Graduation

TBS Graduation is a little more than 72 hours away. 6 Months of tough training, learning tenets of basic infantry tactics, officership, espirit de corps, leadership, and so much more. This is just about as exciting as OCS Graduation, but nothing will ever compare to that. Pinning those lieutenant bars on for the first time will always hold the most special place. But TBS graduation is a greater accomplishment and means more professionally. A graduation from The Basic School signifies that your superiors feel you are ready to hit the Fleet Marine Forces and begin leading Marines. Most everyone that starts graduates. However, there are always one or two from each platoon who aren't quite ready and are forced to do the program again. Not being "that guy" is a huge relief.

As glad as I am to have this over with, there are certainly things I, and just about every lieutenant here will miss. First the friends we all have made. Hardship molds friendships and comraderie unlike anything else. Doing things like spending five days in the field in smoldering hot weather, hiking back twelve miles with 110 pounds on your back on 12 hours sleep in the past week, the endurance course, and the myriad of other phyiscally and mentally painful tasks we completed here forged some serious friendships. I'm going to miss all that. But I will see these devil dogs in the fleet, and we will take the fight to the bad guys, together, here in a few months in Afghanistan.

For those keeping track at home, I ended up becoming an 0402 Logistics Officer. I will be in charge of a platoon that will be assisting the infantry and other Marines on the front lines, getting them what they need when they need it to effectively fight. I am going to be station in Camp Lejeune, NC for the next three years.

OO-Rah!

David