Platoon Leaders Class

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Platoon Leaders Class (PLC) is the United States Marine Corps alternative method for the training and evaluation of its officer candidates. All training and evaluation are conducted at the Marine Corps Base Quantico, Virginia. Candidates choose to enter the program as either a ground, air, or law contract.

1 Eligibility
2 Programs
- 2.1 PLC Juniors/Seniors
- 2.2 PLC Combined
3 Further Training
4 See also
5 Notes
6 References

[edit] Eligibility

PLC is open to young men and women at any accredited four-year college or university. PLC is a Marine officer commissioning program in which candidates receive training in the summers and have no commitment during the school year.

Potential candidates apply for PLC through Marine Officer Selection Officers (OSO), who are located in every state.^[1]

[edit] Programs

Candidates are assigned to a platoon and are trained by a professional staff consisting of a platoon commander (captain), a platoon sergeant (gunnery sergeant) and usually 2 sergeant instructors (staff sergeants).

Training includes academic and field topics. Academic subjects covered include Marine Corps history, leadership, close-order drill, weapons handling, marksmanship and general military subjects such as land navigation, the Uniform Code of Military Justice, interior guard, moral and ethical leadership and basic combat. Academic topics are usually taught by captains, while field classes are usually conducted by sergeants, staff sergeants or gunnery sergeants. PLC candidates need to be physically fit as the physical training is extremely demanding. Candidates in a PLC Senior course run/hike on average 250 miles or more during a six-week period.

[edit] PLC Juniors/Seniors

PLC Juniors/Seniors is one of two programs available to Marine Corps officer candidates in the PLC program. The Junior/Senior program is available to college freshman and sophomores. Freshman attend the PLC Junior course the summer before their sophomore year. These candidates then attend the PLC Senior course the summer before their senior year in college. Sophomores can attend the PLC Junior course the summer before their junior year in school and the PLC Senior course the following summer.

PLC Juniors is an introduction into the Marine Corps and is a six-week training, evaluation and motivation course for those interested in becoming a commissioned officer. Rigorous physical training, small unit leadership, marksmanship and basic infantry tactics are addressed. Academics are taught in classroom settings.

PLC Seniors is a six-week advanced course of indoctrination and contains similar physical training, small unit leadership, infantry tactics and academics but at a faster rate and with more instructor-induced stress. Candidates in the PLC Senior course are evaluated closely, as this is the final screening before the candidate becomes eligible for commissioning.

[edit] PLC Combined

PLC Combined is a ten-week program for those interested in completing officer screening during a single summer after completing their junior year in college. PLC Combined starts out like PLC Junior and progresses like that of a PLC Senior course. Physical training, small unit leadership, basic infantry tactics, and academics are covered.

[edit] Further Training

Officer candidates who complete PLC training and who obtain their college degrees are then commissioned as second lieutenants and sent to the Basic School at Quantico for six months of further training with other newly commissioned Marine officers from all other commissioning programs.