Deciding whether to bring a spouse to Quantico, VA, while attending The Basic School (TBS) can be a sensitive and challenging topic. I got married about 6 months prior to TBS with the intent of dragging my wife across the country to Virginia. However, we eventually decided that it would be best if I left alone. At the time, it didn’t seem right for me to make my wife quit her job and leave her family for the short 6 [...]
A look at my personal final report card from The Basic School. Learn what will be tested at TBS and how the events are scored.
Technology and vast sources of entertainment surround us. As a society we watch and play more while reading, learning, and doing less. Holding the title of "U.S. Marine" doesn't make us superior to, or more educated than, our civilian counterparts. It does, however, dictate we are warriors with the responsibility of leading others and performing in dynamic and chaotic environments. As leaders and Marines, cultivating a "5000 Year Old Mind" is not a suggestion, it is a requirement. Most will [...]
One of the biggest surprises you will face at TBS is the ridiculous amount of money you will spend on uniforms, gear, and ops funds. Unfortunately, there's nothing that can be done about required uniforms and monthly ops funds (~$50). However, I can help when it comes to buying non-essential, but highly desired gear. Lieutenants in the hills of Quantico will do anything they can to make things easier, or more comfortable. Purchasing random gear at the MCX and Stafford [...]
The transition you will make from your MOS school to the fleet as a junior officer is both exhilarating and nerve wrecking. Those first few months will be the busiest of your life. Here are some takeaways. What you know, what you don't know, and what you don't know that you don't know TBS made me overqualified in many areas. I learned more than I will probably ever need to know about leadership, MAGTFs, infantry tactics, field skills, communications, PT, [...]
