HueyCobra8151 said:
Advice from a current E: It may be awhile, but when the time comes: Listen to the Gunny.
With all due respect, he has been around for awhile, and probably knows how to run shiat.
Conversely: If your intuition says the gunny is a shiathead (and occasionally it happens) don't put up with his shit. Be assertive - your degree in underwater basket-weaving makes you the boss, so don't be afraid to take the reins if need-be.
Ok, back to getting sloppy drunk.
I'd like to add to this- from your commissioning until the day you hit the fleet you will hear nothing but "listen to the gunny". This is with good reason, as HueyCobra said, the Gunny knows how to run shit. I came to the fleet ready to pick up a platoon and trust 100% to my all knowing all powerful Gunny... guess what, my Gunny turned out to be a bag. As a bright eyed boot Lt coming to the fleet its not always easy to tell a bad SNCO from a good one.
In addition to your degree in underwater basketweaving, you have had no less than 1 full year of training that was dedicated to you becoming a leader of Marines, you know a few things yourself. No, you won't understand the best way to do everything your unit does, and you should learn alot from every Marine in your command, from Gunny down, but that doesn't mean you are clueless. If you didn't figure it out from OCS, TBS, and MOS school, inspection is an important part of the game. Follow up on tasks that you hand down and ensure they are completed to your standards. If you don't have that "warm fuzzy" that things are being done the right way, then guess what?
Nothing is sorrier than a shitbag Gunny who has his own pet Lt, and what will happen to a platoon in this situation. Take the initiative to supervise and inspect even your SNCOs at first.
A good SNCO should serve both as a Lt's advisor as well as mentor, but a bad one can be a major problem.
