April 14, 2003

Marines inspire shock, awe in Wharton MBAs

By Joseph Goldberg, WG'04 

The 6'6'' barrel-chested sergeant ran across the barracks to challenge the cowering, skinny officer candidate in front of him. "What's wrong with you? Why do you keep staring at me? Am I your girlfriend? Why do you keep moving? Do you have ants in your pants?" the sergeant yelled at the top of his lungs in a booming voice while his victim sat there shivering, trying his hardest to avoid eye contact.

What was this? A scene from "Full Metal Jacket"? Nope. Military boot camp? Well sort of. The marine sergeant was very real, but the "victim" in this case was a Wharton MBA.

On April 4-5, 91 Wharton MBAs headed off to the U.S. Marine Corps Officer Candidate School (OCS) in Quantico, Virginia, for 2 days of leadership training, Marine Corp-style. Organized by the Wharton Leadership Program and the Wharton Veterans Club, and sponsored by Lehman Brothers, the trip drew upon the school's famed Leadership Reaction Course and Combat Course to provide an intense, hands-on learning experience that emphasized fast decision-making, team-based problem solving, effective strategic thinking, and both mental and physical stamina.

After our arrival, we were greeted by the officer in charge of the school, Col. Smith. The Colonel introduced us to the leadership perspectives of the Marine Corps and the premium placed on leadership, holding that it is the unequivocal link to battlefield success. After a half hour of overview and pleasantries, the OCS immersion experience began and continued into the next morning. Drill Sergeants treated us as they did any other OCS candidates, yelling at us as we desperately sought to avoid bringing any attention to ourselves. We lost our identities as Wharton MBA candidates, and instead became USMC officer candidates. During that time, we learned to make a proper Marine rack (bed), shower and shave in 5 minutes flat, put on a helmet and artillery belt, and respond correctly to a variety of commands.

Following breakfast at 5:30 am, we were assigned to "fire teams" of 5-6 classmates with whom we would complete the Leadership Reaction Course (LRC) and the Combat Course. The LRC presents candidates with a series of stressful battlefield scenarios through which to navigate and test their leadership strengths and weaknesses while under time constraints. The scenarios usually involved trying to cross a river with only a handful of equipment, including barrels, ropes and poles. More often than not, a team member ended up falling into the river and getting soaked. Following each exercise we were debriefed with regard to the leadership roles we assumed during the exercise and discussed ways to better ourselves in the future. "It's easy at Wharton to imagine that there is a "best" answer to every problem," says Josh Slobin, WG04. "One of the key lessons I learned is that true leaders aren't the ones who spend time searching for this elusive best answer, but those who can take action under uncertainty and learn along the way."

After lunch and what felt like a full day already, we headed to the Combat Course. Fire teams successfully maneuvered a three-rope bridge, an 18-foot wall and a rope bridge. A few more minor obstacles brought us to the infamous Quigley, a cold muddy swamp in the middle of the course. We were told to stay low and move quickly and quietly through the muddy water to avoid enemy attention. Creighton Schenkel WG04 reflected that "crawling through the Quigley was perhaps the most disgusting thing I've ever done. It was great."

The rest of the course went rather quickly because we gained more confidence in our physical abilities. We worked our way over, across and under logs, up a steep hill and then back down, crawled on our stomachs and scooted on our backs under barbed wire, waded through another swamp, and finally stormed a machine gun nest while avoiding simulated gunfire. Jubilant after having completed the combat course, we proceeded to the barracks to begin the long cleaning process. Our happiness was quickly tempered by the icy cold communal showers that welcomed us in the barracks.

After cleaning ourselves and the barracks, we proceeded to a de-briefing session led by Wharton professor Mike Useem. Students, faculty and sponsors were asked to share their thoughts. The lessons learned resonated with participants. "Not only did it open my eyes to an alternative form of leadership development, but it challenged me to push myself in ways I hadn't before," says Liz Loftus, WG03. Grace Huang, WG03, echoed many people's sentiments when she stated that "going through this experience has further heightened my respect and gratitude for the armed forces, especially those who are in Iraq at the present moment."

Following the open forum we adjourned to dinner in the Officers' Club. During cocktails and over dinner, we were able to interact with our drill sergeants in a more casual manner. We also had the distinct pleasure of listening to a presentation by Major General Leo Williams III, who plays a key role in the Marine Corp Reserves while also working as a Brand Manager with the Ford Motor Company. Williams spoke about the tradition of leadership instilled in Marines that makes the Marines who they are, as well as the respect and pride that the Marines feel for themselves, each other and their nation.

Students interested in taking on the Officer Candidate School next year will now have two opportunities to bid on it through the Leadership Ventures auction process. Due to high student demand, the event will be held twice next year, in both the fall and spring semesters. We highly recommend you bid on this once-in-a-lifetime experience that you won't soon forget. As Christian Hernandez WG03 put it, "The ropeburn may fade, but the memories last forever. "