Author: Jesse Sladek

1.   Love your unit and your job.  Love is not always a two way street, sometimes you give more than you get, and love is a choice.  Being an Infantry Platoon Leader is the greatest job in the world.  You have the ability to mold men and make our country stronger 24 hours a day.  Enjoy every minute of it, even the difficult times, and give of yourself freely to your mission and your men.  Hold nothing back and have a solid work ethic.  When your time is up, you need to know in your heart of hearts that you worked as hard as you could and did as much as you could to get your men ready for war

2.     Wake up before 0500 five out of seven days a week

3.     Be the most physically fit person in your unit

4.     Memorize and understand the steps to attack a strong point and engagement area development; know the components of IPB; be able to pitch your scheme of maneuver without referring to notes

5.     Read the news from credible sources which will challenge your view point and your vocabulary (The Economist, Foreign Affairs, PBS, NPR); read about things that have no apparent relation to your profession, you’ll be surprised at what you learn