Introduction and Intent

Background
For those who do not not me, my name is Ross Allen. I am a Second Lieutenant in the United States Marine Corps (USMC). I completed twelve weeks of USMC Officer Candidate School (OCS) through the Platoon Leaders Course (PLC). PLC consists of 2 six week sessions in Quantico, VA during the summer. I attended PLC Aug-July 2010 and Aug-July 2011, between my Junior and Senior years of college and after graduating. I graduated from DePauw University in May 2011 with a Bachelor's of Arts Degree, Cum Laude. My major was Computer Science, minoring in Business Administration. I accepted my commission as a Marine Officer Aug 22, 2011

Intentions
I plan to be far less formal in my future posts. This first post is to give some information about myself as well as what to expect from this blog. I will post only as often as I have time. While at The Basic School (TBS) I will be busy with academic studies and field exercises (FEX). I want this blog to be a means of keeping friends, family, and future Marine Officers updated and informed, as well as a resource to prepare for TBS. My Path as a Marine Officer will also serve as a place for me to record my thoughts and experiences while serving our country. I expect that there will be times that I will reflect on childhood memories, experiences at OCS, and expectations I have for my career as a Marine Officer.

Layout/What to Expect
I want to maintain a consisten format to My Path as a Marine Officer. The following categories will be in each post: Motivation, My Path, Workout of the Day (WOD). "Motivation" will be a quote or something a short realization that I have had. Part of being a leader is having the ability to motivate others. I hope that this section can serve its purpose. "My Path" will contain updates and information about my career in the Marine Corps. There my be reflections, successes I've had, failures I've experienced, and general life updates within. "Workout of the Day (WOD)" will document the personal physical training (PT) I put myself through. I have always had a love for fitness and have recently discovered CrossFit. I have given thought to training for next year's CrossFit Games and will use this space to document my progress (I may have a separate blog for this later). If there is a graded PT event at TBS, I will post my results here.


I hope this post serves as a sound foundation for many more posts in the future. Thank you to all of my friends for all of your love and support you have shown me while pursuing my dreams and career in the military. I hope I can make you proud.



Disclaimer: Any thoughts or ideas expressed in this blog are not of any organization or government I am affiliated with, but of my own.