• Please take a moment and update your account profile. If you have an updated account profile with basic information on why you are on Air Warriors it will help other people respond to your posts. How do you update your profile you ask?

    Go here:

    Edit Account Details and Profile

5 Paragraph Order (O SMEAC)

Mr. Blonde

My ass is a motherfuckin' champion
pilot
***Mods, I recently sent this information to several people who requested it in the 'overview of tests @ OCS' thread. I think others could benefit from it as well, any chance of making it a sticky in the Marine OCS forum?

I've attached various files conatining information on the op order skeleton.

The first file, titled "Blank Skeleton #1", was the format used by the MECEP Marines when I was in ROTC and is one version of a blank skeleton you can use.

The second file, titled "Skeleton #1 with Notes", is the same skeleton although I've written in explanations of the abreviations and what some of them mean.

The third file, titled "Skeleton #1 with order", is what your skeleton would look like after you've written your Squad order from the Platoon commander's order. Obviously you'll want to abbreviate more when writing your order down as time is an issue, but I wrote it out so you could see what I was putting down.

The fourth file, titled "Squad Leader Order", is how you should sound when issuing the order to your fire teams. Compare this with the previous file to see how they interact. It will also sound similiar to the order you are issued from the platoon commander, but you will learn more about that at OCS, now it's just important you get a basic understanding of the skeleton itself.

The fifth file, titled "Skeleton Explanation", is just some extra material that briefly describes the differences between the Platoon Commander's order and your Squad Leader's order.

Finally, the sixth file, titled "My OCS Skeleton", was the format I used at OCS. I based it off of a format given to me by my OSO.

You can look at both formats and decide what's best for you. The key to success with this is being comfortable enough with your format and abbreviations to be able to write things down quickly and be able to understand what you wrote and properly give an order from that. You won't be given a lot of time so familiarity is key. Practice writing your skeleton until you can do one from memory in case you need to make one on the fly, and you will also need to be able to write one out for the exam. I would suggest taking some blank paper and self laminating sticky sheets with you, so that if you find a way you like better you can create a new skeleton and laminate it there to use in the field. Clear as mud?
 

Attachments

  • Blank Skeleton #1.pdf
    26.9 KB · Views: 1,772
  • Skeleton #1 with Notes.pdf
    56.5 KB · Views: 1,255
  • Skeleton #1 with order.pdf
    54.9 KB · Views: 1,125
  • Squad Leader Order.pdf
    132.4 KB · Views: 1,219
  • Skeleton Explanation.pdf
    51.5 KB · Views: 945
  • My OCS Skeleton.pdf
    27.4 KB · Views: 1,384

Trev82

Registered User
pilot
hey good info Mr. Blonde, a little heads up i know when i was at OCS TSUALE or whatever was ok along with SALUTE, but at TBS at least with my platoon all orders were written with SALUTE. You can also throw in DRAWD, and an EMPCOA which go under situation and enemy forces. If you want some gouge on it or some other tips with the order PM me. I gotta get packing for my 96 this weekend and my trip home to San Diego..YUT!!
 

Mr. Blonde

My ass is a motherfuckin' champion
pilot
hey good info Mr. Blonde, a little heads up i know when i was at OCS TSUALE or whatever was ok along with SALUTE, but at TBS at least with my platoon all orders were written with SALUTE. You can also throw in DRAWD, and an EMPCOA which go under situation and enemy forces. If you want some gouge on it or some other tips with the order PM me. I gotta get packing for my 96 this weekend and my trip home to San Diego..YUT!!

That's lame they don't let you write it the way it's read out just so they can use a neat sounding acronym. :confused: And I did have the DRAW-D in there. I thought that was the same as the Enemies Most Probable Course Of Action, but I guess like everything else with the order it gets way more in depth at TBS.
 

MettGT

Registered User
pilot
That's lame they don't let you write it the way it's read out just so they can use a neat sounding acronym. :confused: And I did have the DRAW-D in there. I thought that was the same as the Enemies Most Probable Course Of Action, but I guess like everything else with the order it gets way more in depth at TBS.

DRAW-D is the enemy's capabilities and limitations - what they can or cannot do. The SALUTE and DRAW-D along with a good METT-T analysis allow you to formulate your EMPCOA (which is what you think they will do and will ultimately drive your SOM). Don't forget to FOCDPIG and PICMDEEP. Just for your SA...Enough acronyms for you?:icon_smil
 

Mr. Blonde

My ass is a motherfuckin' champion
pilot
DRAW-D is the enemy's capabilities and limitations - what they can or cannot do. The SALUTE and DRAW-D along with a good METT-T analysis allow you to formulate your EMPCOA (which is what you think they will do and will ultimately drive your SOM). Don't forget to FOCDPIG and PICMDEEP. Just for your SA...Enough acronyms for you?:icon_smil

God I can't wait for TBS... :confused: :eek: :icon_rage :icon_cryi :censored_ :drunk_125
 

sanders

Member
Graduated OCS today! Just some advice, if you look over this stuff before you go to OCS, don't get to confident. When they give you the notebook full of stuff to study, memorize THAT format, because you will have a test where you have to write out the main highlighted words by hand.
 

Kodiak

Member
I wouldn't even bother with it. You get all the classroom instruction and practice you need. Don't sweat it.
 

Mr. Blonde

My ass is a motherfuckin' champion
pilot
Graduated OCS today! Just some advice, if you look over this stuff before you go to OCS, don't get to confident. When they give you the notebook full of stuff to study, memorize THAT format, because you will have a test where you have to write out the main highlighted words by hand.

Yes, you need to know the way they want it written, but bottom line is if you know the skeleton good enough you can fill in the blanks. I based most of my knowledge of the skeleton on the examples above, slept easy the night before the tests while some people stayed up studying in the head, and aced the exam. The way they teach it to you is good for the exam, some of the above examples might be more practical in the field...

btw, congrats on graduating OCS...aggies suck :D
 

picklesuit

Dirty Hinge
pilot
Contributor
As a Navy OCS guy I feel truly left out...you guys get to do some cool shit in TBS/OCS. We get the "how to drive a ship" Nav course, but the rest of that crap doesn't carry over well. I wish we had a YP event or something like that to use some practical applications, the O course just didn't cut it.
 

usmarinemike

Solidly part of the 42%.
pilot
Contributor
As a Navy OCS guy I feel truly left out...you guys get to do some cool shit in TBS/OCS. We get the "how to drive a ship" Nav course, but the rest of that crap doesn't carry over well. I wish we had a YP event or something like that to use some practical applications, the O course just didn't cut it.

The grass is always greener on the other side. I cannot remember a time in the past two months when I have been well rested, and my toes always feel like they're going to break off. Yes, it is good training, and we do cool shit, but putting a four year education into 6 months is a test. Nothing we've done here is hard in and of itself. It's all pretty easy, but stringing it all together in 14 to 16 hour days is the hard part. Throw on top of that being platoon commander for two weeks. The 96 can't get here fast enough, but in true TBS fashion we have a FEX starting the very next day.
 

sanders

Member
University of Houston, Mr. Blonde? Really? I already got my high school diploma! But yea, like others were saying its not worth it to cram for that kind of stuff before OCS. Its not rocket science and it better to just learn it there. Definitely worth looking over before you ship though.
 
Top