Marine Made Unlikely Leader
Marine Corps News | April 24, 2007

RAWAH, Iraq – (April 24, 2007) -- At the edge of the Euphrates River, on the outskirts of the prospering, valley town of Rawah, Iraq, 10 Marines and a lone corpsman have positioned themselves atop a small hill to provide a better way of life for the local civilians. For one Marine corporal, it is his duty to lead, delegate and look after his squad of warriors while they oversee the daily progress of Iraqi Police operating roadside checkpoints, controlling the entrance to a town full of markets and businesses.

For Cpl. Brandon Bailey of Company D, 1st Light Armored Reconnaissance, Regimental Combat Team 2, Multi National Force-West, his unique position as noncommissioned officer in charge is considered atypical by some of his peers because of his rank. However, it is enough to impress both general officers and high-ranking enlisted Marines. Bailey, an infantryman, simply views it through modest eyes, merely as a Marine doing his duty.

“I don’t really think about it that much,” he said of his uncommon role, which usually is reserved for those of a higher pay grade. “It was just a situation that fell into my lap.”

Bailey, a soft-spoken and humble individual, and his fellow Marines play a mentor-type role for the Iraqi forces, who prevent the entry of smuggled goods into the area. They spend each day assisting Iraqi Police with vehicle and personnel searches of those crossing the bridge into Rawah, providing a safer environment for the Iraqi people.

“We were put into an over watch situation, watching the IPs (Iraqi Police), making sure they do their job,” he said. “I’m also here to fortify this position, which was not fortified when I took control of it.”

Although the city presently seems secure, Rawah was once a place where some of the most wanted insurgents, such as Sadam Shihab Ahmad who was killed by Iraqi policemen last September, used as a haven. With this in mind, making sure the police are doing their job to provide security for locals is just part of Bailey’s goals. He also cares deeply about the well-being of his Marines and corpsman.

“One of my missions is to make sure we have the safest living area that we can have, because who knows how long we’re going to be out here,” Bailey said. Enhancing the area has been a focus point for Bailey who added, “it was a pitiful place and now it’s somewhat better.”

Bailey, from Monterey, Calif., and his diverse squad of infantryman, mechanics, engineers and a medic were put together just a few weeks prior to deploying in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom.

“I tell you, we were seriously put together two weeks before we deployed,” he said. “We are cutthroat, we get the job done, we work well together as a team and we’ve accomplished everything we’ve set our goals on.”

The sudden orders for deployment were not only a surprise for Bailey and his men, families were involved. Bailey, who only has five months remaining on his military contract, has a wife and a child in California awaiting his return. Thoughts of his family are entrenched in the foreground of his objective and getting back safe and sound is something he thinks about each day.

“I’m all about surviving, so why not have the guys around me survive as well,” he said of his leadership goal. “If someone is not doing their job, I take charge. I don’t think about it as ‘Wow, I’m a corporal in charge of a bunch of people.’ I’m just a Marine surrounded by a bunch of other Marines trying to make the best out of the situation.”

The sergeant major for the Ground Combat Element, MNF-W, Sgt. Maj. Doug Castle, was instantly impressed with Bailey and the responsibility he has assumed. Upon meeting the young corporal, Castle spoke intimately with Bailey and had a few words of wisdom for the younger Marine.

“You, being a leader, have to adjust the way you speak,” Castle told Bailey. “Not everybody is going to understand the same language. Everybody is different, so you have to learn to say something six different ways, so six different people will understand.”

The way the Corps trains their noncommissioned officers is a major element in what makes Marines different from other military services. Age has never been a part of Marines’ leadership equation. In Bailey’s case, it seems his ability to lead others is parallel to his steadfast commitment to his duty, which is abundantly evident to those around him.

Just before shaking Bailey’s hand and wishing him luck, Castle said quietly, “You being a 27-year-old Marine, and not just a corporal, shows there is something different about you.”

Ellie