Pls Survival

[afeliciano]

I've read everything there is to read about "surviving boot camp". I'm going to Platoon Leader School this summer, what can I do to survive that?!?! Any advice would be well taken.

And to all the Marines that post here, your encouragement gets me out to run that extra mile everyday. Thanks.

[chezzplayr05]

I've read alot about Hawaii, but I've never been there so I really wouldn't be able to describe it till I've been there, right?

One thing we were told by our Senior DI was that if you want to survive PI you need to become invisible. And you do that by not being a problem. You assist those around you. You pay attention. Don't put yourself on the skyline.

[afeliciano]

Originally posted by chezzplayr05
I've read alot about Hawaii, but I've never been there so I really wouldn't be able to describe it till I've been there, right?

Um... the PLS I'll be going to (the only one I've heard of) is in Virginia... Thanks for the advice though! Invisible.... :D

[chezzplayr05]

Are you in Hawaii? That's what your location says. My point is You said you read everything there is to read but you can't get it all from books.

[afeliciano]

Oh... haha Jesus, my fault.. lol definitely... I get what you mean though. Just gotta throw myself in there... Thanks a lot for the wisdom.

[chezzplayr05]

afeliciano,

I think it is good that you are reading and posting on this board prior to your ship date. The things your doing--the running, the studying, etc. are all good. I think a lot of what you need to deal with is the fear of the unknown, and that is normal. I suggest reading up on culture shock and how it may affect you when you take the long journey this summer.

Best wishes,

Chezz

[lprkn]

I'm planning on going to OCS in the future. I found a book called "One of Us", by Jack Ruppert, that I have found to be very good.

Your OSO is a good source of knowledge. One source you may not know is your local NROTC. Every NROTC has Marines at it who are preparing themselves to be officers. They also have to go to OCS. They should be an invaluble resource, I know the ones at my college are.

[lprkn]

Sorry, guess you're out of luck. There's no college with an NROTC in Hawaii. Still, your OSO can help you out. And there are a lot of Marine officers on Hawaii. They all had to do the same thing you're going to.

[LDO Capt]

My advice you probably wont find in a book. Be in shape, the best shape of your life, that will be one less thing to worry about when you get there. Get your hands on the Platoon Leaders handbook and read it, when your done, read it again. When you get there DO NOT try to just blend in and get through it. Be a LEADER, that is what is expected of you, even if you screw it up a little in the beginning, you will get better. Thats what they are looking for. When its your turn to be a follower do just that, if you dont peer evals will kill you. I'm in VA now, in fact lovely Quantico, its not flat, in fact the PFT couse starts and ends up hill (hint, hint). But most importantly never ever quit, and stay motivated. Good luck

[kentmitchell]

I don't like the idea of peer evaluations, but they must work.
I had damn good officers when I was in.
LDO Capt is right. It's about leadership and remember what Al Gray said about taking positive action. Sometimes you're right and sometimes you're wrong, but sometimes good things come out of those wrong actions.
PLC and The Basic School are probably the only time you won't get the help you need from one of your NCOs, too. Work hard. Good luck.