|
Leadership takes new steps in Iraq
Junior noncommissioned officers march by
the airfield with NCO sabers at their side.
Their ceremonial strut offers
a fitting metaphor, as these Marines take
the necessary steps to becoming the Corps’
next leaders.
Marine Wing Support Squadron
373, 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing (Forward),
hosted Corporals Course Class 1-06 and graduated
24 Marines December 15.
“As an instructor,
it’s my job to teach the corporals
how to become the best NCOs possible,”
said Staff Sgt. Robert Armendariz, company
gunnery sergeant of Air Field Operations
Company, MWSS-373 and instructor for 1st
Squad, Class 1-06. He added that the graduates
now possess the tools to help them become
great mentors and outstanding leaders.
The course featured two
grueling weeks of close order drill, physical
training and classroom material. A few Marines
who participated in the course said, it
was an essential step to becoming a competent
NCO.
“Being a corporal
is more than having (a higher rank), it’s
earning the title to be a leader,”
said Cpl. Benjamin M. Manibog, 19, a maintenance
management clerk with MWSS-373. He added
that everything he learned, from close order
drill movements to the fundamentals of Marine
Corps leadership, will be something he passes
on to his junior Marines.
Manibog, a Los Angeles native,
was the top graduate of Class 1-06.
Armendariz said the Marines
marched every morning, afternoon and evening
to instill discipline within the new NCOs.
Whether learning leadership traits, styles
and principals in the classroom or outside
for drill, the Marines always worked as
a team...Read
More
|
Marines run with Christmas spirit
Christmas is a time for giving,
a time for families to get together
and share happiness. For deployed
service members, the ‘family
get-together’ is a little
bit different.
Troops
from all around Camp Taqaddum gathered
on Christmas Eve to celebrate the
holiday by running a 5-kilometer
race.
It
was the fourth of five races making
up the Camp Taqaddum Road Series.
The events were organized to boost
morale, said Capt. James R. Uwins,
environmental and safety officer
of 1st Marine Logistics Group (Forward).
For
some service members, the race presented
a chance to showcase their physical
ability and endurance.
“I
am running this for myself and to
do better than I did the last race,”
said Cpl. Leif L. Dawson, a supply
clerk with Headquarters Company,
Marine Wing Support Squadron 373,
3rd Marine Aircraft Wing (Forward).
“It gives me a sense of pride,
especially when I beat everyone
that works with me.”
For
others, the competition was friendlier
and provided an opportunity to meet
new people
“Today
was great for meeting people you
don’t get to see because of
the shift you work,” said
Cpl. Davis J. Reichel, 22, a nuclear,
biological and chemical specialist
with 1st MLG (Forward) and a native
of Staples, Michigan...Read
More
|
|
|
Back
to top |
Service members unite in effort to save girl's
life "She is
our future... that's why we support the
Iraqi Police, so they can provide a secure
future for (Iraqi children)," said
Lt. Col. Bob McCarthy, a 41-year-old Police
Transition Team Leader from East Bridgewater,
Mass., in response to an Iraqi tribal leader's
gratitude toward U.S. forces for their efforts
to save an Iraqi youth named Riyam Shihan.
The Girl
In the afternoon of
October 13th, nine-(and-a-half)-year-old
Riyam was in her aunt's house playing with
her cousin.
A few hours later, many
doubted she would live to play again.
The Grunt
Marine Corporal Justin
T. Abraham spotted him first: an Iraqi man
stumbling toward his position, his arms
clutching a bundle of blankets.
"At first I thought
he was carrying a bomb," said Abraham,
a 23-year-old native of Oxford, Mich. and
a Marine with PTT 6, Regimental Combat Team
5, 1st Marine Division.
Then Abraham saw the girl
and all of the blood, and he knew his first
instinct was wrong. He also knew he needed
to find a doctor...Read
More
|
