NALC

[roger29]

As time nears to camp, many question when the best time to go is...ie...Early regiments or later one's...

Right now, I find myself to be a fairly squared away cadet. I am confident in saying I'm not the best, but I know my stuff and do well. My downfall is my gpa, which is right at a 3.0. Honostly, top third at camp is what I'm striving for, but I have heard that the earlier regiments are alot tougher? I have heard the argument for and against, but do what do you all think? Is it really that much harder? Will it effect my standings for the national oml?

[Sammy Sandbag]

but I have heard that the earlier regiments are alot tougher? I have heard the argument for and against, but do what do you all think? Is it really that much harder? Will it effect my standings for the national oml?

No they are no tougher, actually I would say easier. The TACs and NCOs that run the place have just got there too and aren't all pissy yet. I'd say go to any early regiment if you can. You'll be in better shape and still retain some of what you learned your MSIII year. But probably the greatest advantage is that you are done before anyone else. You're leaving just as the later regiments are coming in, and you can taunt their sorry asses for it. Another advantage is that camp is less crowded for the early guys. You can actually go to the PX and find what you need and buy it in a few minutes, versus waiting in line forever. You get back early and have the rest of the Summer to screw around. If you can go early, it also increases your chance of picking up some follow on training. There are gobs of slots for early regs. They were offering airborne, air assault, mountain warfare, and ctlt to my regiment. Just so you know, I went to 2nd Regiment '03 and 13th Regiment '04, so I have a perspective on both. Sun poisoning cut my vacation short the first go-round.

[gracefulc]

Sun Poisoning? Sammy do you mean you got so badly sunburned they sent you home? If that isn't what you mean, please explain as I've never heard of Sun poisoning. Did it not rain while you were there or something?

[Sammy Sandbag]

It involves projectile vomitting, dizziness, bleeding sun-burn, and a lot more. Not sure what the technical terms are, but it sucks. It didn't rain the first time I was there. The second time it only misted every now and then, with one short hail storm (yes hail in June)

[Sammy Sandbag]

Something along these lines: http://my.webmd.com/content/healthwise/28/7032

Minus the moist skin, sweating a lot, fast heart rate, and fainting.

But back to the subject. I forgot to mention that your regiment has no effect on your OML rank. That is all compiled after the completion of the last reg. All the scores and evals are entered into CCIMS real time, but the offical OML doesn't come out to much later.

[roger29]

So, in theory, I can come in last in an early reg platoon, but still do better than someone at the top of a later reg platoon?

[Kensei10]

Goto NALC smile and nod, and don't sweat it. NALC was the easiest thing I have ever done you will do fine as long as your tac officer likes you. Its like any thing else in the Army ( IMHO as an survivor of 6 years active) its one third APFT, one third ass kissing, and finally one third not getting hurt. Most every school in the Army follows this formula. BTW it didn't rain a lewis while I was there either.

[Sammy Sandbag]

So, in theory, I can come in last in an early reg platoon, but still do better than someone at the top of a later reg platoon?

Only if the other reg's you are in competition with had everyone just barely pass. They would all have had to score lower on everything than you, in order for that to happen. Actually I'm not sure that is possible at all. One thing that is weighed into your national OML rank is you rank at camp. But this isn't effected by what regiment you go to. I know what you are thinking "I'll just go to a regiment full of shitbags and I'll be the shining star." If that's your method, I seriously question your officer potential. I'm not saying it is, but you need to decide which regiment according to different guidlines than trying to get in the crappy reg, because there are none. Common misconception is that the early regiments are full of high-speed low-drag Jesus cadets. All the regiments have their fare share of these guys. True, earlier regiments will have more cadets with follow on training, but this doesn't mean anything. Alot of your prior-service guys are already airborne, air-assault, and tabbed out, they don't need nor qualify for further training. You'll see these guys in the mix throughout camp. Another misconeption is that prior service guys will score high and screw the curve. Remeber, many of these guys have the mentality that they are "too good" or are jaded and don't put forth much of an effort. I had two airborne 11Bs in my platoon who were ranked in the bottom third, just because they had a no-care attitude.

[The Sharaffe]

Be a people person, make friends with EVERYONE if you like them or not. Keep a positive attitude, and there is no way to do bad...camp is easy as hell

[roger29]

Nah, nah, I'm not saying that I want to go to a reg with shitbags just to do well. I want to go early on but don't want to overshoot my skills if I'm not ready for some crazy ass shit...I am def up for any challenge and will be requesting early regs.

[Sammy Sandbag]

Be a people person, make friends with EVERYONE if you like them or not. Keep a positive attitude, and there is no way to do bad...camp is easy as hell

Yes, something that doesn't get mentioned a lot at most battalions is the emphasis on peer evaluations. The TACs base alot of their ranking off of what peer evals say. They aren't with you at all times and there's no way they can catch everything that you do, but your squad members will. You can't be a blue falcon or a spot-light ranger and get away with it at camp. If you piss people off but are golden during lanes, it won't matter.

[Sammy Sandbag]

Nah, nah, I'm not saying that I want to go to a reg with shitbags just to do well. I want to go early on but don't want to overshoot my skills if I'm not ready for some crazy ass shit...I am def up for any challenge and will be requesting early regs.

You could easily go to camp and not know a damn thing about the military. Everything you do at camp, you'll do it with training wheels. About the only thing that can fail you is the APFT and getting hurt. You get three cracks at land nav and written land nav. I didn't see any overall N's getting handed out on STX or patrolling.

[Gambit]

You get three cracks at land nav and written land nav.

They haven't started moving points between regs, have they? One nice thing about, say, 4rd reg or later, there are usually well-marked paths to the points, since so many people have found them already. one way to ace it... ;)

[Sammy Sandbag]

There will be trails at 2nd Reg. When several hundred cadets move through the same area within a few weeks, it quickly becomes trail city. But you shouldn't need them anyways. The land nav course (both night and day) is ridiculously easy. Some of the points are spitting distance from the roads. They have pre-designated checkpoints throughout the course that you have the coordinates for. At each checkpoint is a 2LT who has to tell you which checkpoint it is. So you can base your course off of intersections and checkpoints and never have to do any terrain feature following. Not only that, the points are HUGE signs that are impossible to miss.

[Soldado]

Seriously, Land Nav at Ft. Lewis seems intimidating because of all that thick brush, but I was at PLDC there this past summer and it's no sweat, just use "points of reference" as they call them to guide you.

[Sammy Sandbag]

By points of reference I hope you mean road intersections and checkpoints. Any type of terrain navigation isn't necissarry. The majority of the thick brush has been pounded down from all the cadets. I only had one point that involved me breaking brush, and it was only about 75m off the trail (and on a hill top.) If you are from the South, the brush isn't intimidating at all.

[roger29]

I've been hearing that your pace counts are effected greatly by the terrain there. True? I'm going first reg, what should I do to train for this? Tips on the land nav course?

[Sammy Sandbag]

They make you test your pace count about 5 different times over different terrain, both running and walking. Mine stayed the same to what my normal pace count was like, so I didn't adjust it. I didn't find any problem with it. But, like I said, I'm from the South and I'm used to thick brush.

[Soldado]

If you are from the South, the brush isn't intimidating at all.

....well I'm not from the south so all the brush did make me second guess myself on the way there, but its no sweat....and yea by point of reference I do mean intersections...

..as far as land nav at Lewis goes, I'll be honest I didn't need my compass, map orientation and pace count is all you need, and carry an extra protractor or two...lol