Sergeant

Non-Commissioned Officers are the backbone of the Marine Corps. They are the vital link in ensuring Marines under their charge are trained, and exceed proficiency in the occupational specialty. Marine non-commissioned officers provide and assist their Marines in professional development, they enforce the physical and mental standards in junior Marines through small unit leadership. Non-Commissioned Officers are responsible for their men and their actions, and the Marine non-commissioned officer…

“The magic happens when you step outside your comfort zone.” This proverb sums up everything I went through when I recently attended the Air Force Academy’s Summer Seminar in July. While there, I was pushed well beyond my limits. We, the attendees, did strenuous physical training sessions at roughly a mile above sea level, woke up before the sun rose, attended sample classes, and studied tons of military knowledge while learning about the Air Force Academy and the admission process. It was…

During my time in the Army, I have had plenty of obstacles, one in particular would be when I was a RTO (radio tech operator) and we were attached to another battalion to go raid a village. We patrolled all night until we walked twelve miles to our location avoiding helicopters flying in the sky looking for us. Once we finally set up an OP (observation post) we had a team go out and recon the village and we established a plan on how we were going to attack the village. My squad only had about…

The most important role in leadership is a noncommissioned officer. Noncommissioned officer or should we say “NCO” has been a very important factor in the United States Army, for a very long time and is known to be the back bone of the Army. Respecting the noncommissioned officer in the army is critical. They have been carefully selected to train and guide soldiers to the right path. A noncommissioned officer has mastered all the basic soldier skills they have earned their respect by serving in…

1. I am submitting this memorandum of Character Reference on behalf of 1SG Katrina Richardson. 2. I am currently assigned to USMEPCOM, however I served with 1SG Richardson while I was assigned to the 8th Theater Sustainment Command (TSC). 1SG Richardson was assigned to the command during my second year in 8th TSC. I am not fully aware of the circumstances surrounding the GOMOR and in no way do I condone anything 1SG Richardson is reprimanded for, however, I can say during the time I served…

“Get off the bus! And stand on the yellow footprints!” he viciously screamed at the top of his lungs, as his veins almost burst from his forehead. The young scared men, bumping into each other with fear in their eyes, jumped off the bus so fast that they appeared as they were flying off the bus. All the young men frantically scared ran hard to line up on the yellow footprints, which were marked so perfectly on the asphalt at forty-five degree angles. With sweat seeping out of my face and heart…

My personal values are derived from my experiences as a youth, my transition into an adult and my decision to join the armed forces. I joined the military right out of high school, and it didn’t take long for the Army to mold me into a Soldier. Order, discipline, commitment and respect were lessons we all learned fast after raising our hands and swearing in. Those four things have stuck with me throughout my career. Of the seven Army Values, respect really stands out to me because as experience…

When you’re in the army, everything should be tough and masculine. There are no rooms for sissies and softies. You must be hard enough to face any enemies and show that no stuff could defy your toughness. Everything that’s related with un-masculine stuff should be left at home. That’s how you show your toughness in the army! No, being a sissy is not allowed in the army. Especially when you’re marching in front of the people in while under a platoon, no sissy-ness should be present. All should be…

Marines, I'd like to thank you all for the hard work, perseverance and keeping up with the ever changing battlefield known as recruiting. Summer and PCS moves are on the horizon. I wanted to touch base on a couple of topics prior to everyone exiting stage left. The reason is to ensure that everyone is aware of expectations. The expectations listed below are the minimum the command group expects and your SNCOIC may need to add additional requirements. MCRC assigns mission based on T/O…

A time I felt a sense of belonging at USMAPS was during the Neel Challenge during the final stages of CCBT. When my squad set out I had that butterflies feeling in my gut, I was unsure exactly what obstacles we had to face along the challenge. From the start with our climb of the ski hill, to final march from the cemetery to USMAPS, I felt a connection with what USMAPS stands for and felt like this was where I needed to be. The Neel Challenge gave me a small taste of what we were to expect in…