day of my life.

We have been incredibly fortunate over the past two months with absolutely beautiful weather. That all changed at 4:30am on the most important day of OCS. The temperature dropped 25 degrees and it started pouring rain. We spent the next 11 hours in the rain with no jackets or gloves. There were 11 people in my squad and each of us had to accomplish a mission by issuing an order to our squad and supervising the execution of the mission. We received an evaluation and then orders to run to another point on the map. We ran about a mile in between each objective and then would have to wait for the squad leader to get briefed by the evaluator. Being cold and wet for that long is pretty miserable. Some candidates had to get taken away by medical personnel because their core temperature dropped significantly. It was definitely the most miserable I have ever been in my entire life.

The situation was a great example of what is expected of Marine officers. The first concern (51%) for an officer is mission accomplishment. The second is troop welfare (49%). Although everyone was freezing cold and losing focus, we had been given a mission and must complete it despite our conditions and discomfort. The weather does not conform to our schedule and adverse conditions are no excuse for mission failure. I thought the day would never end, but it finally did. As soon as we arrived at the barracks, the rain stopped. Go figure

The next morning, we took a bus ride over to The Basic School, where 2nd Lieutenant Marine officers train for 6 months after they complete OCS. We had breakfast with a 2nd Lieutenant and asked all of our questions about his experiences and how to prepare for our time at TBS. Instead of busing us back to OCS, helicopters picked us up from the mess hall and flew us around the base, then landed right at the door of our barracks. It was my first time flying in a helicopter and it made up for the previous day. Only 14 days left.

The main purpose of OCS is to evaluate leadership potential in candidates. The most heavily weighted events are two Small Unit Leadership Evaluations (SULE). Officers give candidates a plausible combat situation with a mission to accomplish in a short time. Example: “Your unit is 500 meters south of your location and is nearly out of ammo. You must get four cases of ammo and your fire team to their location. The bridge was blown up by the enemy, so you will have to cross the water with this plank and a rope to assist you. You have ten minutes.” The individual being tested must give orders to the three other members of his fire team to complete the mission. Officers judge evaluate each candidates’ decisiveness, good judgment, command presence, and physical courage.

This week was our first SULE. To put us under some strain first, we slept in tents for a short time the night before. In the morning, we embarked on a six-mile hike carrying 55 lb. packs on our backs. This is the most difficult part of OCS for most females. We hike at the same pace as the males, carrying the same pack.

I had the privilege of being the platoon sergeant during the hike and the SULE, responsible for the discipline and order of 32 female Marines. I had to ensure they had the right gear, left on time, had enough food and water, stayed motivated throughout the hike, and completed it safely. I also had to know where every candidate was, if they were falling behind, or had fallen out completely. This was difficult because we hiked before the sun rose, but we all finished the hike together.

When I did this hike last year, I barely finished. This time, it was no problem. Last year, I only focused on pushing myself through. This time, I focused on taking care of my peers and encouraging them. When the focus is off self and on others, one is able to push through pain, hardship, and fatigue. Marines are living this out every day in Iraq. They are putting their dedication to their country and their concern for fellow Marines above their own interests, health, and even life.