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firstsgtmike
02-07-03, 01:46 PM
This sounds more than just a little bit contrived, but I like it.

BEING A MARINE NCO

One day a second lieutenant passed by a formation and spotted a young NCO that had just given the command "Fall-out, carry out the Plan of the Day."

Impressed by the corporal's command presence he asked, "Have you ever thought about becoming an officer?" In response, the young NCO asked, "Do you know who I am? Do you really know who I am and what I do?"

I am the backbone of the Marine Corps. My fellow enlisted Marines and I keep our Corps running. Without us, you don't have a Marine Corps...you have a group of 17,892 officers with no one to lead, delegate to, or command. I am more than 155,000 strong.

In times of need I've been commissioned and done your job in war. Without me, you can't go to war. The next time you ask an enlisted Marine about becoming an officer, ask yourself, "Can the Corps afford to lose this NCO or staff NCO from its ranks?" I'm all for the "grow your own" concept, but sometimes robbing one pot to fill another is not the right way to do things.

And if you still feel the need to ask the question of an enlisted Marine, be careful how you ask it because sometimes, intentionally or not, it comes off condescending and insulting.

I don't know how many times an officer has asked me, "Why didn't you ever apply for an officer program? It's not too late." As if by not doing this, I have somehow wasted my time in the Marine Corps or settled for less.

I've settled for nothing and worked d*mn hard to get where I am. I aspire to be exactly what I am, and strive daily to improve myself and those around me. I have never regretted being an enlisted Marine. So, again I ask, "Do you know who I am?"

Obviously you don't or you never would have asked me about becoming an officer. You would have known that you were asking me to give all this up for a salute and a bigger paycheck. For many of us, the price of becoming an officer is just too high.

Now, let me ask you a question, "Have you ever thought of giving up your commission and becoming a Marine?"

If that offends you, think about how I feel when you ask me the same thing.

TODD T. SHEAF SGT.
USMC ( 73 - 80 ) RVN