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Passing Time in Plebe Summer/(I'd love to hear some of your creative ideas!)

DanMa1156

Is it baseball season yet?
pilot
Contributor
Hey all - I'm preparing to relieve my classmates in order to take over as Platoon Commander for the 2nd Half of Plebe Summer here in a week or so. While my classmates and I certainly have plenty of ideas to fill the dreaded "gray space" of plebe summer beyond the traditional PT, rating, and rack/uniform races, I'd love to hear some of your creative suggestions that you did either as cadre or while you were a plebe as I'm sure there were some things you guys have done we've never seen or have been long-forgotten through the years.

Thanks in advance!
 

xj220

Will fly for food.
pilot
Contributor
Ahh, the dreaded Company Commander time. Practicing drill and rifle cleaning are always good times. Towards the end, a solid Q&A session with the plebes to get them ready for the Academic year might be a good idea. It'll clear up any confusion they have and will allow them to transition more smoothly.
 

DangerousDan

I could tell you but I would have to kill you
Hey all - I'm preparing to relieve my classmates in order to take over as Platoon Commander for the 2nd Half of Plebe Summer here in a week or so. While my classmates and I certainly have plenty of ideas to fill the dreaded "gray space" of plebe summer beyond the traditional PT, rating, and rack/uniform races, I'd love to hear some of your creative suggestions that you did either as cadre or while you were a plebe as I'm sure there were some things you guys have done we've never seen or have been long-forgotten through the years.

Thanks in advance!

Lots and Lots of Uniform Races.
 

DanMa1156

Is it baseball season yet?
pilot
Contributor
How about actually teaching them something useful...

I certainly would like to do a lot of that and I guess that's what I'm aiming for among other ideas. I mean, I'm not looking to torture these kids unless they REALLY screw up, but I am looking to turn them into competent Midshipmen (I know, I know, make all the oxymoron jokes you want, but I mean, competent to at least get through the Academy).

The Q&A session is a definite - we certainly planned on doing that to get them set for the Ac year.
 

picklesuit

Dirty Hinge
pilot
Contributor
Lets see, there is how to read your LES, how to properly fill out your Page 2, how to deal with PSD, breaking down a good Fitrep and how to write them, how to interact with enlisted personnel without acting/looking like a D-Bag, useful hints on how to manage time correctly so as to pass classes and not waste all your time on stupid shit to keep the upperclassmen happy, NKO, and maybe, just maybe, they could also take the time to write home...if they don't normally get it.
 

exhelodrvr

Well-Known Member
pilot
From your experiences and observations, what "skills"/tips (that aren't already part of the program) would have helped you?

Looking back to those thrilling days of yesteryear, it seems like when people had problems, they were caused by
1) Lack of effective time management/prioritization
2) Problems dealing with pressure
3) Doing something stupid

I think you could give them some good suggestions on 1), possibly on 2), and probably not on 3).
 

exhelodrvr

Well-Known Member
pilot
You could teach them about diversity. I bet that'd earn you points with the Admin.

Good idea - what can you teach them that will make you look good?

How about some diversity marching songs? Could you sing "We Are the World" to a marching cadence?
 

Spekkio

He bowls overhand.
Lets see, there is how to read your LES, how to properly fill out your Page 2, how to deal with PSD, breaking down a good Fitrep and how to write them, how to interact with enlisted personnel without acting/looking like a D-Bag, useful hints on how to manage time correctly so as to pass classes and not waste all your time on stupid shit to keep the upperclassmen happy, NKO, and maybe, just maybe, they could also take the time to write home...if they don't normally get it.
Would upper-classmen even know how to do these themselves?
 

picklesuit

Dirty Hinge
pilot
Contributor
Would upper-classmen even know how to do these themselves?

Are there no E-dogs anywhere at that University? No-one who has ever written a Fitrep walking around? I'm sure it would be really hard to find someone with some experience in the Navy anywhere close to Annapolis...
 

exhelodrvr

Well-Known Member
pilot
Are there no E-dogs anywhere at that University? No-one who has ever written a Fitrep walking around? I'm sure it would be really hard to find someone with some experience in the Navy anywhere close to Annapolis...

Valuable skills, but not for Plebe Summer.
 

PropAddict

Now with even more awesome!
pilot
Contributor
Lets see, there is how to read your LES, how to properly fill out your Page 2, how to deal with PSD, breaking down a good Fitrep and how to write them, how to interact with enlisted personnel without acting/looking like a D-Bag, useful hints on how to manage time correctly so as to pass classes and not waste all your time on stupid shit to keep the upperclassmen happy, NKO, and maybe, just maybe, they could also take the time to write home...if they don't normally get it.

The bold text would be key training to have. Your other suggestions are so far off the average plebe's radar scope that even the world's best training on the topics would be forgotten almost immediately. Anything that "stuck" would be incrementally forgotten or have become irrelevant by the time they actually need to use it in 4+ years. These would, however, be excellent topics for 1/C training in the April/May timeframe.

Italicized text would undermine the point of other training.

Would upper-classmen even know how to do these themselves?

I had to write fitreps firstie year. The other years you just read 'em and sign 'em.
 

DanMa1156

Is it baseball season yet?
pilot
Contributor
Yeah a lot of that stuff is taught during your 4 years at school... interacting with Enlisted is certainly reviewed over plebe summer with detailers, Chiefs and Sr. Chiefs, and Gunnery Sergeants among others.

I'm looking more really for just ideas specific to plebe summer, as creative as they may be... rack and uniform races are really only good for so far. I was thinking maybe each night doing a MOH citation reading or something like that and other ways to motivate them and get them to take pride in Naval heritage.

As far as fitreps go, 2/C now write them (we're talking ac-year here folks) if they get to be a squad leader and then you write more as a firstie. I've gotta say I think my co. officer has done a good job trying to teach us what makes an effective fitrep.
 
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