In response to the graduation ceremony/parade. PLC JR and SR graduate together now. PLC Jr's no longer have to sit by and watch the parade, they actually participate and primarily get yelled at by the drill master during parade practice. That was a new change that took place beginning in 2002. What can I say about the differences in the PLC Jr and Sr courses? Last year I got on the bus to the airport after Jr's graduation and overheard a Sr's graduate say that Jr's is the exactly the same as Sr's. I suppose you can say this is actually true except for some very important details.
1) The PT is more demanding. This is true all around, but I found it to be far more evident during the humps. Even the 5 mile hump sucked, and that was unanimous amongst the candidates in Echo company. However, night humps will always be easy (at least physically).
2) The staff does turn it up. For instance, last year during Jr's I wondered why they weren't killing us for a lot of stuff we were screwing up on as a platoon. This year I was wondering when the hell they were going to stop killing us. You play A LOT more games during Sr's than you ever did during Jr's. Candidates DOR'd from the program due to the games alone, and that's the truth. Oh yeah, and your Plt Cmdrs act kind of like SI's.
3) You can get kicked out during Sr's. While Jr's presents it's own set of challenges, (and I do believe Jr's is challenging) you will graduate as long as you don't quit or violate OCS guidelines. If you noticed, Klostman, there were probably people in your platoon that are not cut out to lead anything, and yet they made it through the program. In Sr's we still had people going home FOUR DAYS prior to graduation. They sent home a van load. Thank God they weed them out, although it is not a perfect process. Sr's is not designed to get you through like Jr's is. You have to perform daily or else you're going home.
I was one of those who came home and reported back to my OSO telling him how much of a joke Jr's was. I don't mean that it is a total joke, so for those of you that plan to go to Jr's next year, I wouldn't take this totally to heart. It was mainly a mental joke, I suppose. Very few games were played, things went "unnoticed", and candidates slipped through the gaping cracks. In contrast, Sr's sucked pretty much all hours of the day. NOTHING you did in Jr's is counted toward Sr's now. That means you will take all tests (academic, and of course physical) over again, starting with SULE I. They now cram the entire 10 week OCC course into the six week PLC Sr's. It freakin' sucks, and there are no breaks. Just know that for those of you, like myself, who thought the 2 six week deal sounded appealing, you'll be getting yours the second time around, but hell, that's what we're there for, right? Echo company is the most demanding company in the batallion, and that's coming from the top. Golf Co. (NROTC) mirrors Echo, for the most part, but they get to wear go-fasters after humps and choice of boots for pt and field events. If you're going back, you have your work cut out for you. Enough of that stuff for now...
Yes, it rained forever this summer. It made all of the field events a little more interesting and practically drown you in the IMC, and made it pretty damn chilly at the night IMC. Candidates were sliding all the way down Belleau Wood during the humps. People would make it nearly to the top and start their muddy trip back to the bottom. Man, that must have sucked. We did all that parade practice for nothing, and got to watch graduation day turn into a three ring circus gone awry. Holy Geez, this reply is way too long!
S/F
Frogfly
P.S.- I thougt I'd include a picture of myself. That's me in front. I'm famous!
http://www.ocs.usmc.mil/Summer03/e_drill/DSCF0046.JPG