Marine ranks: PFC-plus

Marine ranks

Hmmm, I think I lost a post somewhere. Well it's been a crazy few weeks, I can't believe it's been so long since I posted. I'm sorry. My Marine has been promoted a level to Private First Class (Sept. 1, 2011) and has that little thingy on his clothes now. next Wednesday he graduates from his MOS and Thursday gets on an airplane to his permanent duty station at 29 Palms, California.

Some of the other recruits received the PFC designation in boot camp already, This can only happen under very special circumstances: If you were an Eagle Scout, in High School JROTC or had Prior Service in the military. You can also get it meritoriously out of boot camp if you are an excellent recruit. Or two referrals in the DEP, as a platoon honor grad, over 15 credit hours of college, or are in the top 10 percent in your series. leatherneck

Anyway, whatever the timing, I am still ridiculously proud of my fabulous Marine son!

Bravo Team MTIC

Up up and on the way:

"In the United States Marine Corps, the rank of Private First Class is the second lowest, just under Lance Corporal and just above Private, equivalent to NATO Grade OR-2, being pay grade E-2. It was established in 1917 to match the newly created Army rank, although it is actually one grade lower." wikipedia

J.J. DID TIE BUCKLE or Marine leadership traits

Sorry it's been so long, had some computer issues and life is moving forward way too fast. My Marine will be going in October to be stationed in 29 Palms, California. Keep watching, info on that coming soon.

These leadership traits can be found on numerous business and civilian Websites as examples of how to be a good leader, USMC first.

Marine Corps Leadership TraitsThe 14 leadership traits are qualities of thought and action which, if demonstrated in daily activities, help Marines earn the respect, confidence, and loyal cooperation of other Marines. It is extremely important that you understand the meaning of each leadership trait and how to develop it, so you know what goals to set as you work to become a good leader and a good follower.

JUSTICEJustice is defined as the practice of being fair and consistent. A just person gives consideration to each side of a situation and bases rewards or punishments on merit.



JUDGMENT Judgment is your ability to think about things clearly, calmly, and in an orderly fashion so that you can make good decisions.



DEPENDABILITY Dependability means that you can be relied upon to perform your duties properly. It means that you can be trusted to complete a job. It is the willing and voluntary support of the policies and orders of the chain of command. Dependability also means consistently putting forth your best effort in an attempt to achieve the highest standards of performance.



INITIATIVE Initiative is taking action even though you haven't been given orders. It means meeting new and unexpected situations with prompt action. It includes using resourcefulness to get something done without the normal material or methods being available to you.



DECISIVENESS Decisiveness means that you are able to make good decisions without delay. Get all the facts and weight them against each other. By acting calmly and quickly, you should arrive at a sound decision. You announce your decisions in a clear, firm, professional manner.



TACT Tact means that you can deal with people in a manner that will maintain good relations and avoid problems. It means that you are polite, calm, and firm.



INTEGRITY Integrity means that you are honest and truthful in what you say or do. You put honesty, sense of duty, and sound moral principles above all else.




ENTHUSIASM Enthusiasm is defined as a sincere interest and exuberance in the performance of your duties. If you are enthusiastic, you are optimistic, cheerful, and willing to accept the challenges.




BEARING Bearing is the way you conduct and carry yourself. Your manner should reflect alertness, competence, confidence, and control.



UNSELFISHNESS Unselfishness means that you avoid making yourself comfortable at the expense of others. Be considerate of others. Give credit to those who deserve it.




COURAGE Courage is what allows you to remain calm while recognizing fear. Moral courage means having the inner strength to stand up for what is right and to accept blame when something is your fault. Physical courage means that you can continue to function effectively when there is physical danger present.



KNOWLEDGE Knowledge is the understanding of a science or art. Knowledge means that you have acquired information and that you understand people. Your knowledge should be broad, and in addition to knowing your job, you should know your unit's policies and keep up with current events.



LOYALTY Loyalty means that you are devoted to your country, the Corps, and to your seniors, peers, and subordinates. The motto of our Corps is Semper Fidelis!, (Always Faithful). You owe unwavering loyalty up and down the chain of command, to seniors, subordinates, and peers.



ENDURANCE Endurance is the mental and physical stamina that is measured by your ability to withstand pain, fatigue, stress, and hardship. For example, enduring pain during a conditioning march in order to improve stamina is crucial in the development of leadership.

Because it is important to always be able to remember the basic leadership traits, the acronym "J.J. DID TIE BUCKLE" is used. Each letter in the acronym corresponds to the first letter of one of the traits. By remembering the acronym, you will be better able to recall the traits.

J.J. DID TIE BUCKLE



Remember it yet?

http://www.zazzle.com/j_j_did_tie_buckle_tshirt-235365470508296034

Marine Traits: Dependability

"Ability without dependability has no value."

Leadership

So I came across these traits and I'm doing the third one first because, that's the first one I came across. But it is a good one so go J.J. DID TIE BUCKLE!

The third Marine Corps leadership trait Dependability, which means, “You can be relied upon to perform your duties properly. It means that you can be trusted to complete a job. It is the willing and voluntary support of the policies and orders of the chain of command. Dependability also means consistently putting forth your best effort in an attempt to achieve the highest standards of performance.” Marines blog

I am finding that these traits are used often as examples in the business world and that beyond the basic definition, Marines are encouraged to contemplate for themselves what the words mean. Interesting for an organization that supposedly tells its members what to think to be telling them to think for themselves. Pretty cool.

From an education website about a school lesson on dependability:

Students explained that they believed being dependable meant that you were trustworthy, honest, and did what you said you were going to do.  We discussed who in their lives were dependable and they concluded that their parents, some friends, and some teachers were dependable in that they could count on these people to care about and for them.  We discussed the difference between friends and acquaintances and how dependable each one of those categories of people were.  They decided, overwhelming that a few friends were very dependable but in all cases it depended on the situation.  I asked them if they thought that they were dependable people and the majority thought that they were. Character Education

So in the world of Marines, one would hope one's partners, fellow Marines are more dependable than friends, teacher and even parents. I wonder what a similar discussion with Marines would yield.