MCRD question

[coplepk04]

I've heard people talk about Scribes and Guides at MCRD. What exactly are these positions and what do they entail? My recruiter told me if I want a promo out of MCRD I should try to get in one of those slots (not those specifically but some form of leadership role) as soon as possible and try to keep it the whole way through. He never really told me what any of the positions were, though.

Poolee Copley
MCRD PI Bravo Co. 1st RTBn 20070514

[Wyoming]

.

The Platoon Guide carries the Guidon. I prolly spelled that wrong.

The Scribe does the books for the DI's.


Either slot is easy to come by, just ask the SDI when you first see him.

They are always looking for folks like yourself who volunteer for these important roles.

[Phantom Blooper]

They are always looking for folks like yourself who volunteer for these important roles.

GREAT Advice Al! I love initiative!

[killerinstinct]

i was a scribe and sometimes people who ****ed you off i noticed got more firewatch than others.. might not be correct and honest but it happens

[DWG]

Either slot is easy to come by, just ask the SDI when you first see him.

They are always looking for folks like yourself who volunteer for these important roles

GREAT Advice Al! I love initiative![quote]


EVIL BASTIDS!!!

[coplepk04]

Thanks for all the help. Does the Plt Guide do anything more than carry the Guidon?

[David Jameson]

lol you guys can really come up with some real zingers.I'm sooooooo sorry
I did'nt go up to my SDI and ask if he had positions open for me.

[YLDNDN6]

Any "positions" in boot camp are assigned by the Drill Instructor (usually the senior). The position of guide and scribe, as well as squad leaders, can change hands from day to day, until the senior is happy with who he has in the job. Though sometimes, a recruit can get the position right off the bat and hold it all the way through boot. Be outstanding, keep your chit in order, and show that you mean business, and you may have a shot at one of the jobs you ask about.

[killerinstinct]

usually everything starts to seem like you are in a basic routine and everything is fine and once you go for field week and in san diego's case you go up to pendleton for the last 4 weeks/field training they start brand new and typically fire the guide and put a complete rock in his place to disrupt common ****.. i suppose its their way to make the platoon realize how dependent on structure and chain of command... but anyways keep that in mind a guid usually changes hands sometimes alot but at least always once

[rvillac2]

Nobody has explicitly said it, but the poolee might not know. The Guide ends up being the Honor Man for the platoon and wears Blues at graduation. The guide needs to be locked on with Drill since they carry the Guidon and are evaluated separately during Final Drill.

The scribes are walking xerox machines. They create drill cards, training schedule cards, firewatch schedules, and anything else that needs to be handwritten down. You need to have good penmanship and willing to write a lot. There's a training card for every day and a card for each drill instructor. We had a Senior and 3 juniors. That's a lot of cards.

Sgt V.

[drumcorpssnare]

Poolies- Listen up! The responsibilities that go along with being the Platoon Guide, Scribe, or one of the squad leaders, are in addition to the normal expectations of recruit training.
So, if you're volunteering just to be a "brown-noser"...don't bother. The Corps is looking for leaders; not kiss-a$$es!
drumcorpssnare

[Zulu 36]

I was the scribe for most of boot camp. The SDI fired the original for being an "educated idiot" (he had college). I was a HS grad. The DIs did all the picking and I have no clue why I was picked.

Yes, I was a human photocopier and the drill instructors keep me really busy, especially in 3rd Phase. My assistant scribe and I had a deal. I kept him out of the duty hut and he took care of my daily work (boots, brass, rifle, etc). He was good at that stuff, so it worked out well.

I did make meritorious PFC out of boot camp. But I was also the SL of the "Dumb Squad," those people who flunked or did poorly on the first written and practical exams. I had to tutor the "dummies" in the head after taps.

Advantage: Scribe was exempt from firewatch as were the SL, guide, and the house mouse. I also skipped working parties when we were on Maintenance Week, but I did loads of stuff in the hut at the same time to cleanup the paperwork after the rifle range.

Disadvantage: You were handy when the duty DI got bored and wanted to pester someone for no particular reason. Also, the platoon "leadership" woke up 30-minutes ahead of everyone else so we were 100% ready on-deck at reveille and had a jump on our morning duties. Once we finished morning count-off with the platoon, we went to work.

Other than the very few "advantages," I still had to do every darned thing every other recruit did. I stood firewatches prior to being made scribe, so I had done that too. Plus all new PFCs had to stand firewatch on our last night in boot camp. I suppose a last shot by the DIs to keep us humble.

[spwilliams7236]

Scribe and Scribbles got thrashed more than anyone there. (They were constantly messing something up). The house mouse got destroyed regularly too. Eventually they put all them on Self -Destruct and they would just thrash themselves during the SDI's Square Away Time in the evenings.

The guide, well, depending on your Senior could just be the biggest guy in the platoon. We went from the biggest to the smallest and eventually back to the biggest. Don't get me wrong, he was squared away, but I think there may have been a few recruits that I think achieved more when they were there. But hey, the DIs have more experience training recruits than me, so who am I to argue.

Good Luck.

[TazMatt]

I think you ought to appy for the position of House Mouse that is the best job of them all.That way if you really mess up you can apply for the easier jobs in the platoon,only let me give you some personal advice as been there done that kind of thing,whatever you do ,do not spill coffee on a visiting Drill Instructor it doesn't set well with him or any of your Drill Instructors believe me I know from personal up close expierence. Sgt.Matt U.S.M.C. 1969-1975

[coplepk04]

what does House Mouse do, again?