My plebe was allowed on deck anytime during the day last year. I guess it’s company dependent. In fact she was never on deck due to her sport and it was frowned upon. She was so busy she never had time to hang out with company peeps.
She may have had significant out of company "stuff" as I did for my sport but there are a million reasons/needs to stop in your room even if you don't stay there. After the morning classes, you have books and supplies that you absolutely can't bring to formation. There are no lockers for during the day storage of your stuff. You'll need different books/materials for afternoon classes as well as dropping the same before practice. Maybe its different now but as a plebe, we needed to at least brush off and reset our uniforms before formation, heck how about WASHING YOUR HANDS before formation and chow to get the grime and dirt off that you might have accumulated during the morning.
Walking on the yard, talking to two Mids they confirmed this is still the case when I told them my son was in 25th! Ha!
Yes, to bringing your stuff. You would be allowed to change/shower on deck and of course come back for chow calls for noon meal formation. It is not an absolute. Uniform inspections were a weekly thing when I was there. They were more to the tune of "Hey bud, you got some lint on your collar, let me brush it off" instead of "You have lint on your collar, that's a hit." Plus, evening meal formation (and the chow calls to go with it) happened only once in a blue moon when I was there. It was only for mandatory dinner events. A normal dinner is rolling tray (wearing the track suit, sitting with who you want, where you want). I think the hours are 1730-1930.
Yes agree on all. Mine was in and out of her deck all day. But her non varsity athlete plebe company mates had much more time to hang out together.
Yes. You will stay in your initial platoon and company throughout Plebe Summer. The only way a Plebe will move companies is if they go to Tango Company and they are then assigned a new company.
What is Tango Company?
My research says that it's for plebes who want to leave during Plebe summer. Sounds like its a intermediate step for the plebe to work out if they truly want to leave or if they get assign to a new company for a fresh start.
It’s also staffed with specially trained detailers. Plebes are counseled and tended to in a different way than the other companies. Some work through their stuff, others don’t. I’ve known one who went through the process. No photos of Tango company.
What @JaxGolfGuy said. Tango opens up around 10 days after I-Day and closes a week or so before the end of PS.
It was around in the mid-70's as least. . . might be 60's or older.
Tango was well-established when I was a BattO in the 90’s, same description as above posts. A place to pause, figure it out, take a breath, decide next steps. I was told Navy was losing too many with the “I” introversion factor in their make-up, because of the sudden and near-shocking onslaught of PS togetherness and “E” people in their element.These plebes would just shut down. A great number of senior military officers have that “I” element. I test as either INTJ or ESTJ myself. I have no problem putting on my “E” face as needed, but need my “I” re-charge quiet time.
Now this makes me wonder how long the MBTI has been around and how long it has been used in the corporate and military populations. When I went through leadership classes, we took two MBTIs. Once as a plebe and I think one as a second class. The Brigade has multiple personality types, but the most common one was ISTJ when I was there.
Thank you. Very interesting to know. I think my DGD will stick it out, but she did cry upon seeing her mom and judging by the pictures of her, she was definitely in culture shock. We did see her in a video of her company run and she looked good so that definitely made us all feel better about how she is coping.
There is no way to prepare for the abrupt and shocking change in direction, no matter if they have made Yard visits, attended NASS, talked to midshipmen. They are in the military now. They are adults. It is real. Their natural resilience will sustain them, as well as their equally shocked classmates to their right, left, front and back. Those impossibly confident, squared-away and competent detailers were plebes themselves not so long ago. Many of these plebes have never failed before or been at the bottom of the performance food chain. They will learn to fail, recover, persevere, succeed. All of this has a purpose, to bring out inner grit. It just isn’t very clear when you’re in the middle of it…