thedrifter
11-04-08, 06:22 AM
FMF guides sailors to new horizons
11/3/2008 By Cpl. Aaron Rooks , 2nd Marine Logistics Group
MARINE CORPS BASE CAMP LEJEUNE, N.C. (Nov. 3, 2008) —After spending more than 21 years of his life in the Marine Corps and reaching the rank of master sergeant, Navy Lt. Calvin B. Gardner, Sr., thought he’d learned everything there is to know about his beloved Corps.
He knew that he had already attended every military education course offered by the Corps, to include the Noncommissioned Officer’s Course, the Career Course and the Advanced Course just to name a few. These courses alone are viewed by many Marines as the premier enlisted leadership courses available, so why should he think otherwise?
This is exactly what he thought in July 2007 when he had to choose whether or not he would pursue his Fleet Marine Force qualification as a Navy Chaplain. Another side of him knew that throughout his 24-year military career, he had never been the type to not reach a little higher when it came to furthering his education. The chaplain from 2nd Maintenance Battalion, 2nd Marine Logistics Group, soon realized that his decision to pursue the coveted badge was just the beginning of what would become a yearlong struggle.
For sailors, earning and wearing the FMF badge means that they have taken a step well above their peers. These badges signify that they have dedicated at least one year to learning the ins and outs of the Marine Corps. They become experts in everything most Marines only learn the basics of: the Marine Air-Ground Task Force, its subordinate components, history, customs and courtesies.
“The badge symbolizes that we’ve gone deeper in our relationship with the Marine Corps,” said Cmdr. Vincent DeCicco, group surgeon for 2nd MLG. “We’ve tried to help integrate with the Marine Corps team more effectively so that we understand the operations, what Marines go through and where they come from.”
There are three types of FMF qualifications: officer, enlisted and chaplain. The Office of the Chief of Naval Operations Instructions (OPNAVINST) 1414.6 and 1414.4B define the requirements for naval officer and enlisted qualification respectively. According to the documents, individuals who wish to qualify for any one of these three badges must first spend at least one year with a Marine unit, pass a Marine Corps physical fitness test, finish a six-mile forced march, complete the Personal Qualification Standards book and pass an oral board exam.
Each qualification brings new opportunities for potential success to individual sailors depending on their type of job. Gardner’s recent qualification as a Fleet Marine Force chaplain has created a deeper connection to the Marines and sailors that he deals with on an everyday basis. He said he’s confident that this new connection will help him as he moves forward into the future with his Marines.
“The knowledge I’ve gained and the training I’ve done is to become a better chaplain,” Gardner explained. “It brings to me a better understanding of the institution that is the Marine Corps, how it operates and why it does what it does. In turn, I’m able to perform my chaplain duties in a more proficient manner.”
There are some differences between the enlisted sailors who wear the FMF badges from the officers. DeCicco said FMF officer qualification focuses more toward the bigger issues that affect the Marine Corps and its major subordinate commands such as the divisions and logistics groups.
Petty Officer 1st Class Sybil Litchfield, an FMF qualified hospital corpsman with the 2nd MLG Group Surgeon’s Office, said enlisted FMF qualification aims more toward the small unit level. She said that unlike naval officers, naval enlisted personnel are often tasked out to lower level commands at the company and platoon levels where they personally deal with individual Marines on a day-to-day basis. She also said that their training must focus more on things like weapons, land navigation and fighting postitions.
“The enlisted are more oriented to the smaller pictures,” the Fort Wayne, Ind., native said. “We mainly focus on the specific individual tasks. We’re boots in the dirt with the individual Marines, so our relationship is different.”
Most sailors who partake in this qualification don’t have the luxury of spending more than 21 years in the Corps among a plethora of Marines. They don’t have the advantage of constant physical training or years of furthering their knowledge about the Corps.
Gardner, however, had no trouble overcoming the physical requirements needed for qualification, although he feels that if his knowledge prior to gaining his FMF badge could be measured on a scale of one to 10, he would be rated a six even despite his upper hand.
The Detroit native said that he was blown away when he first saw what the PQS had in store for him, stating that it was “the hardest part about getting the badge, as it should be.” He said that he realized at that point how much he didn’t know about the Marine Corps.
DeCicco, a native of Long Island, N.Y., said that even though nearly 100 percent of program participants earn their FMF badges, it’s not easy by any means. He said the teachers and their knowledge are almost always nearby; the individual sailors just have to seek them out and have the desire to learn from them.
“Marines say their titles are earned and never given,” said DeCicco, who currently serves as the senior member of 2nd MLG’s FMF officer qualification board. “The badge and the qualification are the same. The sailors must earn them, they’re never given.”
DeCicco added that the qualification can be very difficult if the sailors don’t apply themselves fully, and that learning doesn’t stop even after they achieve their badge. He said the Marine Corps will continue to evolve, so FMF qualified Sailors must continue to learn and remain knowledgeable as things change.
Gardner followed this mindset. Even though he was in the Corps for so long and attended so much training during that time, he found that in order to be successful in the future, he had to remain open to the idea of continuing to learn.
In May, Gardner only passed 15 out of the required 17 sections of the oral board exam, leaving him to face the board another day. Although the qualification was tough, he didn’t give up, and the very next month, the chaplain passed the board exam.
“I was very humbled,” Gardner said of his performance on the exam. “It shows that when you stop learning, that’s when you stop living. Learning is a lifelong process, and I’m now a lifelong learner.”
Looking back at his FMF qualification, Gardner would now say he is a nine out of 10 in his knowledge of his beloved Corps.
Ellie
11/3/2008 By Cpl. Aaron Rooks , 2nd Marine Logistics Group
MARINE CORPS BASE CAMP LEJEUNE, N.C. (Nov. 3, 2008) —After spending more than 21 years of his life in the Marine Corps and reaching the rank of master sergeant, Navy Lt. Calvin B. Gardner, Sr., thought he’d learned everything there is to know about his beloved Corps.
He knew that he had already attended every military education course offered by the Corps, to include the Noncommissioned Officer’s Course, the Career Course and the Advanced Course just to name a few. These courses alone are viewed by many Marines as the premier enlisted leadership courses available, so why should he think otherwise?
This is exactly what he thought in July 2007 when he had to choose whether or not he would pursue his Fleet Marine Force qualification as a Navy Chaplain. Another side of him knew that throughout his 24-year military career, he had never been the type to not reach a little higher when it came to furthering his education. The chaplain from 2nd Maintenance Battalion, 2nd Marine Logistics Group, soon realized that his decision to pursue the coveted badge was just the beginning of what would become a yearlong struggle.
For sailors, earning and wearing the FMF badge means that they have taken a step well above their peers. These badges signify that they have dedicated at least one year to learning the ins and outs of the Marine Corps. They become experts in everything most Marines only learn the basics of: the Marine Air-Ground Task Force, its subordinate components, history, customs and courtesies.
“The badge symbolizes that we’ve gone deeper in our relationship with the Marine Corps,” said Cmdr. Vincent DeCicco, group surgeon for 2nd MLG. “We’ve tried to help integrate with the Marine Corps team more effectively so that we understand the operations, what Marines go through and where they come from.”
There are three types of FMF qualifications: officer, enlisted and chaplain. The Office of the Chief of Naval Operations Instructions (OPNAVINST) 1414.6 and 1414.4B define the requirements for naval officer and enlisted qualification respectively. According to the documents, individuals who wish to qualify for any one of these three badges must first spend at least one year with a Marine unit, pass a Marine Corps physical fitness test, finish a six-mile forced march, complete the Personal Qualification Standards book and pass an oral board exam.
Each qualification brings new opportunities for potential success to individual sailors depending on their type of job. Gardner’s recent qualification as a Fleet Marine Force chaplain has created a deeper connection to the Marines and sailors that he deals with on an everyday basis. He said he’s confident that this new connection will help him as he moves forward into the future with his Marines.
“The knowledge I’ve gained and the training I’ve done is to become a better chaplain,” Gardner explained. “It brings to me a better understanding of the institution that is the Marine Corps, how it operates and why it does what it does. In turn, I’m able to perform my chaplain duties in a more proficient manner.”
There are some differences between the enlisted sailors who wear the FMF badges from the officers. DeCicco said FMF officer qualification focuses more toward the bigger issues that affect the Marine Corps and its major subordinate commands such as the divisions and logistics groups.
Petty Officer 1st Class Sybil Litchfield, an FMF qualified hospital corpsman with the 2nd MLG Group Surgeon’s Office, said enlisted FMF qualification aims more toward the small unit level. She said that unlike naval officers, naval enlisted personnel are often tasked out to lower level commands at the company and platoon levels where they personally deal with individual Marines on a day-to-day basis. She also said that their training must focus more on things like weapons, land navigation and fighting postitions.
“The enlisted are more oriented to the smaller pictures,” the Fort Wayne, Ind., native said. “We mainly focus on the specific individual tasks. We’re boots in the dirt with the individual Marines, so our relationship is different.”
Most sailors who partake in this qualification don’t have the luxury of spending more than 21 years in the Corps among a plethora of Marines. They don’t have the advantage of constant physical training or years of furthering their knowledge about the Corps.
Gardner, however, had no trouble overcoming the physical requirements needed for qualification, although he feels that if his knowledge prior to gaining his FMF badge could be measured on a scale of one to 10, he would be rated a six even despite his upper hand.
The Detroit native said that he was blown away when he first saw what the PQS had in store for him, stating that it was “the hardest part about getting the badge, as it should be.” He said that he realized at that point how much he didn’t know about the Marine Corps.
DeCicco, a native of Long Island, N.Y., said that even though nearly 100 percent of program participants earn their FMF badges, it’s not easy by any means. He said the teachers and their knowledge are almost always nearby; the individual sailors just have to seek them out and have the desire to learn from them.
“Marines say their titles are earned and never given,” said DeCicco, who currently serves as the senior member of 2nd MLG’s FMF officer qualification board. “The badge and the qualification are the same. The sailors must earn them, they’re never given.”
DeCicco added that the qualification can be very difficult if the sailors don’t apply themselves fully, and that learning doesn’t stop even after they achieve their badge. He said the Marine Corps will continue to evolve, so FMF qualified Sailors must continue to learn and remain knowledgeable as things change.
Gardner followed this mindset. Even though he was in the Corps for so long and attended so much training during that time, he found that in order to be successful in the future, he had to remain open to the idea of continuing to learn.
In May, Gardner only passed 15 out of the required 17 sections of the oral board exam, leaving him to face the board another day. Although the qualification was tough, he didn’t give up, and the very next month, the chaplain passed the board exam.
“I was very humbled,” Gardner said of his performance on the exam. “It shows that when you stop learning, that’s when you stop living. Learning is a lifelong process, and I’m now a lifelong learner.”
Looking back at his FMF qualification, Gardner would now say he is a nine out of 10 in his knowledge of his beloved Corps.
Ellie