Drill Instructor Spotlight: Sgt. Nadia Sensing stands tall against competition

10.14.2009

Story by Sgt. Russell Midori 

Marine Corps Recruit Depot, Parris Island           

It may be her voice, her body language or her intent expressions that recruits and Marines alike can't help but pay attention when Sgt. Nadia Sensing is "on deck."

She is a loud, poised and physically fit Martial Arts Instructor at Leatherneck Square and she demands the same volume, intensity and warrior mentality from the recruits under her charge.

"My method of working with recruits is to lead by example," said Sensing, who grew up in Fulton, K.Y. "If I make them scream, I'm going to scream. If I want to see their intensity, I'm going to show them my intensity. And I always want to see their intensity."

Sensing has worked as a Parris Island drill instructor for about a year and half, but she spent the summer teaching the Marine Corps Martial Arts Program to Marines and recruits. She is the only female MAI working at Leatherneck Square.

"She is fearless," said Gunnery Sergeant Michael Rae, the noncommissioned officer-in-charge of Leatherneck Square.

"She doesn't shy away from any type of challenge."

Rae, of Toledo, Ohio, said her aggression and enthusiasm inspire the Marines with whom she works.

"She has everything you ever hoped to see in a Marine," he said. "Sgt. Sensing is the type of person you'd want standing next to you in battle."

Marines and sailors often show up to Leatherneck Square specifically to endure her brand of training, Rae said. One of her students, Pfc. David Porter, is the only current member of Basic Marine Platoon to have earned a Gray Belt, largely thanks to Sensing's instruction.

Porter, of Riverhead, N.Y., said he is grateful for someone with her dedication to guide him in his young career.

"You can look at Sgt. Sensing and tell right off the bat that she is a warrior," he said. "You might think warriors are brash and reckless, but it's a controlled chaos. She always has absolute control and discipline. People see that, and that's where the respect comes from."

He said her advanced capabilities as a fighter also add to her credibility as a martial arts instructor.

"You can tell that some Marines are knowledgeable in the art of how to do MCMAP, but not how to teach it. She has both, and that might be from her drill instructor background," Porter said.

Her proficiency in MCMAP comes as no surprise to the drill instructors of Oscar Company, who she worked with before she came to Leatherneck Square. They agreed her level of fitness and intellect suit her to even the toughest types of work and training.

"She likes that hand-to-hand combat - that rugged side of the Marine Corps," said Staff Sgt. Monica Paz, the senior drill instructor for Platoon 4038, Oscar Company, 4th Recruit Training Battalion.

The two Marines worked together as drill instructors during previous training cycles at Oscar Company, 4th RTBn., during which time Sensing was one of the most passionate drill instructors Paz has seen, she said.

"There's something special about the way she commands a recruit," said Paz, of Miami. "She always demands perfection, but she shows them what perfection is.

"She won't tell them how to do a drill movement," Paz explained. "She'll show them, and she'll be perfect at it."

She added that Sensing has brought her combat skill and teaching style with her to the MCMAP arena, where she now influences recruits all across the regiment.

"She has the self discipline that a lot of recruits come here looking for," Paz said. "I liked having her on my team because she gave the platoon an example of not just what a good Marine looks like, but what a strong, confident woman looks like. She gives them a picture of it every day."

• Date Taken: 10.14.2009
• Date Posted: 10.14.2009 12:54
• Story ID: 40111