CAMP HANSEN, OKINAWA, Japan (Oct. 6, 2006) -- Air Force Master Sgt. Gary Solomon used to think all young Marines just got drunk and started fights, and the senior enlisted tried to be "Gunny Highway" from the movie "Heartbreak Ridge."

But Solomon said after attending the Marine Staff Noncommissioned Officer Academy's Advanced Course on Okinawa, his views of the Marines he once thought rowdy and over zealous changed.

The positive impression his Marine peers left on him during the course was cemented when they voted him the recipient of the Gung Ho Award, an honor given to an individual for displaying outstanding motivation and teamwork.

The SNCOA Advanced Course provides instruction to gunnery sergeants and gunnery sergeant selectees on leadership development and war fighting skills necessary to lead Marines in combat and builds upon the knowledge gained in the Marine Corps distance education program.

The SNCOA began opening up the Advanced Course to the other services in 2005, and there are two non-Marine quotas for every class.

Solomon is not the first service member outside the Marine Corps to attend the course, but he is the first non-Marine to ever be selected for any type of award at the Okinawa academy, said Gunnery Sgt. Jeffrey Sundermier, the chief instructor for the Advanced Course here.

"We've had some outstanding sister service members come to our academy before, but he is the first one to ever be recognized by his peers," Sundermier said. Solomon said he developed a new-found respect for his Marine counterparts during the course.

"Marines have a never-quit attitude," the Air Force munitions systems specialist said. "They have a professionalism that can't be duplicated by anyone but themselves."

With his own Air Force professional leadership training course full, Solomon chose to attend the eight-week course to get an understanding of the Marine Corps' mission.

"Every service is a part of joint operations, and you have to understand each other's mission before you initiate a plan," Solomon said. "If I could go back and decide between my service's and the Marine Corps' professional training, I would still have chosen the Marine Corps'."

Solomon's peers said his attitude helped diminish preconceptions between the two services.

"I thought Solomon was going to be the slug of the course," said Gunnery Sgt. Kreston Monroe, a low altitude air defense gunner with 1st Stinger Battery, Marine Air Control Group 18, 1st Marine Aircraft Wing. "But he was a motivator from the get-go. He came in here open minded and set himself up for a challenge, which he accomplished."

Monroe said that one of Solomon's most admirable qualities was his willingness to reach out to any Marine in need of help.

"He was always willing to study and work out with other Marines at a moment's notice," he said. "He has caused me to re-evaluate my opinion of the Air Force."

Solomon's commanding officer from his detachment at Kadena Air Base said he thought Solomon was crazy when he brought up the idea of attending the course.

"I was like, 'Are you out of your mind?'" said Air Force Capt. John Weiss, Soloman's commanding officer. "Despite my initial reaction, he has brought leadership to his troops since I can remember, so I knew he would do well."

Since joining the Air Force, Solomon has attended many professional military education courses, but he said none of them were like the Marine Corps'.

"This is, no doubt, the best PME I have ever received."

Ellie