Personal Experience: My Experience As A Platoon Leader

During the middle of my second year in JROTC, I earned a promotion to the rank of platoon leader. Although excited to begin, I had to face the hard challenge of speaking in front of people, establishing my own authority, and battling my own indecisiveness. During my installation as a platoon leader, I made a collection of minor mistakes, particularly in where I stood, how to march in, and what to do with my platoon. When giving commands, I had a severe stutter. I failed to voice my authority to a chaotic and noisy platoon, which consisted mainly of experienced cadets and some of my friends. On top of that, my jealous platoon sergeant wanted to establish himself above my authority. My instructors felt disappointed in my first time as a platoon leader that at one point they considered firing me on the spot. Luckily class ended, however my senior instructor berated my first performance. Although I was chewed out by my senior instructor, he gave me a chance to redeem myself next week. …show more content…
I was given pointers on how to inspect, march, and discipline a platoon and its members. They taught me how to speak with authority by calling every command through the diaphragm, and establishing my own command through a balance of strict and relaxed methods. Although the senior officers taught me well, I was hesitant to discipline many of whom I considered at the time, “best friends” that were in my platoon. The best advice they entrusted to me was, “If they were true friends, they would understand and obey my