TBS 2-67 Cruisebook_Updated_7Jan23

My Memories of the Third Platoon, Charlie Co.
by 1stLt Buzz Buse
Staff Platoon Commander
The Basic School
August 1966‐January 1967
I first met some members of the third platoon and
others in our company before the company was
formed. I was the officer in charge of the group of early
arriving officers for our company and was responsible
for creating and executing a training schedule until we
officially got started. As I recall we did the normal stuff
during that time, daily PT, a few classes, and a tour or
two. I recall that one of the tours was to Washington
D.C. We loaded up a bus and went into D.C. for the day.
Everyone was on his own until we re-boarded the bus
in the afternoon and went back to Quantico. One
officer, whose name I don’t recall, showed up with his
golf clubs. He had made arrangements to link up with
someone else and play golf somewhere locally when
everyone else was in the city. Pretty creative. I
remember thinking that that guy will probably end up
being the first General officer in your class.
Once we formed as a company and I met our platoon
for the first time, I sensed that this was going to be a
special group of officers. For the most part, everyone
was fairly fit, pretty squared away, and ready to get on
with it. That sense proved to be right. You all did well
throughout our 6 months together. I recall many
events such as the rifle range, patrols, tactical
Third Platoon
exercises, the three day war, and social events and
specific instances associated with each. Also the
individual interaction with each of you was terrific. So
were the uniform inspections. The latter was probably
great because Fred Fagan (4th Platoon Commander)
and I would normally grab a beer and head over to
O’Bannon Hall as you came in to be inspected after
hours. All great times and watching you all grow was
the best part of the whole package. My take-some ups
and downs, as is the case in every organization, but a
really solid group of officers with great potential. As I
have told some of you years later, I had one of the most
enjoyable 6 months periods in my career serving with
the 3rd Platoon at TBS.
For some reason, a couple of things have popped back
into my memory some 54 year later. As I recall you all,
because we were all lieutenants together, were not at
all reluctant to give me the needle once in a while after
we got to know one another very well. I remember two
occasions when that happened. First, big Ernie
Pascarella and I were two of the few, if not the only
two, who did the “college boy roll” not a “kip” over the
first obstacle on the “O” Course. When I did it, you all
let me have it with jeers and laughter. When Ernie did
it, no one said a word. I think you knew he could have
crushed you like a grape if you had harassed him.
Second, was when Kevin Phalin was promoted to
Captain. After his promotion he was not required to be
in any platoon formation because he was then senior to
all of us. The day after his promotion, we had a platoon
3‐5