Nearly 100 loved ones visited the grounds of The Basic School on March 13, 2014 where their Marines will live for the next six months.

More than 200 officer candidates graduated Officer Candidates School on March 14, 2014, and will proceed to their follow-on training at The Basic School.

“The Marines’ extended family is a big part of their network for resiliency and support throughout their careers,” said Lt. Col. Daniel Tarbutton, the executive officer at The Basic School. “We want [the families] through our programs to be a part of everything [their Marines] do and have access to information about what they’re doing.”

The families and friends walked through common places such as a barracks room, classrooms and mess hall. They were also able to see and handle the 10 weapons TBS Marines use during training.

“For us, it’s very important to see what he’s doing right now,” said Martha Robellar, the mother of a graduating candidate. “When they were little [I checked] what classes they had and if they had homework I [would make] them do it first because it’s important for their future, and it is still very important. That’s why we’re here.”

They also got an idea of what the Marines would be doing during their time at TBS. A TBS platoon leader that was guiding a tour said two-and-a-half years’ worth of college curriculum is taught in six months. They learn things from field operations, to classroom knowledge, to spending time on a naval ship. The three main groups in which Marines are graded are leadership, military skills and academics.

“Some people think of the military as a place where people go who can’t excel, and what we have found in this experience is that, in fact, it’s highly competitive and only the best actually make it through,” said Melissa Menasco, the mother of a graduating candidate.

A family open house is held in conjunction with every OCS graduation ceremony.

“The purpose of the family night is to take advantage of the time we have these Marines families here, and bring them into our family as the Marine Corps and show them what we’re really all about,” said Tarbutton. “We want to build some confidence in [the parents] and what their sons and daughters are about to do and for us to interact with them so that they know we are here to take care of and make their kids successful.”

Correspondent: sarah.a.garcia@usmc.mil