things to know before TBS

[klostman]

I'm putting butter bars on 21 May and hoping for Foxtrot TBS. For those who are at/been to TBS, is there any kind of knowledge I should brush up on before going to TBS? It'll have been over a year since I finished Srs. and I'm sure I forgot some important knowledge since then. What do you recommend? Customs, courtesies, tactics? Or should I expect to be taught this again when I get there? Thank you for your help.
Nick

 

[KBayDog]

By all means, learn/refresh all you want before you report, but bear in mind that you will be taught/re-taught everything. You can reference your OCS pubs, look at the TBS pubs online at www.tbs.usmc.mil, or peruse the internet.

However, I would recommend this: RELAX, have a few BBQs, and enjoy your last summer as a "free" man. You will hit the ground running in September.

 

[skidkid]

Buy Cold weather gear. Go to NorthFAce or whereever and get tactically colored snivel gear. It will be cold and wet and miserable trust me I was Fox 96-97. That is the biggest favor you could do yourself.
Other than that studying is fine but unless you have access to the currentpubs they are using enjoy the time before it isnt that hard.

 

[gaijin6423]

Ditto on the cold weather/snivel gear. You will need it in Fox CO. Just make sure that it's a 'tactical' color. Oh, and I recommend having multiple sets of quality gloves, too, as there's few things more demorallizing than cold, wet hands.

One thing my SPC was really cool about was letting each squad have one of those tiny high-speed mountaineering stoves. Could only be used during admin bivouacs and between sunrise and sunset, but damn was that a life-saver. Plus, it royally pissed the other platoons off when they saw us drinking hot coffee in the morning, so there's that.

 

[JDawg2332]

whats snivel gear?? is that just another word for cold weather gear?

 

[KBayDog]

Yup.

 

[klostman]

Good info, thank you.

 

[KBayDog]

The tests are Mickey Mouse; don't sweat them. You will find that the tests either 1. Follow the pubs exactly but have nothing to do with the lecture, 2. Follow the lecture exactly but have nothing to do with the pubs, or 3. Follow neither the pubs NOR the lecture (did I get the neither/nor thing right?)

Like skidkid said, enjoy your time before TBS. If you don't, you'll regret it while you're waiting hours for la palabra every...single...day.

 

[usmcecho4]

You can go buy snivel gear; however, don't go crazy with it now. My platoon put in a group order for UnderArmour and we got a 50+% discount off of retail. Plus when fox picks up it's still september and hot as balls in Quantico so you'll have plenty of time.

s/f,
usmcecho4

 

[klostman]

I've heard the tests are not that hard, but I figured I might as well brush up on some knowledge. I think the one thing that sucks is that everytime I went back to OCS, I forget lots of stuff because its been a year or so since I even looked at any of that trash. I don't mean simple things like how to right face or about face, other stuff such as squad tactics or general knowledge, USMC customs/courtisies. But I will enjoy my last time off as a free man! Thanks again for your help. SF

 

[freshy]

I'm putting butter bars on 21 May and hoping for Foxtrot TBS. For those who are at/been to TBS, is there any kind of knowledge I should brush up on before going to TBS? It'll have been over a year since I finished Srs. and I'm sure I forgot some important knowledge since then. What do you recommend? Customs, courtesies, tactics? Or should I expect to be taught this again when I get there? Thank you for your help.
Nick

I would review 5 para order. You will have many many opportunities to be called out in front of your peers to give them op orders. So if you know your stuff it will be a time to shine, otherwise your SPC will embarrass the hell out of you like it's cool.

Oh yeah and make sure you are in good shape.

 

[usmcegan]

I was Frozen Fox 03-04, and YEAH get some cold weather gear - like good gloves (recommend black skiing type), tactical ear warmers, warm,waterproof socks, and things like that. We also put in a company order for under armour and the leggings and cold weather top were money. Don't go crazy, it won't get too cold until Dec-Jan (when you're doing the FEXs) and you can get everything you need at the local Wal-Mart.
As Far as knowledge, I've still got a lot of the study gouge and stuff if you want it, but definately become comfortable with the 5 paragraph order.

 

[gaijin6423]

HAHAHA Egan, how come no oscar for your performance in "LT Napollean"?? Funny as hell watching you, Pachedag, and other the Marines beat the crap out of poor little USAF guy.

 

[usmcegan]

Hey you saw that, huh? Pretty good stuff. I think they really did a good job with the editing. BTW who are you?

 

[gaijin6423]

Yeah, I did see it. Funny stuff. It's Jaecks, btw. Living the primary life here in corpus.