Is there a detailer switch during PS?

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kit kat

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Do the same detailers stay with a platoon the whole PS or do they switch part way through? I thought I read somewhere they switch and that for some kids that is a new adjustment, but for the life of me I can't find the info after searching.
 
They have 1st and 2nd set detailers. They switch half way through to my knowledge . The people more familiar with USNA can comment on this better than I.
 
Yes - there are two "Summer Sets" of detailers - which gives leadership opportunities to more people just as there are two "Stiper Sets" during academic year. In the case of Plebe Summer, the detailers still need to go on their own summer training as well as (hopefully) get some leave so they do not stay through all of plebe summer
 
As a general rule, first set help new plebes acclimate to the military. Second set helps them get ready to join the brigade. A somewhat different focus/approach.
 
Agree with everything said here. There is a ‘break them down’ phase of Plebe Summer and ‘build them back up’. First set is a lot of yelling, failing and basics. Second set comes in and gets them ready to join the brigade. They gain confidence and get things right more than wrong. The physical is less hard. It becomes a mind game. It’s refinement. You can see them gain confidence daily as individuals and as a team. Technically they still have a week of Plebe summer PPW. It’s different though. It’s finalizing uniforms, books, classes, moving rooms, computer issue, etc. They get a lot more down time and can usually move around the yard a little bit more than before. The detailers are also trying to get ready for classes too, so the breaks help them. First set will change over to second set detail usually around 3 weeks. It’s a time of uncertainty for Plebes, they got used to their detailers. Now the unknown has arrived, but they adjust. Believe it or not detailers get a lot less sleep and work just as hard as the Plebes. They go to sleep well after the Plebes and wake up well before them. It’s a grind and they are ready for the break.
 
Yep, an entire new cast of detailers comes in halfway through Plebe Summer, as the first set goes off on other trainings or leave. This year turnover is July 21. The first few days with second set tends to hit the Plebes hard, as they’ve settled in on a familiar routine with their first set detailers. Like the first set detailers did at the start of PS, second set is eager to assert its dominance by yelling and making the Plebes do some of their least favorite grayspace activities. Then after a few days, much of the dust settles, the new detailers lose their voice and succumb to exhaustion, and the Plebes adapt to their new chain of command.

While in theory you’d expect second set to be focused on building the Plebes back up, based on my experience, there’s just as much yelling and PT during second set as there was during first. A rite of passage for many companies during second set is the “meatlocker” PT session. It’s as fun as it sounds. Good times...
 
My Mid is finishing up an internship in San Diego (well rested after a 4 day weekend) and ready to head back to the Yard to take over a squad for the second 1/2 half of Plebe summer.
 
kit kat said:
Do the same detailers stay with a platoon the whole PS or do they switch part way through? I thought I read somewhere they switch and that for some kids that is a new adjustment, but for the life of me I can't find the info after searching.
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kit kat - the arrival of the 2nd set of detailers is another in a long line of stressors for the Plebes. First they'll stress with anticipation. Then they'll stress during the transition. All part of the (painful) process. A lot, of course, depends on the company, but don't be surprised if the arrival of the 2nd set causes additional stress.
 
Addendum to my above post: My comment was not directed toward the OP or any of the wonderful parents on this forum.
 
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What kind of deprivation, lack of ability or temperament, that would cause so much stress because of Detailer switch?
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Maybe I am going off on a tangent here, but, how many of these kids have done something dangerous, tumbled, and are alive to tell about it. I might sound cruel, but I think every kid should experience a ladder being kicked-out from underneath them. Most cases, you hit the ground, a little shaken up, but Ok. I can remember summers in HS and college working for my brother (a building contractor) framing, and doing other odd very strenuous jobs all day long. You get dog tired out in the heat. And all kinds of crazy things happen, like the times a ladder kick-out, or when I had to bail from walking a wall because my balance was all off. This usually happens when you are tired.

You feel alive when your pushed to your limits, or hit the ground from high up. Everyone should experience feeling alive.

Different times I suppose.
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ders_dad said:
I suspects it is the fear/apprehension of the unknown. Reality is almost always different than what the imagination (helped by some external stimuli) can conjure up.
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Yep, fundamental human psychology. The Plebes have already had everything they've known turned upside down and will be facing another variable.
 
Maybe some Stockholm syndrome during Plebe summer and Detailers may be painting a dark picture about the change. I know DD was a little stressed about reform based on things she'd heard from Detailers.
 
helmsdown said:
I know DD was a little stressed about reform based on things she'd heard from Detailers.
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That's actually part of the game. In more modern terms, its a feature, not a bug. One of the major points of plebe summer is to place the plebes under pressure and then
ratchet/crank it up on a repeated basis. Being told that "The next set" (of detailers) is more strict, mean,tough, etc is part of not letting it get too routine and easy. And late in the summer, when they remind the plebes that Academic year companies have MANY more upperclass than plebes so there is nowhere to hide is the next iteration of that.
Trying to help the plebes through this is not good for their development and believe me, the stress of being the Officer of the Deck on a dark and stormy night, flying the ball for a night approach, etc are MUCH more intense than the "kid stuff" of plebe summer but that building block of plebe summer stress is part of being able to handle it later.
 
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