USAF OCS Class 62-A
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History of OCS

 


Preflight Training. Almost six years after losing its preflight training mission, Lackland AFB was again indoctrinating cadets. Headquarters, Flying Training Air Force, activated the 3740th Pre-Flight Training Group along with the United States Air Force Preflight School (PFS), a name activity, on I October 1952. The group consisted of four preflight training squadrons and was assigned to the 3700th Air Force Indoctrination Wing. Of 854 students in the initial Class 1953-H in October 1952, 212 were from six North Atlantic Treaty Organization countries. The twelve week course consisted of 438 training hours (increased to 528 hours in May 1953).

Preflight Language Training. English language deficiency was an immediate problem in the preflight training program. This was especially true for French students, who made up the largest allied contingent in the early classes. The course contained no formal language instruction, and group officials sought to handle the problem by interspersing allied cadets among the Americans, thus forcing them to practice and reinforce their English. As the proportion of foreign cadets increased to one-third of enrollment in late 1953, and as more students came from Third World countries, the English language deficiency problem grew.

To deal with student language shortcomings, Headquarters, Flying Training Air Force, directed the implementation of a Pre-Flight Language Training Course, which was taught initially on 26 November 1953. Thirty-one Turkish officers made up the first class. Although the course totaled 437 hours of English instruction, each language student entered the program at a level of instruction indicated by an entry examination to determine his English proficiency.

This course marked the formal beginning of English language training at Lackland AFB. Previous English language instruction had dated back to World War II but had remained within the context of preflight courses and had retained an ad hoc character. Even the short-lived Foreign Students Orientation Course in 1946 had continued to be an amalgam of preflight and English instruction. The new Air Force commitment to formal English language training was affirmed when Headquarters, Technical Training Air Force (TTAF), authorized the 3700th Military Training Wing (MTW) at Lackland to activate the 3746th Pre-Flight Training Squadron (Language), effective 19 May 1954. While assigned to the Pre-Flight Training School, the 3746th was operationally controlled by the Officer Military Schools commander.

Headquarters, Officer Military Schools. Lackland's principal establishment, the 3700th Military Training Wing, prepared a proposal in the spring of 1953 to consolidate its three initial officer training operations-OCS, PFS, and OBMC-under a single headquarters. Air Training Command responded by activating the United States Air Force Officer Military Schools (OMS), effective 1 August 1953. At the same time, ATC redesignated its two subordinate establishments. The 3740th PreFlight Training Group became United States Air Force Pre-Flight School, and the 3700th Officer Candidate Training Group became United States Air Force Officer Candidate School.

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