Background: The purpose of this website is to provide information regarding direct commissioned 38G's attending the Direct Commission Course (DCC) at Fort Benning, GA. The DCC is part of the two-phase Basic Officer Leader Course (BOLC) designed to provide newly commissioned officers with the necessary skills to be successful officers in the U.S. Army. DCC consists of a six-week course. DCC is required for all direct-commissioned officers, regardless of prior service experience. More information about BOLC can be found here.
Objective: To provide information regarding how to prepare, what to expect, and how to complete the DCC.
Class Dates: These are the current course dates as of 07 FEB 2023. Subject to change.
FY23: 16 APR 2023 - 25 MAY 2023; 13 AUG 2023 - 22 SEP 2023
FY24: 09 OCT 2023 - 21 NOV 2023; 21 JAN 2024 - 04 MAR 2024; 14 APR 2024 - 24 MAY 2024; 11 AUG 2024 - 23 SEP 2024
FY25: 06 OCT 2024 - 19 NOV 2024; 26 JAN 2025 - 10 MAR 2025; 20 APR 2025 - 02 JUN 2025; 10 AUG 2025 - 22 SEPT 2025
Typical Day: Below is a schedule of a generally typical day so far at DCC. The wake-up time will fluctuate depending on the schedule of events.
0445: wake up, clean rooms, make your bed, get changed for PT
0530-0700: PT
0700-0715: Shower and change into OCP uniform
0715-0800: Breakfast together
0800-1200: Classes
1215-1245: Lunch
1300-1700: Classes
1715-1745: Dinner together
1800-1815: Last formation, discuss tomorrow, etc.
1830-2100: Free time to yourself
2200: Lights out
A Few Do's/Don'ts of Direct Commission Course:
Be humble: We all have lots of accomplishments/experiences in our lives that make us "experts" in our respective fields, but that doesn't mean we're too good for anything in this course. We had a former special forces soldier in our course who had more military experience/expertise than everyone combined. If he displayed humility and wasn't "too good" for the things we did in this course, then none of us are.
Positive attitude: Have a positive attitude about everything you do. It's the army; you're going to do some things that seem stupid or that you think could be done in a much more effective way. It's only 6-weeks of your life, don't be a negative nancy about everything.
Listen: The cadre of instructors are excellent, with decades of real-life experience and knowledge in everything they were teaching us. Listen to them. For example, people who never shot a weapon successfully qualified because they listened to the instructor's guidance. On the other hand, some people who "own hundreds of weapons" and were self-proclaimed experts struggled to qualify because they thought they knew everything and didn't listen.
Respect: This is a strange course in that it is one where we will outrank (and out age) our instructors. However, you will still stand at parade rest for the NCO instructors and do exactly what they say without any complaints. Be humble. Paraphrasing our battalion commander. "If you don't show respect, you're not going to make it here or anywhere else in the army.)
Take it seriously: Don't treat this as a summer camp, as you will notice some of your classmates will. To quote a Battalion CSM, "The training and information you will receive here could save your life one day." He's not wrong, and for us, this could be the last time we receive a Combat Lifesavers Course or the last time we go to a rifle range before we need it.
Prepare yourself:
-Physically: As mentioned before, this course was a lot more challenging than we were told/had read about. You will be challenged physically/mentally, especially during ruck marches or land navigation. Take care of your body both before and during the course. The more you PT before coming to the course, the less you will suffer during the course.
-Civilian jobs: We all have civilian careers. Many people thought they'd be able to have time to do their civilian jobs remotely at night. You will find this very challenging as time is limited, and you will be tired most evenings from all the physical activities. It can be done, but it is not recommended. This is your job for the next six weeks; focus on it.
-Homelife: Make sure everything at home is in order. As with your civilian work, it'll be very hard to make time to handle any external issues.
Don't do stupid stuff: If you do something stupid, you will get counseled, you will face punishment, and you will be prevented from graduating. You could even get kicked out army before you even start. These consequences happen in every class. Follow the rules. Some rules may appear overly strict (lights out at 2200, not allowed to leave designated areas, no caffeine/alcohol, etc.) Many are serious ("flagging" someone with a weapon, negligent discharge of a weapon, SHARP, EO, etc.).
Thanks to CPT Tyler Lowe and CPT Ryan Hooper for providing some of the initial guidance on this course. This is an adaptation of their original documentation.
Contact CPT Christopher King for questions, comments, concerns about this current site.