Photo By Cpl. Jonathan Beauchamp | U.S. Marines with Special Reaction Team, Provost Marshal’s Office, Marine Corps...... read more read more
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CAMP HANSEN, OKINAWA, Japan – U.S. Marine Corps Staff Sgt. Brian Prasad, the Special Reaction Team commander with Provost Marshal’s Office, Marine Corps Installations Pacific, was raised in Sacramento, California. Like many across the United States, his parents instructed him to value the importance of setting an example. His parents, Neil, and Lisa Prasad immigrated from the Republic of Fiji and the Kingdom of Spain to experience America's many opportunities for their family.
At the age of 10, Prasad experienced his first interaction with a service member at a local supply store. Donned in the Dress Blue Bravo uniform, the service member glanced at Prasad while shopping. Starstruck, Prasad turned to his mother who informed him that it was a Marine.
“When I saw the Marine, I said to myself, that is what I want to be when I grow up,” said Prasad. “As I grew older, I started to see my options broaden, so I joined the Marine Corps because I wanted to develop my skills as an individual and leader.”
Since enlisting, Prasad has achieved certifications such as SRT commander, marksman observer, designated marksman, nonlethal weapons instructor, defensive tactics instructor, combat hunter instructor trainer, and Marine Corps martial arts program instructor.
“While progressing throughout my career, I have been extremely fortunate in my educational growth and leadership growth opportunities,” said Prasad. “Over the years, the 11 Leadership Principles have become the pinnacle of my leadership style. Although each principle is important, the ninth has always stood out to me.”
The ninth Leadership Principle is “to ensure assigned tasks are understood, supervised, and accomplished.”
Prasad explained that the ninth Leadership Principle heavily applies to his roles and responsibilities as SRT commander. If the tasks his team is responsible for are not understood, the mission fails. He added that although SRT is comprised of individuals, as is the entire Marine Corps, it is paramount to work efficiently and with a team mentality to accomplish the mission together.
“No man left behind” is a phrase said by generations of Marines. This mentality doesn’t just apply in combat, but in garrison as well. Marine Corps Order 5351.1 directly states “we must have the ability to train and sustain a combat-ready and resilient force capable of accomplishing any mission.”
Prasad explained that on a daily basis, he strives to improve his leadership traits and ensures he is there for his Marines; not just because troop welfare directly correlates to mission accomplishment, but because it’s the right thing to do. He added that despite past setbacks, he wants to show his Marines that good leadership promotes healthy work environments and personal success.
“Staff Sgt. Prasad always places others above himself,” said Cpl. Carlos Loyafierro, an SRT member with PMO, MCIPAC. "During my last three years of knowing him, he has always checked up on me, whether it's my career progression as a member of SRT, or just to see how my family and I are doing."
SRT’s primary goal is to contain, control, and dominate a threat psychologically or physically. This happens when a threat is judged as too high of a risk for a patrolman to neutralize. As a result, SRT works on a 24/7 emergency basis to help protect personnel.
“I think that because of Staff Sgt. Prasad’s leadership, our team has grown to be a cohesive unit, and more importantly, a family,” said Loyafierro. “Our entire team knows and trusts that we can count on him at any given time.”
| Date Taken: | 03.13.2023 |
| Date Posted: | 03.16.2023 06:54 |
| Story ID: | 440233 |
| Location: | OKINAWA, JP |
| Web Views: | 412 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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