OCS Class 28-69

FT. BENNING, GEORGIA

62nd Company

OC SMACK IS BACK!

(IN MEMORIAM -It is with both great sadness & great respect that we  must announce the loss of  Tom Werlinich June 30, 2020. Tom suffered from kidney failure and had been undergoing dialysis for many years. During our time in OCS at Ft Benning, GA, Tom was a unique individual that provided inspiration to us all with his wonderful imagination, his insightful humor and his wonderfully creative drawing abilities)

Within the ranks of 62nd Company's candidates there was a multitude of talent> During our time together all this talent would come to be used in one way or another.

Perhaps no individual talent had more meaningful impact or provided more insight into the life of 62nd Company than the artwork drawn by 3rd Platoon member OC Tom Werlinich. Tom's ability to capture the mood and emotion of day-to-day OCS life gave every 62nd Company member a new way to express how we all felt. Whether on a sleeping bay wall or on a piece of paper, "OC Smack" came to life through Tom's hands and eyes.

The following is a library of OC Smack as taken from the pages the official "Blue Book" - our OC 28-69 62nd Company Yearbook.

This should bring back many memories.

And, again, a big "thank you"  must go out to Tom for sharing his art skills with us then and today.

62nd Company Becomes Friendship Company

Seventeen (17) South Vietnamese officers joined us for OCS. Many of us wondered if they would ever make it. The physical side was grueling for all us but it seemed especially challenging for this group. We grew to respect them and we must all wonder what happened to our fellow OCS buddies after we all headed our separate ways after graduation.

62nd Trains to Become Officers

Everyone started OCS the same way. We were all enlisted men. (No women back then)...Aw Shucks!!) Some of us had many years of prior service and while several others of us had already seen duty in Vietnam.  Regardless of our past experiences, we were all expected to learn how to be commissioned officers in the United States Army Infantry, plus act in a professional manner and perform our assignments in the same way.

Sleep? Who Needs It!

The OCS training schedule left little room for sleep. Going to bed did not guarantee that there would be time to sleep. From surprise midnight visits by the TAC officers, to the finishing of duties to prepare for the next day, to the waking up at "0 dark thirty", the priority in OCS was not sleep. Catching "cat naps" whenever possible became everyone's personal challenge. Not getting caught napping was everyone's goal.

Competition in Sports

Members of 62nd Company organized competition with other OCS companies. Sports participation gave everyone a tremendous outlet and change of pace. Swimming, softball and basketball were all part of this initiative. Both cadre and candidates participated.

RESTRICTION!!

The endless pressure applied by tactical officers at all hours of the day in all kinds of situations took its toll on many candidates. In the midst of all this pressure a new "Hero" was created who would take whatever would be thrown at him. This new Hero was "OC Smack" and he would be there with us every minute of every day doing every pushup, walking every restriction tour, crawling through the mud pit and suffering every "Grass Drill".

In Your Dreams!!

While in OCS, we all knew there was another world waiting for us when we finished the program. However, during OCS there were few opportunities to relax and escape from the mental and physical pressure. During the precious few slow times, we could only dream of what once was and hopefully, what was yet to come.

2Lt. David Olson, Tactical Officer - First Platoon

Catching an Officer Candidate "in the act", especially the act of sneaking more food was a one of a TAC officers most favorite past times. Catching a whole platoon sneaking food was like hitting the lottery!

2Lt. Gary Power, Tactical Officer - Second Platoon

Tactical officers themselves were all graduates of OCS. They had personally experienced the rigors of physical training and understood the unseen line between physical & mental fatigue and character building. It was not pretty but it was very effective.

The Art of Leadership

Leadership was one of the great lessons each OC candidate had to learn from the OCS experience. Leading by example without being the issue was a part of this learning. Leading effectively without being seen was the ultimate goal.

2Lt. Stuart Forbes, Tactical Officer - Third Platoon

Physical intimidation was one thing but mental intimidation was even harder to take. Nothing pleased a tactical officer more than the times the whole company would be given "gobbling privileges" in the mess hall. The entire company of two hundred plus hungry individuals would enter the mess hall, grab their tray, place food on it, start eating and at the end of the food line dispose of whatever was left in a garbage can without stopping. How much food could an individual consume in 15-20-30 seconds? How fast could an entire company be moved through the chow line? 2-minutes? 3-minutes? Hey Weight Watchers! Are you looking for a new strategy?

2Lt. Joe Rufty Tactical Officer - Fourth Platoon

The Mud Pit! Wow what fun this was. Good old Red Georgia Clay. Low crawling on your belly so that everything in the uniform would be filled with red clay and almost impossible to wash out, what fun!

Cpt. James Gorday, Commanding Officer &

2Lt. Arthur Holmes, Executive Officer

The challenge in OCS was NOT making yourself the center of attention. Having the TAC officer come down on you was one thing, but the worst situation was when you became the focus of the company commander and/or the executive officer. When this happened, everyone around you would move away like something very bad was about to occur and it was time to leave the area. Getting cornered for some reason by the executive officer was particularly painful both physically and to your ears.

2Lt. Thomas Drummond, Tactical Officer - Fifth Platoon

For anyone in military service, mail call is the highlight of the day when it happens. In OCS, mail call was the cause for intense harassment and embarrassment. In parallel to what you might receive in the mail was the intense desire by TAC officers to find things in your personal locker or foot locker. Many a candidate experienced seeing the entire contents of both dumped outside on the company lawn or parking lot for inspection.

2Lt. Marc Goldberg, Tactical Officer - Sixth Platoon

You do not know how much you have left in the tank until someone pushes you to the end and then when you know you are done, they get you up and moving again. There was a particular stubbornness inside every OCS Candidate that made it all the way to graduation. This stubbornness was in not letting anything or anyone push us into quitting. Quitting was failing and failing was not acceptable.

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