Comedy of Errors
This past weekend me and the five other guys going to the course got in touch with our staff sergeant and told him what was up regarding our orders and check-in sheets. After playing phone tag for about a day -- and tracking down one of our admin clerks who reinforced the stereotype of admin warriors with attitudes -- our staff sergeant finally told us to just show up at the course as planned, tell them what's up, and see if they'd let us in.
But I think we all knew what the outcome was going to be. Who has ever checked into a unit or school without orders or written command authorization? But we got up super early anyway, put on the most uncomfortable uniform in the Marine Corps (Alphas), and started the long drive to Camp Geiger.
We followed the map that our S-3 (operations) shop had given us, and came to the exact building, only to find no one there. We asked some civilians inside the building if this was the place, and they said that the course had been moved across town to Camp Johnson. Apparently S-3 didn't get the word that the course had been moved. Awesome. So we high tailed it out of there and got to the correct building on the correct base right at check-in time at 0800.
And I can't believe I fell for it again, but this was another case of everyone talking something up so horribly that you think it's going to be the worst event of your enlistment. The way people talk about this course, people think it's going to be Boot Camp: The Return. They made out the instructors to be these rear-echelon sergeants with no combat experience who had the nerve to tell us (combat vet'rans!) what to do and how to act. We showed up to find instructors who were all infantry sergeants, had stars on their combat action ribbons (from combat in multiple theaters), and wore the "big three" ribbons: Iraq, Afghanistan, and Expeditionary (from before the individual campaign medals were created). The instructors were intense, sure, but they were not the drill instructor wannabes that everyone made them out to be. They obviously are loving what they're doing, and their motivation is contagious.
We went through the check-in line, and when we got to the desk of the chief instructor, we told him the story about not having our orders or signatures. After conferring with other instructors, he called us all back in and told us that he was going to have to drop us from the course. He was visibly angry, but made it clear that he was angry at our command for "setting you up for failure." Word. He went on to say that he knows our unit and respects it, and that he was going to put all of us on the roster for the next class, which picks up in late June.
So we left the course and I had a great feeling come over me. It was relief that this silly situation was over with, and happiness that we weren't going to get in trouble. It's not like I was trying to shirk responsibility, but it's a rare thing when something like this happens in the Marines and the person who's getting screwed is completely blameless. It was pretty liberating. And I know what to expect for when I go back next time, so I may even start looking forward to it.
But I think we all knew what the outcome was going to be. Who has ever checked into a unit or school without orders or written command authorization? But we got up super early anyway, put on the most uncomfortable uniform in the Marine Corps (Alphas), and started the long drive to Camp Geiger.
We followed the map that our S-3 (operations) shop had given us, and came to the exact building, only to find no one there. We asked some civilians inside the building if this was the place, and they said that the course had been moved across town to Camp Johnson. Apparently S-3 didn't get the word that the course had been moved. Awesome. So we high tailed it out of there and got to the correct building on the correct base right at check-in time at 0800.
And I can't believe I fell for it again, but this was another case of everyone talking something up so horribly that you think it's going to be the worst event of your enlistment. The way people talk about this course, people think it's going to be Boot Camp: The Return. They made out the instructors to be these rear-echelon sergeants with no combat experience who had the nerve to tell us (combat vet'rans!) what to do and how to act. We showed up to find instructors who were all infantry sergeants, had stars on their combat action ribbons (from combat in multiple theaters), and wore the "big three" ribbons: Iraq, Afghanistan, and Expeditionary (from before the individual campaign medals were created). The instructors were intense, sure, but they were not the drill instructor wannabes that everyone made them out to be. They obviously are loving what they're doing, and their motivation is contagious.
We went through the check-in line, and when we got to the desk of the chief instructor, we told him the story about not having our orders or signatures. After conferring with other instructors, he called us all back in and told us that he was going to have to drop us from the course. He was visibly angry, but made it clear that he was angry at our command for "setting you up for failure." Word. He went on to say that he knows our unit and respects it, and that he was going to put all of us on the roster for the next class, which picks up in late June.
So we left the course and I had a great feeling come over me. It was relief that this silly situation was over with, and happiness that we weren't going to get in trouble. It's not like I was trying to shirk responsibility, but it's a rare thing when something like this happens in the Marines and the person who's getting screwed is completely blameless. It was pretty liberating. And I know what to expect for when I go back next time, so I may even start looking forward to it.
posted by Ryan at 5/27/2008
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