Plc acceptance today!!!

kar57

5-Year Member
Joined
Jan 20, 2012
Messages
157
DS #3 received PLC acceptance today from the January 3 Board
:jump1:
For more on this story of the up and down, over and back details of this journey see the "Service starts at home" thread posted on the Naval Academy - USNA section !!
 
Congratulations kar57!!! Was your DS approved for Juniors or Combined? Just remind him that "It’s not easy". OCS is both physically and mentally grueling requiring all that the candidate has to give. My son Commissioned from the PLC program and is prepping up for TBS in a little over a month. He said the keys for him getting through OCS were persistence (never give up) determination (to be a Marine) and a very thick skin (nothing bothers you). He will attest that it is all very rewarding. In fact, the boot Lt. got to pull rank this past Saturday. He was in Quantico at the Marine Shop to get fit for his Service Uniform. About 20 Mids were down from Annapolis to be fit for their Blues. One of the folks at the Shop recognized him (he’s there a lot, his girl friend lives in Arlington) and pushed him to the front of the herd so that he could get fit. I told him that will be the only time a 2ndLt. will ever be able to throw the RHIP card (Rank Has Its Privileges)!

Congratulations again and good luck to your DS!
 
Thanks SubSquid!! I wish I could answer your question about DS being approved for "Juniors or Combined!" But, alas, this DS of mine is the STRONG SILENT type - the words capitalized for a reason...he is really strong and really silent!!! I was just thrilled to receive his call yesterday to tell me the news!!! Here are some facts that might(?) perhaps (?) be clues to the "Juniors or Combined" question. HS grad in '10, a USNA 2 Q'd, 1 nomination, candidate (DQ'd for vision - L eye only correctable to 20/40, not 20/20). So NROTC College Programmer (Marine)at Ohio State Univ. in fall of '10. In the fall of '11 his CO recommended him for a 2 1/2 NROTC-Marine OPtion scholarship. Last month, December, DS was informed by his CO that he did not receive the scholarship, nor, for that matter, did anyone else. DS was not to be deterred from his long held goal of serving in the military as a Marine Officer so when the CO recommended he apply for PLC and "fast track" the whole proceeding so as to be considered on the next Board, which was Jan 3. , DS put his head down and barrelled on through. It was impressive, I must say, to witness this blur of activity, occurring during FInals week and his 20th birthday and pre-Christmas and post-Christmas, and the travel back and forth from home to the PLC office (a 2 hour jaunt one way) to submit papers, sign documents, do the physical, etc. etc. He ultimately completed everything, including getting a really incredible letter of rec. from an Army Colonel - Special Operations, Pentagon, in time for the Jan. Board. I also know he will be in Quantico for 6 weeks this summer and then again for 6 weeks in summer of '13. DS's older sister (the only sister in the bunch - 6 kids, one girl) is a 1stLT USMC - USNA '09 grad. The tales from Quantico she has told have been legendary and the kind of thing that renders silence from everyone at the dinner table as she tells the stories only interrupted with occasional wild laughter! Oh my goodness!! She was deployed to Afghanistan this time last year returning to American soil (Camp Lejeune) in June, one month before she married her LTjg Navy SEAL - USNA '08 grad husband. Still trying to get duty stations in the same locale...ANYWAY, back to DS the newly granted PLC guy, he is persistent, he is determined, and he is thick skinned. Living in this family prepped him pretty well for all that!! I am so glad that he always kept his eagle eye (the one w/ 20/20 vision!) on his goal! Again, thanks Sub Squid! And Good Luck to your DS at TBS!!!
 
Congrats mar. I enjoyed your goodwill on the other thread. The fact that he's going two different summers indicates junior PLC. Only difference is its 2 summers. Combined says they do it all in one summer. Just curious as to why DS didn't try to hold out for Advanced Standing in junior year. $$$$? It might shed some light on what we face if we encounter same hurdle of no scholarship.

Bet you can't wait to see him in his Blues someday. :smile:
 
Congrats mar. I enjoyed your goodwill on the other thread. The fact that he's going two different summers indicates junior PLC. Only difference is its 2 summers. Combined says they do it all in one summer. Just curious as to why DS didn't try to hold out for Advanced Standing in junior year. $$$$?From what I could ascertain about it, anyone being granted the ADv. Standing status for next year at his unit was probably not in the cards, so yeah, I guess it was $$$$, or rather, the predicted lack thereof It might shed some light on what we face if we encounter same hurdle of no scholarship.

Bet you can't wait to see him in his Blues someday. :smile:

Thanks kinnem! And actually I have seen him (in a couple of pictures and once in person) in dress Blues - takes my breath away! The pictures were taken by the photographer at the Marine Ball he attended in '10 and '11 - two different girls at the two different events - both really pretty girls looking very much like they were very happy to be at a dance with a "man in uniform!" And the once "in person" I saw him was in the fall of his freshman year (late October), his Grandpa - my Dad (a WWII Army vet, 88 yrs. old) passed away and my three oldest sons were pallbearers. DS's CO gave him permission to not only attend (he was on duty or had stadium clean-up that weekend, I can't remember exactly), but to wear his just-issued Blues in his pallbearing capacity. It was a military funeral up in Michigan and during the graveside ceremony, the flag on Dad's casket was presented to my mother (also a WWII vet, now 91) by my DD, the USMC Lt., there w/her fiance at the time (now husband, the Navy SEAL Lt). Just days later, DD was in Afghanistan, beginning her 7 month deployment. Isn't life, everything about it, beginnings, endings, and all the stuff in the middle...just amazing! :smile:
 
Thanks kinnem! And actually I have seen him (in a couple of pictures and once in person) in dress Blues - takes my breath away! The pictures were taken by the photographer at the Marine Ball he attended in '10 and '11 - two different girls at the two different events - both really pretty girls looking very much like they were very happy to be at a dance with a "man in uniform!" And the once "in person" I saw him was in the fall of his freshman year (late October), his Grandpa - my Dad (a WWII Army vet, 88 yrs. old) passed away and my three oldest sons were pallbearers. DS's CO gave him permission to not only attend (he was on duty or had stadium clean-up that weekend, I can't remember exactly), but to wear his just-issued Blues in his pallbearing capacity. It was a military funeral up in Michigan and during the graveside ceremony, the flag on Dad's casket was presented to my mother (also a WWII vet, now 91) by my DD, the USMC Lt., there w/her fiance at the time (now husband, the Navy SEAL Lt). Just days later, DD was in Afghanistan, beginning her 7 month deployment. Isn't life, everything about it, beginnings, endings, and all the stuff in the middle...just amazing! :smile:

It truly is amazing. I'm sure he'll always remember having worn it at his grand dad's funeral. I expect it made him proud, amidst the sorrow, to do so, and honor his grand dad in that way. And having DD present the flag is really something too. You have an amazing family! (I'm actually tearing up here re-reading this!)
 
Congratulations to your son Kar57.

tgp, I laughed out loud at the BA-1100Ns.

The day I reported to my first CG Base fresh from school, the duty officer told me and another Ensign to go to the Radio Building and bring him back two Fallopian Tubes, and don't come back until you find them. I happened to know what that was , the ensign had no clue so off we went. On the walk to the Radio bldg I asked if he knew what it was he said No but I'm sure they will give them to us. I informed him what they were, instead of going to the Radio Bldg, we went to the Club and had a long lunch. When we finally got back to the Duty Office the Lt asked where the tubes were, with a sly smile on his face. I told him that we asked every woman that was there and none of them were willing to give them up to us, sorry. Aaah..the old days.

Best of luck to your son Kar57
 
Anyways...has the 2nd LT taken you and your Wife down to the Club yet for a good Dinner?

What?! He's supposed to buy something?! Maybe when he's locked up at TBS he'll treat his 'ol Mommy and Daddy to a nice dinner when we visit.

Yeah, bulkhead remover and 50 feet of chow line... Now I remember what Mids were good for!

Good luck with the 22 pounds! I quit smoking last year and have been trying to get rid of those rolls of fun!
 
Congratulations to your son Kar57.

tgp, I laughed out loud at the BA-1100Ns.

The day I reported to my first CG Base fresh from school, the duty officer told me and another Ensign to go to the Radio Building and bring him back two Fallopian Tubes, and don't come back until you find them. I happened to know what that was , the ensign had no clue so off we went. On the walk to the Radio bldg I asked if he knew what it was he said No but I'm sure they will give them to us. I informed him what they were, instead of going to the Radio Bldg, we went to the Club and had a long lunch. When we finally got back to the Duty Office the Lt asked where the tubes were, with a sly smile on his face. I told him that we asked every woman that was there and none of them were willing to give them up to us, sorry. Aaah..the old days.

Best of luck to your son Kar57

ROTFLOL! Non-military but similar story. My Dad was our scoutmaster. At summer camp each site was about 3 miles from the next. One kid in the troop was getting on my Dad's nerves so he sent him to the next site to see if they had a skyhook. Kid came back a couple hours later. Said they wanted to know if he wanted a left handed skyhook or a right handed one. Dad sent him back dor a right handed one. Of course when he returned he said they only had left handed skyhooks. But Dad bought a few hours peace. :biggrin:
 
Congrats mar. I enjoyed your goodwill on the other thread. The fact that he's going two different summers indicates junior PLC. Only difference is its 2 summers. Combined says they do it all in one summer. Just curious as to why DS didn't try to hold out for Advanced Standing in junior year. $$$$? It might shed some light on what we face if we encounter same hurdle of no scholarship.

Bet you can't wait to see him in his Blues someday. :smile:

I have to amend my response to the question about DS not holding out for Advanced Standing in his junior year. I called him last week just to check in and asked this very question. DS's response went something like this: PLC was a great opportunity for him in his circumstances - a second year, College Programmer NROTC-Marine Civil Engineering (CE) student whose goal is to earn a commission in the Marine Corps and graduate in spring 2014 (he mentioned being keenly aware of his younger brother entering college in the fall of 2012, making two in college at the same time, 2 at the same time for 3 years if he abides by the "typical" CE timeline). He explained that he wanted to take heavier class loads than what advisors recommend in order to condense the typical 5 year program into a 4 year one AND keep the grade point up. BUT he didn't want to in any way neglect or "halfstep" his duties, responsiblities/training as a College Programmer NROTC Marine (that doesn't make for a good leader or leader in training to neglect or halfstep) while pursuing the respectable GPA in the "condensed" version of the CE degree - he is committed, make that COMMITTEDbody and soul to the Corps - that's my observation anyway. So...when the NROTC 2 1/2 yr. Scholarship door closed and the PLC door opened...it was a wonderful opportunity...for him. :smile:
 
I have to amend my response to the question about DS not holding out for Advanced Standing in his junior year. I called him last week just to check in and asked this very question. DS's response went something like this: PLC was a great opportunity for him in his circumstances - a second year, College Programmer NROTC-Marine Civil Engineering (CE) student whose goal is to earn a commission in the Marine Corps and graduate in spring 2014 (he mentioned being keenly aware of his younger brother entering college in the fall of 2012, making two in college at the same time, 2 at the same time for 3 years if he abides by the "typical" CE timeline). He explained that he wanted to take heavier class loads than what advisors recommend in order to condense the typical 5 year program into a 4 year one AND keep the grade point up. BUT he didn't want to in any way neglect or "halfstep" his duties, responsiblities/training as a College Programmer NROTC Marine (that doesn't make for a good leader or leader in training to neglect or halfstep) while pursuing the respectable GPA in the "condensed" version of the CE degree - he is committed, make that COMMITTEDbody and soul to the Corps - that's my observation anyway. So...when the NROTC 2 1/2 yr. Scholarship door closed and the PLC door opened...it was a wonderful opportunity...for him. :smile:

Yeah. I've always been impressed with the PLC program. I know a couple college kids who have participated. It made quite a change in them, similar to what I see NROTC going for my DS. Plus there are some financial benefits not available to NROTC MIDN and a guaranteed "summer job" for 6 weeks each year which is not a bad thing in this economy. And as you mention, it does leave more time for studies and its one of our backjup plans if Advanced Standing or scholarship doesn't come though. Good luck to your DS. Maybe mine and yours will meet up in the Corps someday! :thumb:
 
It's Here!

Yeah. I've always been impressed with the PLC program. I know a couple college kids who have participated. It made quite a change in them, similar to what I see NROTC going for my DS. Plus there are some financial benefits not available to NROTC MIDN and a guaranteed "summer job" for 6 weeks each year which is not a bad thing in this economy. And as you mention, it does leave more time for studies and its one of our backjup plans if Advanced Standing or scholarship doesn't come though. Good luck to your DS. Maybe mine and yours will meet up in the Corps someday! :thumb:

DS#3 is now in the air making his way to a DC airport and then reporting to Quantico for the six week PLC. No communication for awhile now - at least not the conventional type communication, so I'm engaging in sending good, hang in there, thoughts! He and DS #4 wished each other luck and gave each other a brotherly hug on our front porch this morning - they won't see each other til Thanksgiving - DS#4 is heading off to NMMI as a USNA Foundation sponsored prep in three weeks. It's been a whirlwind summer!
 
Dear kar57;

Don’t forget to write those letters every day. OCS is unlike the rest of life on the information super highway, the Candidates do not have access to any electronics until the first liberty (about 3 weeks). Snail mail is their only contact with the outside and is your primary support mechanism. Make sure that you are positive and upbeat. If DS #3 is into baseball, send him articles about his favorite team’s progress. When the Olympics start, send updates about those sports. Don’t dwell on asking how hard it is and how hot Quantico is in July and August (believe me, it’s brutal).

OCS is the Marine Corp’s cotton gin. DS #3 will excel if he focuses on the moment and doesn’t worry about what’s next. The program is designed to test the will and determination of each Candidate in stressful and time compressed situations when the body is ready to collapse. Yes, it’s hard. It doesn’t get easier after OCS. At OCS, a Black Flag will cancel outdoor activities. At TBS, you’re still in the Virginia woods, carrying out the order of the day. In the fleet...

Give our best to your son and remind him that it’s not forever. The final march-off on graduation day is really special and will be meaningful to him for a long time.
 
Dear kar57;

Don’t forget to write those letters every day. OCS is unlike the rest of life on the information super highway, the Candidates do not have access to any electronics until the first liberty (about 3 weeks). Snail mail is their only contact with the outside and is your primary support mechanism. Make sure that you are positive and upbeat. If DS #3 is into baseball, send him articles about his favorite team’s progress. When the Olympics start, send updates about those sports. Don’t dwell on asking how hard it is and how hot Quantico is in July and August (believe me, it’s brutal).

OCS is the Marine Corp’s cotton gin. DS #3 will excel if he focuses on the moment and doesn’t worry about what’s next. The program is designed to test the will and determination of each Candidate in stressful and time compressed situations when the body is ready to collapse. Yes, it’s hard. It doesn’t get easier after OCS. At OCS, a Black Flag will cancel outdoor activities. At TBS, you’re still in the Virginia woods, carrying out the order of the day. In the fleet...

Give our best to your son and remind him that it’s not forever. The final march-off on graduation day is really special and will be meaningful to him for a long time.

Thanks SubSquid for your message!! We understand all the members of the PLC will be writing home - as ordered - at some point in the first few days - this will be the letter that has address information in it. So once we receive DS's Quantico address, we will send positive and upbeat letters to him!! Everyday!! We are making this a family writing event starting tonight and then just batching the letters for the arrival of address info.! (3 brothers, Grandmother, DH and I are the here-at-home letter writers) Is there a possiblity of calling negative attention to oneself with too many letters from home?? We don't want that!! Life is tough enough for DS without that avoidable aggravation!!! We await any guidance on this from Forum Friends!
 
kar57;

There is no stigma attached to receiving a lot of mail, just a very limited amount of time to read and enjoy it all. You might want to work up a schedule for letter writing so that your Candidate receives a couple of letters a day. The delay between when you send the letter and when it is actually received was 4-5 days. That was sending the letters from Philadelphia until they were actually in our Candidate's hands. We received a quick text from him in both Juniors and Seniors telling us which Platoon he was assigned. The Address is:

Candidate Last Name, First Name, MI
'I' Company, ___ Platoon
Officer Candidates School
2189A Elrod Avenue
Quantico, VA 22134-5033

It's 'I' (India) Company for Juniors. He will write that first letter during the time before "Pick-Up". Hopefully his Platoon stays the same but it has been known to change. If it does change, don't worry, he will still receive the mail.

Good luck with the "PLC Adventure"! The next six weeks will drag! Are you planning on going to Quantico for the Graduation? It's well worth the effort if you can make it.
 
kar57,
Good luck to both DSs. If you do make Quantico you might want to add an extra day to visit the Marine Corps History Museum which is just off base. It takes a full day to really go through the whole thing. We hit it during the recent heat wave when we had to be in DC for a couple days. We loved it and the DS especially did. He was "wowwing" in each exhibit when he recognized a famous USMC name and said "Cool. They have HIS sword!" or "Cool. They have HIS dog tags!". It was well worth the time.

We headed into Q-Town for a quick drive around. I've never seen so many thriving barber shops in my life!!! :smile:
 
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