"You're an Officer now -- learn."

As I briefly stated before in my "IBOLC to PL" post, even though I'm an Infantry Officer, I took over a Cav Scout platoon.  The circumstances surrounding my decision were: 1). I had been in TRADOC for nearly a year and I was burnt out on being in a training mindset, 2).  When I arrived at my first unit, I was put on brigade staff as a holding place until they figured out what to do with all the new Lieutenants (LTs), 3). I just wanted to be a PL already. 

After about 3 weeks on staff, the brigade (BDE) S3 (Operations Officer) called me into his office and just laid it out on the line.  He told me: "All the Infantry spots are taken up right now, at best you're looking at a 6 month wait.  We've got a Cavalry Scout platoon that's been without a lieutenant for a week now, do you want it?"  So I said yes and took myself down to the Cavalry Squadron that next day.

After meeting the Squadron Executive Officer (XO), he sent me over to the Troop I'd be joining.  Meeting your Troop/Company/Battery Commander can probably be a very intimidating thing, but for me it all happened so fast I didn't have time to be nervous.  Plus I was really, really eager and I just let my youthful enthusiasm carry me through.

The XO walked me over and into the Commander's office, introduced me to the commander and told him I'd just arrived from BDE.  He left, and I attempted to follow the book and "report as ordered" to the Commander (one thing I've learned: always air on the side of customs and courtesies.  If you think you'll be a dork for doing something or showing too much respect, it's always better for a Commander to chuckle and tell you to "relax" than it is for him to lock you up and yell at you for your lack of respect and military bearing).  He appreciated the gesture and then told me to relax, have a seat and talk to him.  Backstory on my first commander, this was his second command, he was older and on his way to Major.  He had a lot of experience, and with that experience came a quiet calm.

He just sat down and asked me about my life, where I was from and what my ambitions were.  Not in the Army, but in life.  He was a very personable man and I was put at ease.  Then he asked me about my military career: "Sir, I'm an Infantry Officer, I'm excited to be here but I don't know much about the Cavalry."  He didn't skip a beat, he just reached behind him to his book shelf and pulled out a binder.  The binder was the Cavalry Scout platoon field manual.  He just threw it on his desk with a thud and said to me one of the most influential sentences of my military career:

"You're an Officer now -- learn."

And then he just continued talking to me like nothing happened.  It was at that moment I realized two things: 1). I was a big boy now, 2). Training was over, you're a leader with men relying on you.

He just stated it so matter-of-factly that I was almost caught off guard.  He didn't care that I had no formal training in the platoon tactics I'd be expected to lead.  He just expected me to learn it and know it.  He didn't want me to do this as a learning point, or for future reference, he just expected it of me at face value.  It was one of the biggest wake up moments of my career.  I've had a few since then, but I feel that was a great starting point.

As I write about my time as a PL, I'll attempt to go chronologically as memory permits.  I learned something from every commander I worked for, and my big take aways from this Commander were: professionalism, the admin side of officership, and property.

From the anecdote above, I don't want to sell my old Commander short by making it seem he just threw a book at me and then let me sink or swim.  Far from it.  That was just his starting point.  He expected me to develop a baseline knowledge on my own, so I could speak intelligently to him on the subject when he mentored me.  In fact, part of the professionalism aspect, one thing I learned from him that also stuck with me (in that same initial conversation) was this: "You've been taught in ROTC that your platoon sergeant trains you up as a lieutenant.  While that's true, traditionally and you will learn a lot from him (and you should), it is the Captain's job to properly train his Lieutenants.  That is a responsibility I take seriously."  He did.  He always had time for me, my questions and to just call me into his office and give me a personal OPD (Officer Professional Development) on scout things he knew I either didn't know or was foggy on.
So if meeting your commander for the first time is the first scariest thing a new LT has to do, then meeting and counseling his platoon sergeant (PSG) is the second.  This Captain taught me a great way to counsel a PSG, and it's a method I've used with every PSG I've had, and knowledge I've bestowed upon the many PLs that I've served with on my left and right.  That is the subject of another entry, however.

Platoon Leader time: Complete

After 22 months and 2 platoons, I have finally completed my PL time and have been moved up to staff.  In that time, I've had 3 platoon sergeants and 4 commanders (well, I only had one commander for a month on his way out, but I still learned a lot from him in that one month).  That being said, I've got some experience and I'm fresh off the platoon leading trail.  If you're a cadet out there or a recently commissioned graduate, don't hesitate to email me.  Again, nothing I say is gospel, just what I've seen in my experience.

As for the purpose and direction of this blog, I will now fill it with some stories and situations I recall as a PL.  I hope to impart some advice on what it truly is to be in an entry-level officer position, and some tricks of the trade I've picked up from PLs more senior to me, working with several platoon sergeants and serving under different commanders.

After I'm done exhausting my stories, I will close out this blog.  I will keep it up, as parents and mostly cadets still email me from time to time, and there's a lot that's scary out there for a new Lieutenant starting from the ground up.  However, if after you get started as a Lieutenant and your career takes off, if you still need advice from a blog as you approach Captain, well, I can't help you.  It would take a better man than me, as well as some introspection on your part.

My time as a PL in two platoons was a great experience, and I've definitely matured as a person and as an Officer since taking over. 

If you stumble across my blog, I hope I help you out.  I always remember to throw my disclaimer down as much as possible: this is not doctrine, just my experience.  You talk to another PL, he'll have different stories and different advice to give.  That's what makes that Army a great organization.