a few questions

[CTessone]

Hello, all! I'm currently in the pipeline for PLC, and I have a few questions. I've been to a few other forums, but a lot of them seem to be populated by other college students and recent 2Lts who are more concerned about how to improve their career and how they can get selected for jets, rather than being motivated by a love for the Corps.

Most of the people on this board seem to be enlisted. What advice do you have for new officers from the enlisted perspective? One of my scoutmasters when I was a kid is a Marine, and his main advice was to listen to the NCOs.

I also wonder if any of you hear has read Flags of Our Fathers, about the Marines and corpsman who raised the flag on Iwo Jima. What did you think about it?

Thanks much, and Semper Fi!

Chris

[badbob]

Listen to, and take the advice of your senior NCO's

as Chesty Puller once said " In this Man's Corps, there's nothing better than a SGT"

Semper Fi,
Bob

[LadyLeatherneck]

Looks like you've received some good advice already.
You know they say, the backbone of the Corps is the
enlisted members but I think it's great that any person
would want to become a Marine whether enlisted or officer.

Good Luck!

[SgtMac]

with a critical ear. After all, in the final analysis you will be the one to make the decision. Most Marine NCOs are good people with what I call 'street smarts' but you can run into a bad one (just like officers) every once in a while.

[wrbones]

Treat your people with respect and dignity at all times. Hold them acountable at all times. Ya gotta bust their chops, bust their chops and be done with it. Your people do good, make sure THEY get the recognition they deserve. Get on with the mission. Avoid the games if you can. Play to win if you if you can't avoid the games. Take good care of your people at all times. They are your biggest asset. Period. Time is your biggest enemy at all times. Once gone, it is gone. Treat time as you would a power tool. Useful if handled properly, dangerous if not. If there is time, explain everything to your people. Make sure they understand every aspect of the mission. An ignorant Marine will still get the job done, but will not be as effective. Knowledge is a weapon. If there is not time, you have to trust that you have trained them properly, and let them do their jobs. A synopsis of how I tried to treat my people is this. Treat a cat like a dog, he'll act like a dog. Treat him like a man, he'll act like a man. My people were always more productive than others at all times because of this. Being a Marine is a 24/7 job. All other things are secondary. Any questions?

[CplSoria]

Never ask one of your troops to do something you're not willing to do yourself. In my 6yrs in I only came across to Officers I would follow to hell and back, no questions asked.