Meritorious Promotion board?

[DobbinsBlythe]

Eh, suggestions are too late at this point haha. I got him some cheesecake and a card and some chocolate dipped strawberries... and some champange... that he can have when he's off duty again.

[LeonardLawrence]

ZIPPER fed weapons are much cheaper Leonard and are more fun!

Ssgt,

I won't argue, but for some of us it's debatable...and I stand by MA DEUCE (50 cal machine gun) as the ultimate Valentines Day gift.

Besides, What woman could give you a 6 to 9 round burst and last all day??

[Phantom Blooper]

Very few Leonard.....I would have to agree...however it is sometimes nice to change barrels to keep them from overheating and melting....and the old rifleman cliche....."One well aimed round" is all that counts!

[DobbinsBlythe]

Ok, so here's an update ...

Last night while we got our.. hour to talk before he went in for the conference (11pm to 9 am today) he mentioned something about MECEP. I know that's the Mustang program...

He asked how I felt about it, and I said I'd support him through anything.. which is true, but I'd really like to know more about it. Anyone know? Or should I post a new thread?

[LeonardLawrence]

http://www.marineocs.com/portal/index.php

You have it right as usual SSGT.....

[HardCharger0621]

I was told about a ?paper review board? where the individual up for meritorious promotion submits a paper with all the relevant stats. on it and stands by for results? how does this work and what kind of information would go on this paper? Thanks for any input!

[Zulu 36]

I was told about a ?paper review board? where the individual up for meritorious promotion submits a paper with all the relevant stats. on it and stands by for results? how does this work and what kind of information would go on this paper? Thanks for any input!

I've heard of boards that required some sort of essay on a military topic, but that was in addition to standing in front of them so they could see you sweat blood while answering their questions.

Perhaps you are thinking of a resume or curriculum vitae the board wants to have prior to a guest appearance.

[SgtQuattlebaumJ]

I was told about a ?paper review board? where the individual up for meritorious promotion submits a paper with all the relevant stats. on it and stands by for results? how does this work and what kind of information would go on this paper? Thanks for any input!

Hey there devil, I believe what you are talking about may be what we know as a Book Board to promote meritoriously within the command. That usually happens in the operating forces where there are many prospects and very little spots available.

What happens is, HQMC says hey Bn or Reg you have this many spots to fill for meritorious promotions; Bn or Reg then tasks the companies with having what is known as Book Board to weed out those who will not stand a chance in the actual board.

At the book board, what they usually look for is the usual: 1. Date you enlisted, 2. height/ weight, 3. PFT, 4. Rifle and or Pistol scores, 5. Pro/Cons or Fitness Reports for E5's and up, 6. Date of rank, 7. Military Appearence, 8. Pg 11 entries, NJP's, or Court Martials, 9. MCI's or PME complete, 10. Recommendations from your higher, 11. Overall leadership standing amongst your peers.

Once all this known by the board from your Service Record and promotion package, they look at who doesn't make the cut and are left with a final number. If that number is still larger or they cant decide who is better than the other, they'll usually hold an interview board where you will have to make an appearance in front of a panel...

S/F -Sgt Q

[APX7000]

They, the promotion board, are hard and he needs to knows his stuff, from weaons to Marines Corps history. I remember my Platoon commander telling me that I was going up to the board for promotiom to Sgt."You better get it, or your is grass." it was hard but i beat 25 other E-4s I got it. Study and look sharp. he will be going against a group of other sharp Marines. Good luck to him.

[MotivatedWarDog]

Good Afternoon All,

Can anyone steer me in the right direction to find material to study for a Corporal Board. I am going up on one monday, and i was just told what i needed to get ready Tuesday.

Lucky for me i had a in side birdy who told me last week that i would be going up on it.

The recommended topics i got to study where

Land Nav / NBC / Interior guard UCMJ / Customs & Courtesies / M.C. Ldrshp


But the only place i can think of to look for this information is the stuff in the green monster from bootcamp, can anyone help steer me in the right direction, i saw a link eariler in this thread but it didn't work for me.

[DobbinsBlythe]

I remember in the Open Forum there was a promotion board common question posting... could be in the poolee forums.. um, I'll try to look and see if I can't find it..

[DobbinsBlythe]

http://leatherneck.com/forums/showth...Corporal+board

http://www.leatherneck.com/forums/sh...romotion+board



That's all I could find for now... but I know for sure that here was something in open squad bay sometime around 2006-ish and it was all about questions that could be on meritorious promotion boards....

>.<

[Chumley]

MotivatedWarDog,

Good luck on your Board!! Start off with the easy stuff. Be Confident not arrogant. Appearance needs to be perfect...recommend that you spit shine (& edge dress) patent leather shoes rather than coraframs (sp?) - You will stand out as someone who went the extra distance. All the obvious items, of course - fresh haircut, Irish Pennents, ribbons / badges PERFECT, etc. I'm assuming you'll be in either green Charlies or Alphas? If Charlies or Bravos, wear as many shirt stays as is needed to make sure your shirt / blouses are perfect.

Second - Bearing: I won a Board once and this happened...they had a chair for me to sit. At the end of the Board, as I stood and was dismissed, I was too close to the chair. I stepped back, about faced, and kicked the chair into the wall. I didn't let it stop my movement, and continued to step off without looking around like a dumb-fvck and left. I didn't lose my bearing, that's what mattered in the end. NOTE: When dismissed, and especially if there is a chair for you, step forward and halt or one side-step to the side. THEN step back away from the Board, about face, and Exit Stage Left. Just like you were Dismissed at Boot. Essentially, you should just about march when you enter / exit.

Knowledge questions can be about anything Marine Corps: your MOS, USMC History, Weapons, rank structure, Drill, Current events in the news, Chain of Command, MCIs, MCMAP, PFT/CFT. Your SRB / page 11s and personal history is also fair game...if you came in with some sort of waiver, they may just ask about it.

You will usually have SCNO's and a Senior SNCO E8 or E9 leading, but don't be thrown if it's all E8s or E9s, or if your XO/CO are there...be ready to answer to a Board of Generals and you will not be caught off guard.

If you brush up on the "History Question" Thread on LEATHERNECK you will find a quick source of a variety of basics that might help you out. This whole wwebsite has sooo much on it... I was asked about Navy Rank Structure too...see the History Question Thread.

If you don't know the answer to a question, just state that fact...Don't flounder around and if you make a guess, be affirmative in your tone...don't make it sound like a half-azzzed guess.

Look the Board member that you are answering directly in the eye like you can see through him/her. Do that anyways.

Before you leave, Thank them for the opportunity you have been given, then be dismissed. You may think that you failed miserably, but you don't know how well the others did, so keep your head up when you miss some questions.

Good luck!! I won 8 of 10 Boards I stood on.
Semper Fidelis
E-4 920602
Chumley

[MotivatedWarDog]

Hello EVeryone,

thank you for the advice i'm halfway there. I took the board at my unit level but now i need to go up to the next level to actually get the warrent itself. Some things they commented on about us was, our knowledge level was average. But the main thing i am worried about for me is how much my nervousness showed to the members of teh board, i won but they said i had to work on my bearing, not to be discouraged if i get a question wrong. Does anyone have any suggestions on how to work on that ?

[Zulu 36]

Hello EVeryone,

thank you for the advice i'm halfway there. I took the board at my unit level but now i need to go up to the next level to actually get the warrent itself. Some things they commented on about us was, our knowledge level was average. But the main thing i am worried about for me is how much my nervousness showed to the members of teh board, i won but they said i had to work on my bearing, not to be discouraged if i get a question wrong. Does anyone have any suggestions on how to work on that ?

It's tough not to be nervous, but it's also normal. The trick is to learn to submerge your nervousness and that has to be learned through practice and some mental exercises.

Get some friends to stage some practice boards for you. Have them come up with really hard questions. Study your knowledge deeper, especially since you now have an idea what is an "average" knowledge level.

When you know your knowledge levels are deep, confidence takes over and the nervousness submerges. When you do get an answer wrong, you have to adopt an internal attitude of "Oh, well, on to the next." and forget about the past. Concentrate on the question in front of you at that moment, not the one you blew a minute earlier. The only way to fix it is to get the remaining questions correctly answered.