Photo By Laurie Pearson | Corporal Nicholas Davis, stableman, works a horse in the round pen during training...... read more read more
Corporal Nicholas R. Davis, a stableman with the Mounted Color Guard based at the LtCol Robert S. Lindsley Stables aboard the Yermo Annex of Marine Corps Logistics Base Barstow, has submitted his paperwork to become a Marine Corps Drill Instructor.
Recommending Davis for the DI slot was easy for Headquarters Company 1st Sgt. Enrique De Anda to do as he considers Davis to be a motivated, hardworking Marine.
“It makes you highly desirable over your peers with the promotion boards,” De Anda said. “For someone who is going to make a career out of the Marine Corps, it’s one of the best ways to go.”
It may be one of the best ways to get promoted quickly Davis said, but he realizes becoming a DI is going to entail attending another three-month “boot camp” again, which is not easy to do.
“All of the DIs I’ve talked to say the days are extremely long, you’re running around all day, your feet swell up and hurt,” he said. “You’re always getting sick from the recruits. I hear a lot of horror stories about it, but I’m willing to try it out.”
Davis said going to Drill Instructor school is an incentive for him to reenlist in the Corps. It’s that or going to embassy duty for his Special Duty Assignment.
“I need all of the signatures from my staff noncommissioned officer, first sergeant, our company commander, the base sergeant major and the base commander recommending me for reenlistment,” he said. “I have to get photos documenting any tattoos, take my green on green (physical training uniform) pictures, and get medical and dental clearances. I am also current on all of my (Professional Military Education) requirements.”
The stableman said he holds no grudge against the DIs he encountered in boot camp.
“Because I was a little older than the average recruit and I had a little more life experience to draw on when I went in,” Davis said. “I realized the drill instructors weren’t yelling at me personally; they were just trying to get us to shape up and follow orders, so we don’t get killed.”
De Anda noted Davis has a good chance of making the coveted DI slot, but it depends on how many spots there are and how many equally qualified Marines have submitted their own carefully prepared packages for the job.
Currently, Davis is assigned to the only remaining Mounted Color Guard in the Marine Corps, a job he said he really enjoys, even though his military occupational specialty is Military Police.
“What I like best about the MCG is getting to meet people, travel the country, and see new places. That’s always fun,” the corporal said. “I was surprised about what a magnet the MCG is to draw people in after our appearances. The kids and the adults like to pet the horses and learn a little bit about what we do and who we are.”
As per usual for the MCG, Davis was not assigned to the unit because of his riding capability, which was nonexistent.
He was a military policeman at Camp Hansen, Okinawa, Japan, which was his last duty assignment before coming to MCLBB.
“It was difficult for me to learn how to ride. I had never had a desire to learn before the MCG and I never thought I’d be doing this. Now I’m used to it. Working with each horse is a challenge. It’s like a puzzle figuring out each horse and what they’re good at or not good at and try to improve them,” the corporal said.
The administrative gears are moving slowly but surely for Cpl. Davis and his Drill Instructor request. Both he and 1st Sgt. De Anda expect the process to take about a year.
| Date Taken: | 08.23.2018 |
| Date Posted: | 08.23.2018 12:05 |
| Story ID: | 289975 |
| Location: | MARINE CORPS LOGISTICS BASE BARSTOW, CALIFORNIA, US |
| Web Views: | 65 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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