Reserve Officers Candidate School - Rocs and Shoals Yearbook (Long Beach, CA)

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it received a Certificate of Appreciation from the AI Malaikah Temple for its outstanding performance at the Shrine Hi football game and pageant. The climax came on 15 August with the two big military ceremonies which marked the official end of the six-week program. The final military review on that last Friday morning found the entire regiment parading before the eyes of Vice Admiral John Dale Price, Captain John B. Azer, our own skipper, and the entire ROC Officer staff. It was at this parade that the regiment's top nine men were presented before Admiral Price. In each academic subiect a top ROC One and ROC Two were selected, also the ROC One and ROC Two hold- ing the highest overall average were honored. The ninth man was the ROC with the highest military aptitude grade of the corps. As the Bureau of Personnel exams were the final test of the Academics, the final parade was the sum- mation of all of the activities of the Military, the motionless ranks of men, standing at attention, the manual of arms, and the last pass-in-review all re- flected the highest caliber of military training. All those present agreed that the Military had passed their final with flying colors. Held in the afternoon, the commissioning cere- mony, keynoted by the speech of the honored guest, Admiral Price, had all of the dignity and solemnity worthy of the naval service. Thus the T952 program was brought to an end and all hands were in complete agreement that it was a iob well done. 7-Q.,-M -4 q. . '. Z ' . , 4 ' ':':l'tf2'fl Criss. ' - ....1f'a..., fbx. ll.. 'S I . W .

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Prepare For lnspection MILITARY From reveille at 0530 until Taps at 2200, the life of a ROC was carried on in a military manner. Every- thing he did exemplified military bearing. He marched to chow, he marched to class, he lined up for mail call and he even marched to the ball dia- monds and basket-ball courts. Military was first and foremost with the ROC school, iust as in any other Naval organization. A unique feature of the 1952 session at Terminal Island was the greatly expanded cruise program, especially for the ROC Ones. The upperclassmen each had an opportunity to go out for a day on a CA, the USS Toledo, while ROC Twos as well as ROC Ones spent the day aboard an AMS or a DMS. These cruises'were designed to give the ROCS an opportunity to obtain a brief picture of actual under- way conditions aboard several types of ships. While intended primarily for military and academic instruc- tional purposes, these cruises were also enjoyable high points of the six-week training program. On the mine-sweeper cruises, ROCS actually took over the operation of the vessels. The regiment of nearly 2200 ROCS was organized similarly to the 'regiment of midshipmen at the Naval Academy. There were five battalions, each compris- ing four companies. The twenty companies were further divided into four platoons of two squads each. Each Company had a ROC Commander, Sub-Com- mander and four platoon leaders. Each Battalion consisted of four companies and was commanded by four ROC officers. A Commander, a sub-Commander, a First Lieutenant, and an Adiutant. Overall regimental command was exercised by a regimental staff, headed by Regimental Commander. John Will. The regimental staff acted directly under the supervision of the Military Department. The purpose of the Military setup at Terminal Island was to install a high degree of Military bear- ing in each officer candidate. Military bearing, the prime requisite of any Naval officer, embodies all the qualities of loyalty to his country, courageous devo- tion to duty and a sense of comradeship for his fellow officers and men. Naturally, proficiency in academic work-naviga- tion, naval ordnance and weapons, and orientation and leadership--was important. However, without the proper military bearing, a naval officer could never put his knowledge of these subiects to practi- cal use in the U. S. Navy. Marching and cruises didn't comprise the entire military phase of ROC training. There were watches, infantry drills and inspections, and the usual phases connected with any military organization. ln order to stimulate the ROC'S interest in the mili- tary program, an elaborate company competition 'was installed. Companies were given points for pro- ficiency in military drills, barracks inspection, and personnel inspection. Graduation day brought with it recognition for the number one outfit of the corps. The Honor Company, Company l4, marched down the field to present itself before the guest of honor, Admiral Price. A pert color girl, Mrs. Marline Smith, presented the colors and congratulatory kiss to Company Commander James Boyland. No account of the military aspects of the Program would be complete without a tribute to the ROC Band. This organization, composed of men from some of the finest marching bands in the country, added great color to all of the ROC parades. Under the direction of Commander A. H. Dailey and his able ROC as- sistants John Halleron, Drum Maior, James Dyer, As- sistant Drum Major, Richard Dufallo, Leader, and George Ellis, Assistant Leader, the band made several guest appearances off the base. They played before the Secretary of the Navy, the Honorable Dan Kim- ball. Also the Band was additionally honored when

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THE WORD IS PASSED 1 , if i33tiairuf', ' 1- ,., '41 3? CAPTAIN AZER DIRECTS I From the top of the ladder ' . . .Through the chain of Command. ROCS had that term pounded into their heads for the entire six weeks by their instructors who strove to impress upon the future ensigns that everything in the Navy must either come down or go up through the proper channels. Every order issued during the I952 ROC session started at the top of the ladder-in some department-and reached the individual ROCS only after coming down through channels. Conversely, any request by a ROC also had to pass through channels before any action would be taken. Most of the orders were, of course, military in nature. Thus, they originated in the office of Commander Keene or Lt. Com- mander Borders. These orders were then passed on to the regimental staff which, in turn, passed them to the various battalion staffs. The Individual ROCS finally got the word when the battalion adiutants read the Orders of the Day dur- ing the different battalion formations. It was alla part of instilling the ROCS with a proper military bearing. I x . fiix t R ' I I CR I , ff R o . . 49 : a ' l 6 ox SQ . S y W l 2-1 ff! in - 9 f - f - Ng .lfslgrzsll ll' f 5 - ' ' 11 '- is s his I I ..-,,,5,, All II - dj, 'A s...L.. BATTALION, ATTENTION TO ORDERS - 5 L I - Individual ROCS get the word nf. . , I E .4 B, ..,r .1 REGIMENTAL COMMANDER WILL I , 98 An organization similar to the Naval Academy