Last week was the end of what seems like a long journey.  “Graduation week” was a relatively uneventful period.

Monday started off with PT for most folks.  I say most folks because there were two-dozen class members who went to the Medical Clinic to have their injuries evaluated and recorded.  As two-thirds of the class is from the Reserve Component, any injury sustained during active service must be documented as a “line of duty” injury or the reservist will not get the Army to cover any continued medical expenses associated with that injury.  Most of the injuries are stress fractures, while there are also some Achilles injuries and plantar fasciitis issues.

The remainder of the day after chow was consumed with weapons cleaning.  There was a short break for reservist component officers to go over and review their DD214 drafts.  When I say the remainder of the day, I’m not kidding.  We started cleaning at 0930 and weren’t finished until almost 2000.  The “star chamber” on the M4 is particularly difficult to clean and many of us failed multiple inspections trying to get it free of carbon.  Those whose weapons were cleared then aided a hand to those that had not been cleared.

Tuesday started with PT as well, except for those that were retaking the 8 mile ruck march.  Class members turned in their knee and elbow pads and blank firing adapters after chow, and proceeded to review and sign Form 1059s (Academic Evaluation Reports).  We were then released to clean our barracks and relax until after lunch.  In the afternoon we got together with the Brigade Commander for his final thoughts and a Q&A session.  After he finished speaking, we were released to go to the PX and get them to sign our post release forms at our convenience.

Wednesday was our last PT session.  After morning chow we had graduation practice.  We went through the whole thing a number of times, with cadre correcting our bearing.  Unlike JAOBC graduation, this one is done with a military posture and bearing.  That means sitting at attention, rising together, walking in the same manner as marching and using facing movements when crossing the stage to accept our faux diploma.  The afternoon was spent at CIF getting another signature on our post release form.  When finished at CIF we were released to clean the barracks and to pack our belongings.

Thursday didn’t have PT, but we fell in at 0550 anyway.  We turned in our linens to the cadres and finished last minute cleaning of our rooms and the common areas, packed up our vehicles, and the cadre did a walk-through inspection of our barracks.  When morning chow was finished we had another graduation practice.  After practice was over we had a small break and it was time for the real thing.

Graduation only lasted a little over a half-hour.  When it was finished everyone said goodbye and we hit the road.  Some were going to the airport, some were hitting the interstates, and a few were staying behind for follow-on training at the Airborne School.  One officer even stayed behind for another Land Nav re-test.  We had 3 class members who did not graduate because of their failure to pass either of the Land Nav tests.  The two that didn’t graduate and are not staying on to re-test again will have to complete the test at their unit of assignment and have unit certification forwarded to the DCC Commander.  At that point, the class member will receive his DCC certification and be eligible for promotion to Captain.

DCC is a very different experience from JAOBC.  There are the obvious differences; living in a barracks, being on an Army post and not a college campus, and studying learning soldier skills instead of MOS material.  What really makes DCC different is the stress, the strain and the cadre.  After 13 weeks together in a relatively laid back environment DCC is like being thrown in a cold pool for some class members.  DCC also requires class members to do things physically that JAOBC never required.  Both of these things has the potential to bring out complaints and whines from some of the class members.  Don’t be that officer.

The cadre at DCC are Infantry NCOs.  They don’t know what a JAG does on a day to day basis and they don’t care.  Their job is to introduce skills and knowledge that every soldier should have.  They don’t want to hear complaints or whining about how this isn’t relevant to our MOS.  Their perspective is that all of those serving in the Army are soldiers first - without regard to their MOS.  The best thing a class member can do is just flow with it.  Be where you are instructed, when you are instructed to be there, and be ready to give 100% to whatever the training rotation requires.

A class member will get bored at DCC.  There is only 1 cadre for every 10-15 students on a good day.  That means a lot of waiting.  It means a lot of watching.  It can also mean a lot of busy work to prevent the appearance that time is being wasted.  Accept those facts – don’t fight it.  DCC is only 6 weeks and each weekend is open.  Be prepared to do things without explanation.  The faculty at JAOBC are your future peers and supervisors, they have been where you are and do a good job of relating not just the what, but the why too.  DCC cadre will tell you what to do but not always the why.  Believe me when I say there will be times you don’t understand why you are doing something, and/or why you are doing it that way.  Again, accept it – it’s the Army way.

The more positive your attitude the easier the training will go.  The more effort you put into the training the less the cadre will push on you.  Before you know it the training will be over and you can get back to your MOS.  Some of the skills won’t seem important at the time but I have no doubt that if I were ever in a convoy that came under attack I would appreciate having the basic skills DCC provided.  And don’t forget, many of the soldiers a JA provides counsel to will have gone through more rigorous training.  The fact that you got behind a rifle, navigated in the woods, completed a ruck march, and conducted some patrolling operations will make you more relatable – more like a soldier; just like them.