Congratulations! You made it through the Warrant Officer or Gunner package process and have been selected above your peers, well in some MOSs. Believe it or not, that was the easy part; the transitions formally begin when you arrive at The Basic School in Quantico. You all went to an MCRD and had the Kool-Aid, well ladies and gents; this is where the Kool-Aid is made, processed, and distributed throughout the fighting force. Welcome to the transition.
Warrant Officer Basic Course (WOBC) is physically demanding, which will increase mental strength (except for the gunners). You are a senior enlisted Marine with years and miles of experience, and now you have to start over. The course is demanding, but trust me, it will make you a better Marine, and there will be a time when you will understand the process.
This website provides you with some tips from the two previous WOBCs. This website will not give the keys to the castle, but it will make your life easier. The first tip is to understand that TBS is designed for basic or entry-level Marine Officers. Yes, I know you are not new to the institution, so have patience and get through the process. The second tip, be a good dude and teammate; everything is formed through teamwork.
This website is maintained by a current warrant officer (FY 21 graduate); I want to keep this updated with the new events and standards. I am doing this for free, just want to pay it forward to my brothers and sisters. To do this, I will need your help. Please email me at newusmcwarrant@gmail.com for updates and questions to add to the website. Thank you and good luck.
Table of Contents
Check In ProcessingCovid 19 has changed check-in processing. In WOBC-20, there were no restrictions, and we could check in with relative freedom as long as you were at formation at the end of the day. In WOBC-21, you were restricted to your room as soon as you checked in. So WOBC-22 may be a combination of both.
Either way, there are some things you need to think about. For most of you, barracks life was, well, old news when you were a junior Marine. Think about what was required to make life comfortable with one or two roommates. Some advice, the chow hall is not what you think it is, so prepare accordingly.
Feet, Food, Sleep, and hydration are the keys to success. Before you check-in make sure you have nutrition figured out; some items to consider:
Food- Snack foods, beef jerky, gummy bears (good for hikes, trust me, and medical said it was good also), tuna packs, ramen noodles, sandwich foods, peanut butter, jelly, healthy, instant oatmeal, paper plates, paper bowls, paper towels, toilet paper, microwavable meals, fruit, etc.. You get the point; there is a medium-sized fridge and microwave in each room.
I promise you the food at the chow hall is not good, our class made several formal complaints. Also, if you are quarantined, the food they deliver to you is not good.
Sleep- You will get barracks linen. That last sentence should be enough to get you to buy what you need to sleep comfortably (except gunners) and make waking up at 0300 a little easier. Go buy linen, maybe a heated blanket.
Medical - As many of you know or will know, BUMED is very particular about who gets to attend TBS. I will not tell you to be dishonest; your health out-trumps anything in garrison. Get as healthy as you can before you go, do the right thing if you are on medication, or wear a CPAP. There is no gray area here.
Medical check-in will be cold and probably consist of waiting in Marine Corps lines outside. Check the weather before you go!