Is friend getting tricked? Bootcamp requirement for PLC?

[HeyJoe]

OK I need some clarification. Back in the day PLC guys could get money, a stipend I guess, not the big money like BDCP. And I thought they went to Quantico as Jr's and were paid down there, returning after college graduation and getting their commission. I find it impossible to believe you get paid by the USMC in PLC without being in some sort of reserve status. To be in a reserve status you have to "enlist" and raise you hand. Now I know that there is no obligation until you are commissioned, but that doesn't mean you can not be enlisted in the reserves. Hell, a regular Navy OCS selectee is enlisted in the reserves, and goes nowhere, paid nothing, until he ships for OCS. Even a PLC Sr will be sworn in some weeks before he ships for OCS.

I was paid as a PLC Jr during the 6 weeks at Camp Upshur and then given option to "take the money" and be paid $200/month until graduation and commissioning. If you took the money, you obligated yourself to commission and if you did not complete Sr course, you either paid it back or went in as an E-5 as I recall (kinda like USNA obligation after junior year commences). I always had a red reservist ID card throughout that time. When I graduated, I was commissioned, but asked to delay TBS due to backlog of Air Contracts with winding down of SEA conflict so I was in inactive reserve with no pay until I reported to TBS and got my "Green Card".

 

[invertedflyer]

OK I need some clarification. Back in the day PLC guys could get money, a stipend I guess, not the big money like BDCP. And I thought they went to Quantico as Jr's and were paid down there, returning after college graduation and getting their commission. I find it impossible to believe you get paid by the USMC in PLC without being in some sort of reserve status. To be in a reserve status you have to "enlist" and raise you hand. Now I know that there is no obligation until you are commissioned, but that doesn't mean you can not be enlisted in the reserves. Hell, a regular Navy OCS selectee is enlisted in the reserves, and goes nowhere, paid nothing, until he ships for OCS. Even a PLC Sr will be sworn in some weeks before he ships for OCS.

These days there are no ties until you accept your commission. That is unless, like HJ stated, you decide to take FAP. If you take FAP then you are obligated. All of our candidates we've had at our OSO haven't sworn in until after graduation from both OCS and college.

 

[wink]

All of our candidates we've had at our OSO haven't sworn in until after graduation from both OCS and college.

So they get military orders to OCS and get paid while they are down there and are not in the military in any sense? How do they get paid? Are they subject to the UCMJ or not. If they have not sworn in before they show up for OCS they are just civilians. So the USMC sends civilians to OCS and pays them at a military pay grade while there? I don't think a green eye shaded comptroller or JAG would find that a suitable arrangement.

 

[Slammer2]

I swore in before I went to PLC, got paid while down there. They told us that we were subject to the UCMJ. When we came back, we stopped getting paid and pretty much weren't shit except for non-fat civilians. I dont get paid anything now (I didnt take and FAP or any other sort of money).

 

[wink]

I swore in before I went to PLC, got paid while down there. They told us that we were subject to the UCMJ. When we came back, we stopped getting paid and pretty much weren't shit except for non-fat civilians. I dont get paid anything now (I didnt take and FAP or any other sort of money).

That is what I thought. If you didn't get a DD-214 after you left OCS then you are still in the inactive reserve (this is good because all this time will probably count toward time in service for pay purposes). You might even still have an ID card.

 

[Slammer2]

No DD-214. Only thing we got was orders to leave OCS and to be paid for our travel back. When I went to Pensacola for my flight physical a few months after I got new orders and was listed as civilian on the status part (or whatever the appropriate word for "status part" is). Also, only the candidates at OCS we were to commission directly after OCs graduation received ID cards. I'm told once us PLCers commission we go get our ID cards at a fed building. I've also been told you wait for TBS to get them...

 

[phrogpilot73]

That is what I thought. If you didn't get a DD-214 after you left OCS then you are still in the inactive reserve (this is good because all this time will probably count toward time in service for pay purposes). You might even still have an ID card.

No DD-214. Only thing we got was orders to leave OCS and to be paid for our travel back. When I went to Pensacola for my flight physical a few months after I got new orders and was listed as civilian on the status part (or whatever the appropriate word for "status part" is). Also, only the candidates at OCS we were to commission directly after OCs graduation received ID cards. I'm told once us PLCers commission we go get our ID cards at a fed building. I've also been told you wait for TBS to get them...

You're in the IRR, whether you know it or not. That's why once you commission and start getting paid, all that time from Seniors onward is creditable for pay purposes.

Out of curiosity if we're right, PM me your name, and I'll check in MOL to see if it's got you listed in MCTFS...

 

[invertedflyer]

I guess I stand corrected then. I knew that while at OCS you fall under the UCMJ, yet had no idea that after juniors you are considered in the IRR. Very interesting.

 

[phrogpilot73]

Got the PM from Slammer2. In case anyone else was curious, he is listed in MCTFS as a Sgt in the IRR.

 

[HeyJoe]

You're in the IRR, whether you know it or not. That's why once you commission and start getting paid, all that time from Seniors onward is creditable for pay purposes.

Out of curiosity if we're right, PM me your name, and I'll check in MOL to see if it's got you listed in MCTFS...

Unless it changed, I was credited for pay purpose (PEBD) from when I signed on dottted line for Juniors and I delayed doing it because it was downtown DC and I was in school with no time to make that trek from U of MD. Looked really good on my LES every month! I could have added a couple more months. The OSO Staff Sergeant working my package tried to tell me what a good deal that was, but it didn't really sink in at first. Luckily, he was persistent.

 

[CaseyL90]

Well I went to the recruiter office yesterday. He was very honest, and told me that you don't have to enlist into the PLC, and you there is no guarantee that I would be accepted if I enlisted into the reserves. He didn't try to get me to enlist, and he didn't bring out benefit tags or whatever those were. He answered a lot of my questions. I also had some questions about the Marine Corps Force Recon team, because becoming special ops soldier or a pilot was the two things I wanted to do in the military.

I was there for about 2 and a half hours just talking to him. He was a pretty cool guy. He gave me a practice ASVAB test, but I only scored a 75 on it. That's passing for officers, but I think I could have done better if I wasn't sick. I had a headache and a sore throat, and I was a little bit disoriented from it

Anyways, he offered to go hiking with him and some other Marines this Saturday from 7:30-12, if I was feeling up to it (he knew I was sick). He's going to bring some rucksack and some other Marine gear, just to experience what it's like with the additional weight. I think I'll go just for the exercise itself. The additional elevation and weight will make my lungs work harder. Trying to get a perfect score on the PRT.

I'm at
~11-12 pull ups
100 crunches
my 1 mile run is 6:20, so my 3 mile might be around ~20min

 

[HeyJoe]

Well I went to the recruiter office yesterday. He was very honest, and told me that you don't have to enlist into the PLC, and you there is no guarantee that I would be accepted if I enlisted into the reserves. He didn't try to get me to enlist, and he didn't bring out benefit tags or whatever those were. He answered a lot of my questions. I also had some questions about the Marine Corps Force Recon team, because becoming special ops soldier or a pilot was the two things I wanted to do in the military.

I was there for about 2 and a half hours just talking to him. He was a pretty cool guy. He gave me a practice ASVAB test, but I only scored a 75 on it. That's passing for officers, but I think I could have done better if I wasn't sick. I had a headache and a sore throat, and I was a little bit disoriented from it

Anyways, he offered to go hiking with him and some other Marines this Saturday from 7:30-12, if I was feeling up to it (he knew I was sick). He's going to bring some rucksack and some other Marine gear, just to experience what it's like with the additional weight. I think I'll go just for the exercise itself. The additional elevation and weight will make my lungs work harder. Trying to get a perfect score on the PRT.

I'm at
~11-12 pull ups
100 crunches
my 1 mile run is 6:20, so my 3 mile might be around ~20min

Bravo for you and him!

 

[Slammer2]

Youre right around where I was with the PFT when I first started coming around, actually better as my run time sucked ass. Just stay motivated and keep going back to the OSO (whether in person, phone, emails) so that you can keep getting all the steps that you need to done. Its not an overnight process. Try to have fun on your "nature walk" They're a lot of fun at OCS. If you're interested in aviation then read the threads about the ASTB because you will have to take that too. And remember, if you go on a ground contract, theres no guarantee that you will be infantry (and if you become an 0302 theres no guarantee you will become recon)... so keep things in perspective as you learn about the process and what it means to become a Marine officer. I really can't tell you shit about it since I haven't even gone to TBS yet, but I went through a huge transformation process at OCS and got a much better clue to the responsibilities and character of Marine officers. Good luck.

 

[CaseyL90]

Yes

I'll call the OSO again, this time I have a whole page of questions I have written down, just from talking to you guys , talking to the recruiter, talking to other people.

I have already looked into the ASTB, and even starting taking a practice test I found on this site. I typed in "ASTB" into the search engine and found looked at the first ~13 links and a lot of questions and found this..."gouge". Not really sure what "gouge" is. Sounds gross, but I looked it up on urbandictionary.com and apparantly it's short term answers to a questions.

Here's what I found, links and questions that could be on the ASTB. Tell me if you think they are right.

http://www.forddoctorsdts.com/quizzes/MechanicalAptitude.php
http://www.airwarriors.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=5650&d=1197569364
http://www.airwarriors.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=5649&d=1197569364
http://www.barronseduc.com/0764135171.html
http://www.amazon.com/Military-Flight-Aptitude-Tests-Tutor/dp/076891700X/ref=sr_
1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1199371034&sr=8-1
http://marinegouge.com/mediawiki-1.6.6/index.php?title=Main_Page
http://www.grc.nasa.gov/WWW/K-12/airplane/short.html

1. First man in space
2. First woman in space
3. First man to orbit the earth
4. First man to step on the moon

http://www.airwarriors.com/forum/showthread.php?t=5804
http://www.owlnet.rice.edu/~elec201/Book/basic_mech.html


Navy Aircraft Designations
Navy and Marine Corps jet and helo types and purposes
Navy Ship Designations
E.G. Carrier – CV, Amphibious ships – L**, Nuclear powered **N, Destroyer - DDG
Ship terminology
Compartments
Structure
Lights on a ship
Color schemes (e.g. vest colors of personnel working on flight deck, pipe colors and what
they mean)
Greenwich Meantime Definition
Military Time and Zulu time
Aircraft
Control surfaces-what they do
Other surfaces-what they do (e.g. flaps, slats, vertical stabilizer, landing
gear)
Forces acting on an aircraft
Sections of an aircraft-names and function
Terminology
Propeller blade design and purpose
Fuselage design
Basic Pilotage
Right of way when approaching another aircraft head on
Standard day
Transponder settings
Turbulence conditions – types and what to do if you encounter
Runway headings
Lights on a runway/airport – color and function
What is the definition of a high performance aircraft
Wind effects on landing
Types of clouds and conditions associated with them
Types of approach lighting
Wind headings
Difference between magnetic north and true north
Lost communication light signals from a control tower
Hazards to flying (e.g. turbulence, thunderstorms, icing)
Things affecting lift on an aircraft
Humidity
Air Density
Altitude
Density altitude
Bernoullis Principle
Pressure and volume/velocity relationship
Basic Navy History
Year founded
All Aircraft Instruments and what they do
Aerodynamics
How is lift generated
Wingtip vortices
Components of an airfoil
Basic helicopter aerodynamics
What causes a stall
Different types of drag
How is lift affected when close to the ground
Significant astronaut missions
Significant milestones in aviation history ( e.g. first woman to fly solo across
atlantic ocean, who broke sound barrier, first jet to fly combat mission)
Aerospace physiology
Physiological effects of flying on pilots – i.e. hypoxia, spatial
disorientation, etc
http://www.carolinamarineofficer.com/Astbasvab.html
http://www.faa.gov/library/manuals/aviation/pilot_handbook/
http://www.airwarriors.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=4857&d=1185256043
http://www.airwarriors.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=4865&d=1185664076
http://www.airwarriors.com/forum/showthread.php?t=132360&highlight=astb+gouge
http://www.petersons.com/airforce/mfat.asp?sponsor=8

Edit Again: These are all the links from threads I found relating to ASTB, there's probably 2-3x as much on this site than I mentioned, but I only took the first ~13ish pages (not links) I found when I typed in ASTB into the search engine

 

[raptor10]

Not really sure what "gouge" is. Sounds gross, but I looked it up on urbandictionary.com and apparantly it's short term answers to a questions.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gouge#U.S._Navy_Slang

U.S. Navy Slang

In U.S. Navy jargon, gouge is the essential piece of information; the heart of the matter; or outstanding test-preparation material (such as an old test copy). A person who is tired of hearing all the extraneous information surrounding a problem might exclaim "Just give me the gouge!" Also used generally as a mark of excellence: "Did you see his sweet new car? It's totally gouge."
Originated at the U.S. Naval Academy and introduced from there into the wider navy, where it sees less frequent usage.