Quantico, Virginia: it's anything but the typical summer vacation destination. Every summer, a handful of UB undergrads along with other students from Western New York will head off to Platoon Leaders Class to jump-start their military careers.
Platoon Leaders Class (PLC), offered by the US Marine Corps each summer for qualified applicants, is where the Marines get most of their commissioned officers, according to Captain Derek Zalenski, Officer Selection Officer. PLC prepares candidates to complete Officer Candidate School (OCS) and become Officers in the Marines after graduation.
Freshmen and sophomores who enroll in the program complete two six-week sessions during two separate summers, while juniors complete one ten-week session. Candidates who complete the program are offered a commission after graduation.
According to Zalenski, many choose the program because there is no commitment during the school year. Candidates attend training in Quantico during the summer and can receive a commission after graduation.
"The primary benefit of PLC is that it's a brand new, unique experience for most college students - they've never done anything like this before," Zalenski said. "The PLC in Officer Candidate School are all about leadership. Whether they decide to be Marine Officers in the end or not, it's something they can always have with them in school and in life."
While there is no obligation to join the Marines after completing the PLC program, a high percentage chooses to serve, according to Zalenski.
Sean Gemerek, an alumnus with a B.A. in political science, was one of students from UB to complete the program, and is now preparing for his service in the Marines.
According to Gemerek, PLC designates specific hours for academics, leadership and physical training. The program is rigorous and intense, with candidates getting little or no sleep each night and constantly being pushed to their farthest physical and mental capabilities.
"The environment within the program, it creates an atmosphere, and things become such a dire situation, you're able to push your body in ways you couldn't have otherwise," Gemerek said. "Attention to detail and not giving up are everything."
For some candidates, a lack of sleep and an inability to manage excessive stress either make or break their success within the program.
"It came as a big shock - I learned that the human body can function and function well on no sleep," said Ruwan Meepagala, a sophomore undecided major who completed one six-week program after his freshman year. "It's getting used to a military lifestyle. Dealing with stress was the biggest thing."
Candidates do physical training six days a week, running the hills of Quantico, sometimes in the hot sun with their gear on or completing different obstacle courses.
"The physical conditioning was one of the most difficult things, because all of Virginia is hills that they make you run," said Luqman Salaam, a sophomore aerospace engineering major who completed one six-week program, and plans to return this summer to do another. "You just want to drop out, but you don't want to show an inability to have leadership. You have to dig really deep and find it in yourself to keep going."
In addition to physical training, candidates also complete drill formations, and time devoted to learning about military strategy, history, and ethics and complete intense courses to improve their leadership abilities daily.
"The program was very difficult, and not everyone can make it through because that's just not realistic," Gemerek said. "I like challenges, which is why I decided to do (the program), and it got very hard, but I pushed myself through. I just kept telling myself I wouldn't give up."
Candidates have the opportunity to experience a lot of unique physical courses not found anywhere else in the US. The Tarzan Course, where every obstacle is 20 feet off the ground, is a Combat Conditioning Course and a Leadership Reaction Course, Zalenski said.
"There is a complete a 100-meter course with obstacles along it and then a rope climb at the end, which candidates can do twice during the day," Zalenski said.
As training is extremely difficult, candidates must meet very specific physical qualifications before they can even set out for Virginia, according to Zalenski. Candidates must pass a Marine Core Physical Fitness Test, consisting of pull-ups, crunches, and a three-mile run. Females must meet the same physical requirements, with the exception of having to do a flexed arm hang instead of pull-ups.
"To pass, it's about 12 to 15 pull-ups, 85 or so crunches in two minutes, and a three mile run in about 22:30," Zalenski said.
Additionally, candidates who wish to enroll in PLC need to be full-time enrolled students, and have scored either a 1000 on their SATs or pass the ASVAB military entrance test. Students must also have at least a 2.0 grade point average, pass the medical exam and be US citizens.
Leadership abilities are the ultimate focus of the PLC. According to Zalenski, candidates will complete Leadership Reaction Courses, with 15 to 20 obstacle stations, at which each candidate will have a chance to lead their peers through a different situation.
"Each of the stations are impossible or near impossible to solve," Zalenski sad. "You need to put together a plan and solve it to the best of your ability. They're looking for you to come with a confident plan and stick with it - it doesn't matter whether you're successful or not.
Candidates will learn how to lead their peers in high-pressure situations, simulating similar occurrences in real military life.
"We put them in the role of the drill instructor because we're looking for the future leaders that are going to lead the guys coming out of Marine Boot Camp," Zalenski said. "Typically, the toughest group to lead is your own peers."
According to Salaam, the leadership abilities candidates take from the program allow them to be leaders in the real world.
"It teaches you that anyone can yell out orders, but you have to learn to get people to follow orders and to respect you," Salaam said. "It also teaches you to sacrifice. You take care of everyone else first, right down to eating after everyone else - it's what you're willing to do to accomplish a goal. You learn leadership because you have to get everyone to do what you want done, and to do it quickly."
Any candidate who aims to be a pilot can have a guaranteed contract for flight school upon completion of PLC and other programs, according to Zalenski. Candidates must pass the Aviation Selection Test Batters (ASTB) and a flight physical.
Candidates like Salaam completed PLC partially because of his interest in piloting.
"My uncle was a pilot, so I'm looking forward to being one," Salaam said. "I (have an) air contract, so I'll be in aviation the whole time."
In addition to the personal growth that candidates gain upon completion of the program, there are both career and financial benefits to PLC.
"We offer some tuition assistance and financial aid packages. There are physical fitness benefits, and candidates get paid for training," Zalenski said. "We also pay for transportation to (training) and back."
Despite financial aid options available, Gemerek said that the Marine way of life is what inspired him to join.
"The respect given to every single person, despite their rank, is really something attractive," Gemerek said. "There's a higher moral code than in the civilian world. Generally, there's nothing consequential with people who are poor human beings, but in the Marines, it's a different story - it's a higher way of life."
According to Salaam, the PLC has given him self-assurance and a different outlook on life.
"You come out with more confidence, and you learn to think differently and to think out of the box. Things that would stress normal people out, I just find a way to get around them. I don't even find school stressful anymore, there's no comparison," Salaam said. "You can be the one to take charge when something's wrong."
Those who have completed the program have little fear of going overseas because of the confidence the PLC instilled in them. Gemerek feels he would be ready to go, and if he were to be deployed during his military career, he would hope his loved ones would have faith in the skills the Marines have given him.
"I feel like I would absolutely be ready for it," Gemerek said. "Does any person's family want to see their son face the possibility of dying? Of course not. They accept though that it's what we want to do in life, and that it's necessary and it's what needs to be done for the country."
According to Zalenski, of the students from Western New York, UB students make up a large percentage of those who participate in the program. Other schools with students who typically participate include Rochester Institute of Technology, SUNY Brockport and SUNY Geneseo.
PLC does not exclude women, and qualified female candidates are encouraged to consider the program.
"This year, we have two women," Zalenski said. "There's not a whole lot, but once in a while we have some good female candidates. We're obviously looking for anyone who is well-qualified."
In addition to personal leadership and confidence, PLC gives students the ability to take a different approach to their academics and careers.
"It's like pledging a really intense fraternity, where they're training you but also conditioning you for really high stress situations," Meepagala said. "I'll never have a problem pulling an all-nighter after this. I never complain about anything anymore. I don't even put the words stress and academics together anymore - classes aren't all that hard in comparison."
Students who want to try the program need not fear a commitment to the Marines post-graduation, according to Salaam.
"I would recommend it to other students, because there is no obligation. If you want to see what it's all about, it's a good choice," Salaam said. "You do have to take it seriously though, because later on, it's people lives that are in your hands."
Students interested in PLC should contact Captain Derek Zalenski at ZalenskiDM@marines.usmc.mil.
Photo: Courtesy of Laron Fomby
