Re: How many men are in a Marine platoon
Depends on the platoon.
You have the basic rifle platoon, three squads of thirteen plus the command element. Then you typically have attachments, almost always a medic, machinegun squad (seven men), assault squad (four men), then the on-again, off-again types like FOs, additonal assault squads, intreperter, HET team, warlocks, mortarmen, Jav gunners, etc. The only reason it's somewhat unusual to see a rifle platoon turning out 55-60 is because that means everyone is fully manned. That being said, most platoons in the USMC aren't rifle platoons. Battalion mortar platoon is about 80-90 Marines. Various support elements can have platoons equally large.
If you're worried about leading large numbers, odds are the Marine Corps is not for you.
|