Leadership ability tested in frustrating ‘SULE’ course

By Christian Lowe / Times staff writer

“Roll the drum over, I’ll hold it, and you can move the board out of the way,” said candidate Timothy Dietz, 21, of Baltimore, from his perch on a telephone pole-size log.

A confused but still resolute fellow candidate, Dan Knudson, 22, of Plano, Texas, moved to implement Dietz’s suggestion.

But as Knudson slid the board out of the way, the whole operation fell apart. With a hollow clang, the barrel fell, then the long wooden 2-by-4 — only Dietz remained, slowly swaying from side to side, trying to hang on.

Rewind and start again. The clock is ticking.

What Knudson, Dietz and two other platoon mates were supposed to do was to maneuver an empty barrel across a zigzag course of logs propped horizontally several feet off the ground. They were to move the barrel, the wooden planks and themselves across the logs without falling, dropping the barrel or planks and without touching the ground.

The test was nearly impossible to complete, especially in the 10 minutes the team was allotted.

But that was the whole point.

Welcome to the Small Unit Leadership Evaluation exercise, or SULE (pronounced “soolee”).

The SULE course consists of a series of obstacles that require Marine officer candidates to think as a team and overcome barriers that require more than just physical strength. One of the SULE problems calls for hauling a nearly 200-pound dummy and weighted ammo cans up a steep slope without exposing team members to enemy fire. If someone pokes his head above the shallow ridge that flanks the path to the top of a small rise, they have to restart.

Another requires patience. Teams must move a pair of heavy metal pipes — intended to simulate “Bangalore torpedoes” — across a shaky rope bridge that includes sections candidates must avoid touching — or they have to restart.

The point isn’t necessarily to complete the problem in the time given. But the candidates don’t know that. Being under the gun is just another part of the leadership lessons the SULE courses are intended to teach. Evaluators are looking to see how a potential officer will perform under pressure to complete a complex and ambiguous task.

Instructor Staff Sgt. Susan Anderton knows what it takes. Evaluating a fire team of candidates led by candidate Theodore Pataki — son of New York Republican Gov. George Pataki — Anderton summed up her view of the candidate’s performance and why he’ll likely succeed as an officer in the Corps.

“He’s headstrong, stubborn and doesn’t listen to his fire team” Anderton said after a quick glance at her notes as Pataki worked to maneuver a barrel and his fire team over an 8-foot high wall using a 2-by-4 and a length of stout rope. “And that’s why he’ll probably make it through.”

Watching Knudson and Dietz’s debacle, Capt. Ian Glover, 32, an artilleryman from Beaufort, S.C., who was assigned to the OCS staff for the summer, had a hard time keeping his composure.

“We don’t care if they complete it,” Glover said with a grin, as Dietz strained to remain upright on the obstacle. The SULE course is about leadership under pressure and managing manpower in a pinch, not about who can solve mind-bending problems the fastest.

“I can never get used to what these guys say,” Glover chuckled, as Knudson shouted a series of frustrated orders to his teammates. “It’s hard not to laugh.”