Marine of the Day

In keeping with our practice of interspersing interviews of active duty Marines with inspirational stories, today’s Marine of the Day is some random officer who generously agreed (much to my surprise) to be interviewed. We hope the combined format will provide a more rounded view of the Marine perspective:

1. What is your rank and MOS in the Marine Corps?

Colonel – 8041 (ground colonel), 0802 (field artillery officer), 8848 (Management, Data Systems Officer, not sure how this got in my record), 8840 (Manpower Management Officer – my Naval Postgraduate MOS), 9702 (joint specialty officer)

2. How long have you served?

I’m in my 29th year of service.

3. What made you join the military? And why the Marine Corps?

I wanted to serve my country, I needed a job to support my family, and I wanted to serve in the best Service in the military.

4. Have you ever been deployed?

Yes – to Japan twice on 1 year unaccompanied orders each time, to Iraq on a 1 year Individual Augment assignment, currently in Afghanistan. I have made shorter education and training deployments in CONUS as well.

5. What was the most rewarding thing you ever did as a Marine?

The most rewarding thing I did was serve in 3/11 as the FSC, OpsO, and XO (Fire Support Coordinator, Operations Officer, and Executive Officer). The next was serving as EA in PP&O (Plans, Policies & Operations).

6. If you could tell a young man or woman contemplating military service just one thing, what would that be?

It is a great profession that offers great opportunity with a dedicated group of like-minded individuals.

7. What does being a Marine mean to you?

It means being part of a organization rich in tradition, able to meet any challenge, that holds itself to a higher standard.

8. What are the best and worst things about your job?

The best things are having a stable, rewarding job that sends you around the world on different assignments. The worst things are time spent away from your family and not being able to put down roots.

9. Some people say wars never solve anything. What do you think?

I think the only thing worse than war is giving into the will of someone else. There are times when war is necessary and there needs to be an organization designed to fight that war filled with people dedicated to winning that war.

10. Do you think the Marine Corps made you a better person, or would you be the same no matter what career you chose?

It made me a better person just as my wife has made me a better person – both taught me that there is more to life than just yourself.