Quantico Trip

By MIDN 2/C Liam Flynn

Every year in the spring semester, the Marine Option (MOs) Midshipmen of the Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) Naval Reserve Officer Training Corps (NROTC) unit go on a trip to Marine Corps Base Quantico, Virginia.  Quantico is the location where all aspiring Marine Corps officers attend Officer Candidate School (OCS) and The Basic School (TBS).  OCS is the testing ground that every NROTC MO must pass. All MOs must attend and pass this course between the summer of their junior and senior year.  It is here where they are screened and evaluated to see if the have the potential to become a commissioned officer and lead Marines in the operational forces.  It is a six week course that tests general military knowledge, strength, endurance, and most importantly ones ability to lead.

Between the 20th and 22nd of March, the MOs will have the opportunity to view the grounds of OCS and have a chance to run the Obstacle Course (O-Course).  This trip also provides a chance for the senior, first class (1/C) MOs to visit the uniform shop on base and buy their uniforms for commissioning.  Another highlight of the trip is visiting the National Museum of the Marine Corps.  The Museum opened 10 November 2006, the 231st birthday of the Marine Corps.  It was built to be a standing monument to the history and lore of the Corps.  If the Marine Corps is a religion, this is its cathedral.  The MOs make it a point to tour this museum in order to learn more about the history of the Marine Corps and to build “esprit de corps.”  In addition, we typically set aside time to see a movie, go bowling, and eat dinner at the Globe and Laurel.

The Quantico trip is another chance for the MOs to build camaraderie or what we affectionately refer to as the “MO family.”  The Marines have always been known for their bond between themselves and live by a credo of “Semper Fidelis,” which is Latin for “always faithful.”   This is an important aspect of the culture that the CMU NROTC unit tries to develop.