Leading the way-III MIG Corporals Course

Photo By Cpl. Kasey Prime | Marines and Airmen with first squad won a corporals course squad competition on Camp Hansen, Okinawa, Japan, Aug. 29, 2018. The squad competition was held to both build morale among the Marines as well as test knowledge and skills learned during the course. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Kasey Prime)  

CAMP HANSEN , OKINAWA, JAPAN

08.31.2018

Story by Cpl. Kasey Prime 

III MEF Information Group     

The service members of Corporals Course 593-18 have learned it takes more than just being physically fit and proficient in their job to be an effective leader – they have to be well rounded in many aspects.
According to the Marine Corps University, the Corporals Leadership Program is designed to provide instruction for tasks developed in accordance with Marine Corps Order 1510.90 Individual Training Standard.
The Marines at III MIG Corporals Course have taken this and expanded it.
“The Marines learn more than being that bulldog corporal in their Marines’ faces,” said Sgt. Brandon Franklin, a chief instructor for the course.
Franklin said the course’s main focus is helping the corporals understand how they can get their Marines to work with them instead of working for them.
The Corporals Course is also open to other service components, such as Soldiers, Sailors, and Airmen, who need to complete their primary military education. Franklin believes this blend of service members gives the students better exposure to the other branches and the knowledge they can provide.
An airmen attending the Corporals Course, Senior Airmen Joshua Sheard, a structural sourneyman with 18 Civil Engineer Squadron, explained that it required them to do everything as a team, and the solution cannot come from one person.
“Everything forced us to work as a team,” said Sheard, a native of Lynnwood, Washington. “It really exemplified that ‘no Marine left behind’ concept.”
However, the service members are taught more than just teamwork throughout the course.
According to Franklin, III MIG has added financial management, tuition assistance, and Okinawan and Marine Corps history classes as a way to let the corporals know what is available to them.

A student, Cpl. Carlos Cortezzamera, had some positive things to say about the subjects covered during the course.
“We focused on professionalism and a lot of different leadership styles,” he said.
According to Cortezzamera, this is the most important part of the course because different people react to different styles of leadership and leaders need to be flexible and learn what works best for their subordinates.
The course is very student driven, and the classes allow the students to teach each other while the instructors guide the discussion.
“The Marines emphasize a lot more about being a leader,” Sheard said. “It’s not the rank that makes the leader; it’s the leader that makes the rank.”
The service members attending Corporals Course 593-18 graduated Aug. 31, 2018.

• Date Taken: 08.31.2018
• Date Posted: 09.05.2018 01:00
• Story ID: 291084
• Location: CAMP HANSEN , OKINAWA, JP