Shotgun announced

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Class of 2020 has been informed of being shotgunned. They are staying with their fellow plebes as they move to a new company.
 
I was a shotgun year, but we did not stay together. I think 2020 is being scrambled in USNA lingo. It has its pros. There will be some angst, because no one likes change, but it's a great opportunity to see another company operate, different officer/SEL leadership, broaden your network. The will still have the bond of Plebe year with their classmates. For Plebes who did well, they can't rely on that moving forward. For Plebes who maybe struggled they can cast aside that image and start fresh with their leadership (but it's tougher to do that their own classmates).
 
So they stay together in the move, like all of Bravo goes to Delta, and all of Charlie goes to Alpha? .... not sure how they name companies, just used that as an example.
 
So they stay together in the move, like all of Bravo goes to Delta, and all of Charlie goes to Alpha? .... not sure how they name companies, just used that as an example.
Yes. Alpha to Echo are the names for NASS companies. In the Brigade it's 1st to 30th Company.
 
They've known it's coming for awhile. The decision was made before I-Day happened. There was a LOT of disdain when it was being discussed last year. Even '16 had arguments for and against that were brought up during dant's calls. Not really sure where the stance is now, but it should be anything but a surprise.
 
I am always a bit perplexed when I see this mentioned for USNA as a "bad" and unusual event. USAFA does this as common practice between 2nd and 3rd year.

In the older days, this occurred after the Doolie year.
 
We all complained about it. It actually popped up out of nowhere for my class. From first rumor to a roster of new companies it was less than a month. I am actually a fan of it. It worked out so well for me. The majority of my classmates also agree it was a great move. You move around a lot in the fleet and this is a little taste of how that all works. It's also a leadership challenge for the upperclass to embrace their new company mates and figure out how to integrate them into the company culture and expectations.
 
Leadership will change. 17 graduates and 18 will take over in the fall as the new 3/C start their adventures in their new companies. They may have a new company officer or SEL depending on their rotation schedule.
 
So company leadership stays the same, just get new mids?

Yes - plebes formerly of, say, 1st company, will report to 30th company as youngsters. They will travel as a group.

Funny how this pendulum swings. When I reported for duty as a BattO, they had just STOPPED shotgunning, after many years. The Dant wanted stability. Pros and cons both ways. Change - and grumbling about it - are eternal!

What will be painful is dusting off the old "now how did we used to do this" directive.
 
DS plebe told us during spring break they were being shotgunned. The plebes knew it was coming. My question is this - how do they figure out which new company they move to? Is it randomly selected by computer, does 3oth company move to first and every other company move one number forward; ( 5th moves to 6th, 6th moves to 7th, etc.?) ; does the 'Dant put numbers-1-30 in a cover and draw the numbers out randomly?

Parents have heard that 8th company is historically in charge of Bill the Goat (the four-footed one). Do mids with a farm animal raising background automatically go to 8th company to help with Bill, since theoretically they would be able to interpret goat bleats/ baaas/ whatever sound goats make?

Video link is obviously not Bill, but gives an idea of sounds goats make.
 
Probably the most significant factor that determines what the new companies will be is siblings within the brigade. I know 5 mids in my class alone in my company that have siblings in the class of 2020. Since siblings are not permitted to be in the same company, that means that off the batt we can eliminate 5 "sets" of plebes that we won't be recieving when the shotgun happens. If you consider the number of sets of siblings in the entire Brigade, my assumption would be that there are only a few possible arrangements of new companies that are feasible.
 
They will figure it out. What's old is new again.
 
I had a pair of brothers in my company. 2 years apart. They ensured they were never in the same chain of command. We had a last second switch for Plebe Detail one year. We had a 1/C scheduled to be a Platoon commander. His brother was in his platoon. We swapped him out for the summer with another company and then during the academic year they were never in the same chain of command. It was never an issue. Funny enough... my Plebe Year squad-mate... I was the 3/C for his Plebe sister. Agree with Capt MJ, nothing new, not complex. They downsized the brigade in 1996 from 36 to 30 companies. The company that finished last in color points for each battalion was the one disbanded and randomly assigned to the other companies with that batt. Change is constant in the military...
 
Some of the above about siblings gave me the nerve to ask about boyfriends and girlfriends.... isn't the fraternization policy that you can't date within your own company?
 
Some of the above about siblings gave me the nerve to ask about boyfriends and girlfriends.... isn't the fraternization policy that you can't date within your own company?

Yes. If it gets serious for two in-company star-crossed ones, and to avoid slithering around under the radar, usually one of the pair asks to "love chit" out of the company to another. Plebes can only date other plebes, not in same company. If they are moving in a batch, and land as new youngsters in new company, they can then date other classes, except plebes, and not others in their new company.

If a plebe from Origin Company and upperclass from Destination Company have been gazing moon-eyed at each other from afar, and then find themselves in same company, USNA is not going to worry about it. They will figure out a path, preferably a good one, and it's their responsibility to know the Regs. [emoji16]
 
I had a pair of brothers in my company. 2 years apart. They ensured they were never in the same chain of command. We had a last second switch for Plebe Detail one year. We had a 1/C scheduled to be a Platoon commander. His brother was in his platoon. We swapped him out for the summer with another company and then during the academic year they were never in the same chain of command. It was never an issue. Funny enough... my Plebe Year squad-mate... I was the 3/C for his Plebe sister. Agree with Capt MJ, nothing new, not complex. They downsized the brigade in 1996 from 36 to 30 companies. The company that finished last in color points for each battalion was the one disbanded and randomly assigned to the other companies with that batt. Change is constant in the military...

This is really interesting. It's really tough to imagine that being allowed today in the Brigade. Was he expected to call his brother "Mr. ....." in company spaces?

I'm also curious to see if the the new Commandant decides to shotgun again for the class of 21.
 
"We trained hard---but it seemed that every time we were beginning to form up into teams, we would be reorganized. I was to learn later in life we tend to meet any new situation by reorganizing, and a wonderful method it can be for creating the illusion of progress while producing confusion, inefficiency, and demoralization." Petronius Arbiter, 66 AD
 
Yes he did when he saw him. It was always done with a smile. They kept it above board, lived on opposite sides of the company area and it was never an issue. Even if they were in different companies and he chopped by his brother randomly he would be expected to do the same. Sure he checked on his brother, gave him rides during liberty, etc. But it was never an issue, because they never made it one. Look you will have odd situations your entire career. It's all about being a professional and doing the right thing. I dated a Marine Capt when I was a Lt. Nothing wrong with that or against the rules. Guess what, I saluted him when we passed each other a few times in uniform amongst our work peers. I have friends who are dual military spouses and with the way promotions work were sometimes off by a few a months to years if in a different service and seen them have to sure one another. I had close friends who one day were a fellow Lt and the next a Capt and the new company commander who wrote my fitreps. It's how the military works. We were professionals about it and then bought him a beer that night.
 
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