BR34
05-20-09, 09:51 PM
Sgt Maj of the Marine Corps paid a visit to MOBCOM yesterday! We formed up and were basically told by our 1st Sgt not to be getting star struck and asking for coins and whatnot.
Anyway, the Sgt Maj came out and had us sit, kneel, bend, and talked to us for quite a while about the happenings in the Marine Corps.
One of the more interesting things he talked about was how the Commandant is planning to make the Marine Corps have 1 yearly PFT and 1 yearly CFT, each graded with scores going toward Comp Scores, and each in different halves of the year.
He also told us about a meeting he had with Pres Obama. The Pres asked for the senior enlisted members from each service (including the Coast Guard) to come to the White House and tell him what they needed. When it was his turn he told the President that Marines in Iraq are bored. At that point the Sec of Def stepped in and explained to Pres Obama what Sgt Maj Kent meant--"The Marines are bored because they don't have anyone to shoot, Mr. President." He said the Pres got a kick out of that. He told us when ____ unit (I can't remember the unit name) leaves Iraq at the beginning of 2010 there will be no more Marines going to Iraq. And he said Afghanistan will eventually see 18,000 Marines in country. He also told us the Pres assured him the Marine Corps would see very little cuts with the budget, which is what he attributes to almost nothing being cut from the Marine Corps.
He said he and the Commandant are thinking about allowing Marines to wear the entire set of new PT gear out in town, instead of the top only.
That's just a few of the things he touched on. Afterwards he took pictures with the different groups of Marines (SNCOs, NCOs, and LCpls and below).
--Sidenote, MOBCOM is the most top heavy place in the world! There are 3 times as many SNCOs as NCOs, and 5 times as many SNCOs as LCpls and below.
Anywho, after the pictures our base Sgt Maj (Sgt Maj Carter) told me to stay behind, I had no idea why. Eventually, after taking millions of pictures with the star struck Marines, Sgt Maj Kent made his way over to me, and Sgt Maj Carter introduced me to him, as the Marine of the Year. Sgt Maj Kent held out his hand to me, with a challenge coin clinched in it. We shook hands, talked for a few minutes, PAO stood BEHIND me snapping pictures of the exchange. And now I have a cool ass Sgt Maj of MC coin to add to my collection of Marine Corps stuff.
And to end the day, it was about 1745 and I was about to go for a run, and I look out of my window and see Sgt Maj Kent on a solo run through base housing. Figured I'd let him get a ways ahead of me so he didn't think I was stalking him or something.
Finally, something worth writing about happens at MOBCOM!
Oh, and of course I have pics of the coin, but none with the Sgt Maj, until I get em from the PAO.
http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a13/KamauXX/Gabeandcoin001.jpg
http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a13/KamauXX/Gabeandcoin003.jpg
(http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a13/KamauXX/Gabeandcoin003.jpg)
Anyway, the Sgt Maj came out and had us sit, kneel, bend, and talked to us for quite a while about the happenings in the Marine Corps.
One of the more interesting things he talked about was how the Commandant is planning to make the Marine Corps have 1 yearly PFT and 1 yearly CFT, each graded with scores going toward Comp Scores, and each in different halves of the year.
He also told us about a meeting he had with Pres Obama. The Pres asked for the senior enlisted members from each service (including the Coast Guard) to come to the White House and tell him what they needed. When it was his turn he told the President that Marines in Iraq are bored. At that point the Sec of Def stepped in and explained to Pres Obama what Sgt Maj Kent meant--"The Marines are bored because they don't have anyone to shoot, Mr. President." He said the Pres got a kick out of that. He told us when ____ unit (I can't remember the unit name) leaves Iraq at the beginning of 2010 there will be no more Marines going to Iraq. And he said Afghanistan will eventually see 18,000 Marines in country. He also told us the Pres assured him the Marine Corps would see very little cuts with the budget, which is what he attributes to almost nothing being cut from the Marine Corps.
He said he and the Commandant are thinking about allowing Marines to wear the entire set of new PT gear out in town, instead of the top only.
That's just a few of the things he touched on. Afterwards he took pictures with the different groups of Marines (SNCOs, NCOs, and LCpls and below).
--Sidenote, MOBCOM is the most top heavy place in the world! There are 3 times as many SNCOs as NCOs, and 5 times as many SNCOs as LCpls and below.
Anywho, after the pictures our base Sgt Maj (Sgt Maj Carter) told me to stay behind, I had no idea why. Eventually, after taking millions of pictures with the star struck Marines, Sgt Maj Kent made his way over to me, and Sgt Maj Carter introduced me to him, as the Marine of the Year. Sgt Maj Kent held out his hand to me, with a challenge coin clinched in it. We shook hands, talked for a few minutes, PAO stood BEHIND me snapping pictures of the exchange. And now I have a cool ass Sgt Maj of MC coin to add to my collection of Marine Corps stuff.
And to end the day, it was about 1745 and I was about to go for a run, and I look out of my window and see Sgt Maj Kent on a solo run through base housing. Figured I'd let him get a ways ahead of me so he didn't think I was stalking him or something.
Finally, something worth writing about happens at MOBCOM!
Oh, and of course I have pics of the coin, but none with the Sgt Maj, until I get em from the PAO.
http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a13/KamauXX/Gabeandcoin001.jpg
http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a13/KamauXX/Gabeandcoin003.jpg
(http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a13/KamauXX/Gabeandcoin003.jpg)