What did they give to the drill instructor at the end?

Uh, I came through NROTC and that is pure BS. The NROTC midshipman get the equivalent training as the Academy (, including sustained training for 4-6 weeks during each summer. OCS training centers more on discipline and physical training and classroom work, though AOCS is far more technical than regular OCS (The real hard stuff comes in flight school, though). NROTC and Academy training focus more on overall professional training, while OCS if far more condensed and has far fewer opportunities for practical hands-on training. Regular Navy OCS officers earn reserve commisions and serve on active duty for two years, then revert to the reserves (unless they petition to remain on active duty and their request is granted). NROTC midshipman earn a regular Navy commission (4 or 6 years, depending on degree and warfare specialty
). In both cases, their real training begins when the go to their warfare specialty school: flight training, nuclear power, surface warfare, BUDS (SEAL training) or other (Supply, Medical, or Judge Avocate Corps).

Here was my training life. During the school year, we attended Navy classes, in addition to the required classes for our major. Our classes included Navy history and tradition, basic engineering and weapon systems, navigation and leadership. We also had to take classes in physics and calculus, as well as business administration. Every week, we had a drill period of two hours. These periods were filled with close order drill, inspections, lectures on a variety of topics, physical training and the semi-annual physical fitness test (annual in the regular military, every semester for us). Marine Options had additional training in professional skills, including map reading, infantry tactics, and other areas. By the time I was graduating, the unit had acquired several sail boats and basic seamanship on a sailing vessel was required. Then, during the summer, we went for training for 4-6 weeks. Each year focused on a different segment of naval life.

Between our freshman and sophomore years, we lived the enlisted life. We lived in enlisted birthing and did everything they did. We were paired up with a running mate and we did whatever they did. I was on a tanker and helped man the refuling rig crews, as well as stood watch on the bridge (at sea) and quarterdeck (in port). I spent time in the engineering spaces, doing preventative maintenance and taking equipment readings. I spent time in CIC watching radars and learning to plot the ships track, as well as potential hazards from other vessels on geography.

The following summer, we went through CORTRAMID (Career ORinetation TRAining for MIDshipman). We spent 4 weeks in San Diego or Norfolk, each week focusing on a different career path in the Navy. The first week was surface, then submarine, aviation, and finally, Marine Week. At each stage, we went out on vessels or aircraft and learned about their missions. We went through simulators and did exercises. We learned about damage control in trainers (plugging leaks while waist deep in water). During Marine Week, we were run everywhere, fired weapons or watched them being fired (everything from an M-16 to a tank, plus air strikes). We went through obstacle courses and combat simulators. We went out on patrols and rapelled down the side of a tower.

The final year, we went out to the fleet and lived the officer life (Marines went to Marine OCS, prior to their senior year. Otherwise, their training was the same as Navy options). We learned about the paperwork they did (meaning we spent our time catching up their paperwork), stood their watches with them (as officer of the deck and navigator, rather than helmsman or lookout, as on our first cruise). We were given the Conn during man-overboard drills. We ate in the wardroom and learned about officer relations and propper ettiquette in relation to official functions (especially with very senior officers).

All of this was on top of earning our degree and maintaining a grade point average well above the requirements of the university. On top of this, I held a job to help cover expenses not met by my scholarship, like room and board. We were better multi-taskers than Academy midshipmen, as they were in a more structured environment. However, they had more regular access to training equipment and a better budget. We supplemented ours by selling concessions at football games (this paid for curricular activities, beyond training).

Most of the Navy OCS candidates hadn't even been on board a vessel before commisioning. They got pushed through a fast course, which concentrated on the basics. We got more depth. However, our training was desinged with a career in mind (though less so than the Academy), while OCS was designed to train reserve officers. At least, during the time period of this film (which coincides with the beginning of my training). My career (1984-88 midshipman, 88-92 active duty) was also a bit unique, in that I received both a regular commission and went into the Supply Corps (my degree is in economics). Supply is usually limited to OCS, but, at that time, it was severely undermanned and the program was opened to midshipman from NROTC and the Academy (usually, only Academy grads who are female or males who were injured and can't meet all of the requirements of line duty could enter restriced line specialties, like Supply). Instead of going directly to a ship, I went through another 6 months of training at the Navy Supply Corps School, in Atthens, GA (of all places). When I reported to my first ship, I had had more direct professional training than all of my peers. They mostly learned on the job. Supply Corps officers are the business managers for the Navy. We handle the pay and provide basic banking services, feed the crew, handle personal services (laundry and barbershop) and take care of acquiring repair parts and consumable supplies (light bulbs, tp, etc...). Given naval operations, this is a more intricate operation than in the Army or Air Force, where these are collateral duties for an officer, who has enlisted specialists running things. We have to co-ordinate replentishments while underway (delivered by helicopter or slung across between ships), as well as co-ordinate pier services in foreign ports (including securing fresh food, fuel , and wast disposal).