I searched past forums for Black Flag days and they adequately described what constitutes a Black Flag Day. The class of 2023 is now having the next three days as black flag and that will be over six total this summer and they are at the halfway point. My question (out of pure curiosity) is what do they do for the next three days? Can they practice during their athletic period if they are an indoor sport or is it cancelled for everyone?
Black Flag Conditions - 3 days in a row
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Temple17
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Blag Flag Conditions usually don't occur until after lunch. The following changes are made during black flag:
1) The plebes do not have to wear their blouse with their white works echos uniform when outdoors.
2) Outdoor intramurals are canceled. (The detailers will find something for them to do in Bancroft during sports period)
3) The plebes do not have to run to their sports practices.
^Those are the biggest changes during black flag.
Generally, practices still occur during black flag. For instance, I did crew during plebe summer and we would work out indoors on the rowing machines during black flag.
1) The plebes do not have to wear their blouse with their white works echos uniform when outdoors.
2) Outdoor intramurals are canceled. (The detailers will find something for them to do in Bancroft during sports period)
3) The plebes do not have to run to their sports practices.
^Those are the biggest changes during black flag.
Generally, practices still occur during black flag. For instance, I did crew during plebe summer and we would work out indoors on the rowing machines during black flag.
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I just spent a couple weeks with my son helping him in his transfer to 29 Palms. One day we drove by the hospital and the flag was still green. It was 101 at 10:30 am. He would go out at 1400 every day to acclimatize. Six mile run then sprints on the turf field. I stayed in the room with two fans blowing on me. The only reason for the colored flag system is to protect the hierarchy when an individual goes down. Individual and intelligent group PT and especially field ops must go on. Three times stationed with the Marines I can count on two hands the number of actual heat casualties I cared for. All but a couple survived.
A quick story. I was acting clinic director of the French Creek Clinic a few weeks prior to transferring to BUMED. I had weened myself from sick call but helped out occasionally during busy times. One early morning a young Devil Doc called in on the radio that he was bringing in a heat casualty. They had been out humping the Camp Lejeune pine forest and one of his Marines went down. He showed up in a hard back Hum-V and the fairly new medical officer and a gaggle of clinic Corpsmen met him in the driveway. They immediately put him in the water-filled horse trough. I came strolling out to check things out. It was still early in the morning and I noticed the Marine was shivering. I asked what his rectal temp was. "Uh, we didn't take one, Senior." Go get me a rectal thermometer. Somebody did and I slipped him the silver bullet and his rectal temperature was 94.6. The kid was in hypothermia. We got him out and warmed him up before we killed him.
Heat is serious but can be managed with hydration and proper acclimatization. And supervision. And some dadgone mental toughness.
A quick story. I was acting clinic director of the French Creek Clinic a few weeks prior to transferring to BUMED. I had weened myself from sick call but helped out occasionally during busy times. One early morning a young Devil Doc called in on the radio that he was bringing in a heat casualty. They had been out humping the Camp Lejeune pine forest and one of his Marines went down. He showed up in a hard back Hum-V and the fairly new medical officer and a gaggle of clinic Corpsmen met him in the driveway. They immediately put him in the water-filled horse trough. I came strolling out to check things out. It was still early in the morning and I noticed the Marine was shivering. I asked what his rectal temp was. "Uh, we didn't take one, Senior." Go get me a rectal thermometer. Somebody did and I slipped him the silver bullet and his rectal temperature was 94.6. The kid was in hypothermia. We got him out and warmed him up before we killed him.
Heat is serious but can be managed with hydration and proper acclimatization. And supervision. And some dadgone mental toughness.
USMCGrunt
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Doc - you had to mention the "silver bullet?" Boy, does that bring back memories.
When I went through USMC OCS (Bulldog) or whatever it is called now (NROTC MO; summer between Junior and Senior year) we had something like 10-12 Black Flag days in a row. To @noco - I can't speak to USNA Plebe Summer but in Quantico, they just shifted the training day hours such that we were rising at 0430 and hitting the PT courses as the sun was rising. We generally had classroom sessions in the heat of the day and "ended" the official day a little earlier. This doesn't mean it was all gumdrops and rainbows. We still had a lot of outdoor activities during black flag days - just no official PT or strenuous activity.
During that summer, they had the canvas, water-filled troughs all over the PT field and Parade Deck. Every once in awhile they would carry some poor Candidate over and dunk him in. Then came the "silver bullet". That alone, was motivation to avoid heat issues! They also forced us to drink our canteens dry several times during the day. Imagine, if you will, 40+ guys in formation who were told (by the numbers) to pull a canteen from our cartridge belt, open it, drink as fast as humanly possible (with a Sergeant Instructor "encouraging" you to go faster, and then requiring you to hold the canteen upside down over your head to prove you had consumed all the water. The gurgling sound from all the guys doing this at the same time was comical!
When I went through USMC OCS (Bulldog) or whatever it is called now (NROTC MO; summer between Junior and Senior year) we had something like 10-12 Black Flag days in a row. To @noco - I can't speak to USNA Plebe Summer but in Quantico, they just shifted the training day hours such that we were rising at 0430 and hitting the PT courses as the sun was rising. We generally had classroom sessions in the heat of the day and "ended" the official day a little earlier. This doesn't mean it was all gumdrops and rainbows. We still had a lot of outdoor activities during black flag days - just no official PT or strenuous activity.
During that summer, they had the canvas, water-filled troughs all over the PT field and Parade Deck. Every once in awhile they would carry some poor Candidate over and dunk him in. Then came the "silver bullet". That alone, was motivation to avoid heat issues! They also forced us to drink our canteens dry several times during the day. Imagine, if you will, 40+ guys in formation who were told (by the numbers) to pull a canteen from our cartridge belt, open it, drink as fast as humanly possible (with a Sergeant Instructor "encouraging" you to go faster, and then requiring you to hold the canteen upside down over your head to prove you had consumed all the water. The gurgling sound from all the guys doing this at the same time was comical!
Mids have plenty of chances to swim, but 1200 Plebes don’t fit in 1 pool. USNA has been at this a long long time. Most afternoons are a lot of classroom time, uniforms, etc. The schedule is like this on purpose. I mean they have air conditioning now! I know the current Plebes don’t think it works well enough, but it’s better than nothing. But seriously Plebe Summer occurs the same time year after year. PEP is at 6 am. During the day they have to rotate 30 platoons through swimming, sailing, o course, e course, uniform issue, and dozens and dozens of other things. USNA has made a large investment in these young men and women and don’t want to harm them. Also it’s a lesson in leadership in taking care of your people. One day they could be leading a platoon of Marines in full body armor in Iraq or Afghanistan where it’s even hotter. War doesn’t stop for heat and humidity. So how do you ensure your Marines can sustain the fight in this type of environment? Water, more water, eating right, Gatorade, watching your Marines for heat issues, acclimation (maybe not a day patrol on day 1 in country is a wise move). They are learning all this while also going through it. This is part of the leadership laboratory they are learning about. As the schedule changes, detailers have to adapt on the fly to ensure training continues without missing a beat. They then have to rebalance the schedule to ensure if that was a critical evolution how does it now fit in the schedule. The detailers and Plebes are all learning every single minute of the day. The lessons are applicable now and in the fleet.
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I saw it on their Instagram story. It was earlier today.
Old Navy BGO
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The glory of the modern technology age..... I doubt my parents knew when we had Prades, when we had black flag days, or where Waldo was.
I don’t think my parents knew anything except my mailing address, it was hot, we got yelled at a lot and we did PT non-stop, and then when PPW was. Beyond that they only knew what I told them. My letters were vague... I am good. Send me some food. It sucks, but its manageable. Can’t wait to see you guys. To be totally honest, I am kind of glad it was that way!
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Parents would be much more gladder too if they didn't know play by play what DS/DD were doing. I knew what my son was about to go through when he went to OCS, and watching as it happened or reading about it the next day would have been tough. I doubt Plebe Summer is as tough as Marine OCS but to parents of 18 year olds I'm sure its an ordeal. I also always knew what the weather was because I live a couple miles from Quantico. He later on deployments hooked me up good though by calling me on his burner phone and telling me he was about to go out in a helicopter. I hate helos.
On a positive note, we in the DMV only have about three more days of 110 plus heat index. Monday we'll see storms bring in mid-80s for the week.
navyfamilyof4
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We were staying in the Lazy Turtle Lodge on base and the base has a 75 degree limit on air conditioning. Seventy five may not sound too bad but 75 at the thermostat was not 75 throughout the room. Our room had one of those table top fans but I needed one just for me so asked the front desk girl if she could give me another. She did. I started getting used to the dry heat and altitude then had to come home. Home, where today it will be 115 heat index and I am sitting in front of a fan as I keyboard this.
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Hmmm, you can cheat and heat up the thermostat with a blow dryer from time to time. It isn't a very ecologically friendly tactic, but all is fair in love and heat abatement.