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Christopher Leigh graduates from US Marine Corps Officer Candidates School

Thursday, August 31, 2017 - Posted 9:33:11 PM by Debbie Leigh

L to R: James, Debbie, Christopher, and Bill Leigh

Christopher W. Leigh of Minonk, IL, graduated from the US Marine Corps Officer Candidates School (OCS) on Aug. 19th, in Quantico, VA. He is a 2014 graduate of Fieldcrest High School, and the son of Bill and Debbie Leigh of Minonk, IL. At the University of Illinois in Champaign-Urbana, Leigh is a senior in Technical Systems Management, and a Midshipman 1st Class in the Naval Reserve Officers Training Corps (NROTC). After graduating from the University in May, he will commission as a Second Lieutenant in the Marine Corps.

The mission of OCS is to educate and train officer candidates in Marine Corps knowledge and skills within a controlled and challenging environment in order to evaluate and screen individuals for the leadership, moral, mental, and physical qualities required for commissioning as a Marine Corps officer.

According to the National Museum of the Marine Corps, Officer candidates from the various college and enlisted commissioning programs are screened and tested at Quantico's Officer Candidates School before earning their commissions as Marine second lieutenants. OCS, like boot camp, provides the common foundation for all future Marine officers. Enlisted drill instructors and officers test and evaluate each contender. OCS differs from enlisted boot camp in its extra emphasis on leadership and adaptability to stress. Attrition is substantial. Those found worthy of leading enlisted Marines into combat go on to several more months of advanced training at The Basic School in Quantico before assuming leadership billets.