Reporting to TBS in October and would greatly appreciate any advice or "What I would have done differently" scenarios from retired/current officers. Many thanks, truly do appreciate it.

Drink less and study more. If you're a ground option, don't put yourself in a position where trying to drop your performance so you end up ranked at the top of the 2nd 1/3 is your best option. I was 23rd in my company of just over 200, which was good enough to get the last 0302 slot available in the top 1/3. Frankly, I don't think it could have worked out better.

Don't be a ******bag when you aren't holding a billet. It's a small officer corps, and TBS is where you start building your rep.

Thank you, sir.

Drink more, study less. And go as an air contract.

quote:

---

Drink more, study less. And go as an air contract.

---

If you're air contract, I would at least wait until you pass the eye exam. I roomed with 3 pilot hopefuls during TBS. I can clearly remember the panic on their faces 25 years ago, and it still makes me smile. 2 of them weren't worthy of the uniform.

quote:

---

Don't be a ******bag when you aren't holding a billet. It's a small officer corps, and TBS is where you start building your rep.

---

and don't be a d-bag when you ARE holding a billet either. the only thing worse than the guy that is a dick head all the time is the one who tries to be cool, then when he is in a billet he suddenly becomes a complete asshat. it's not a popularity contest....but it kind of is. your TBS experience will follow you as long as you remain a Marine. i still remember who the toolbags were, and (right or wrong) when i come across those guys today, that is still my initial opinion of them.

for what it's worth, i do wish i had studied a little more. TBS is a great school, so take advantage of it. i would never come out and say something ridiculous like "drink less" though.

at any rate, TBS sucks. you will hate every single day of it, then you will look back when it's over and miss it like crazy. one of my best friends is an instructor there as well, so if you have any specific questions that we dont have the answers to here, let me know and i'll direct it his way.

I enjoyed TBS, but I know that's not a common experience. A great company staff helped, and not needing to compete with my peers for an MOS through billets and high school level tests helped even more. Seriously though, there is some great stuff to be learned there and not being a d-bag goes a long way.

I hated TBS, but GAC hit the nail on the head with the air contract thing and the drinking thing. The motivation of going to Pensacola is what got me through tbs!

Thanks everybody. Definitely looking forward to it. Finished seniors during the summer of '11 so I've had plenty of time to get ready/enjoy myself before I ship. Anxious to get started just because I've been waiting so long.

TBS:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JotQ0qaXh_o

Oh my....Lt Heiman....is about to become a star.

I knew a navy pilot with the last name Heiman. His call sign was 'buster'

Rej, when did you commission? Is the wait time for TBS still ridiculous?

@texrex, I commissioned in December. It is slowly picking back up but its probably averaging about 7-8 months for ground guys and 4-6 for flight.

I wouldn't do anything different...here's what I did.
1) I had a very POSITIVE attitude about TBS. A lot of 2ndLts act like they are annoyed to be there when, in fact, there is a ton to learn. It is boring at times, but it's better than TAMU statistics. Soak up the knowledge you gain, it will help you be a better platoon commander. I've found that officers who say they hated TBS usually aren't really good officers. Maybe they did poorly, didn't get the MOS they wanted, had a crappy fire team, etc. Just my opinion.
2) Work hard. Like others have said, your character will be revealed in challenging times at TBS. Your decisions there will create a reputation for you that will last your career. I distinctly remember coming across guys from my company at 29 Palms that were turds. I told my Gunny to not depend on them for supporting our platoon because they were not dependable at TBS. The opposite was true for great officers. Again, focus on your character and your reputation will take care of itself.
3) Have fun. TBS will be the first, last, and only time where you're only responsible for you. Obviously, you'll have billets, but when you're a rifleman be the best rifleman, when you're a SAW gunner, lug that thing around with a smile and shoot the hell out of it (TBS will likely be the last time). My fire team was awesome and motivated. We volunteered for every night patrol (mostly to stay warm), carried extra pioneer gear, machine guns, barrel bags, etc. It kept it fun and created memories. Although I'm out now, I still keep up with those three great men. There will be times as a platoon commander where you'll dream of having little responsibility again, but after TBS, that isn't your lot.
TBS is what separates our officer corps from other services. IMO, it makes us better at our craft, regardless of our MOS and it can give us trust amongst each other. You should leave there confident in your ability to lead a platoon in combat, as by then you will have received more formal training than any enlisted man, with more still to come. It will be your charge to teach your men (and women) that knowledge and enhance the training, utilizing their lessons learned from their experience.
HTH

@3rdGenAg05 thanks for the insight, sir. I will definitely put that thinking to use.

quote:

---

I've found that officers who say they hated TBS usually aren't really good officers.

---

I guess I'm a terrible officer then... which is weird because for some reason the MC still lets me fly 35 million dollar fighters.

You must have had a great SPC. My SPC was absolutely notorious for treating students like we were still candidates. To be fair, I met a ton of great guys while I was at TBS, and had plenty of fun shooting cool guns and going to DC on the weekends. It's not all bad!

[This message has been edited by texrex (edited 9/4/2013 5:52p).]

Haha, sorry Tex. I initially skimmed through the responses and saw your post after I posted mine...figured it would draw a response. I'm sure you're a great officer/pilot. I've never met an Ag that wasn't (ok, maybe a couple). Just trying to give insight and a different perspective.

[This message has been edited by 3rdGenAg05 (edited 9/4/2013 7:16p).]

A good SPC does go a long way. Mine was pretty cool.

Haha that's what I figured. Oh and one more piece of advice to future TBS students... Capital Ale House in Fredericksburg (25 min south of TBS) had dollar burger night on Mondays. Oh and make sure to check out the civil war battlefield in fburg too! It's a cool little town.

quote:

---

I guess I'm a terrible officer then... which is weird because for some reason the MC still lets me fly 35 million dollar fighters.

---

I wont make any speculation on whether or not you are a great officer, i'm sure you're fine, but i know plenty turds that the MC lets fly 35 million dollar fighters.

quote:

---

the MC still lets me fly 35 million dollar fighters.

---

Got stuck with the fixed wing version of the Ch-46, did you? That's a tough break but keep your chin up.

That doesn't make sense

Haha Ulysses... Not quite sure what you mean! The 46 is on it's way out the door. The Osprey is replacing it, but that's not what I fly.

Ospreys have much longer legs and have an APUC of about $70 million. I was referring to the Harrier.

[This message has been edited by Ulysses90 (edited 9/7/2013 9:49a).]

quote:

---

Ospreys have much longer legs

---

Than a phrog, or than a harrier? If you meant harrier then this post is even sillier than comparing a harrier to a phrog.

Give 'em hell Jake!




"Swagger? No I just walk funny"

Edit wrong thread.

[This message has been edited by Steve Billings (edited 9/9/2013 1:11p).]