Photo By Sgt. Hannah Adams | U.S. Marines with Fleet Marine Force, Atlantic, Marine Forces Command, Marine Forces...... read more read more
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NAVAL STATION NORFOLK, Va.— Gilbert, Arizona was founded alongside the Eastern Arizona Railway and was once known as a prime farming community. U.S. Marine Corps Sgt. Spencer J. Sargent, an intel analyst with Fleet Marine Force, Atlantic, Marine Forces Command, Marine Forces Northern Command, spent most of his life in this town. Sargent’s upbringing was family-oriented and always seeking adventure.
“I would consider myself a dare-devil,” Sargent reflected, “My childhood was mainly outdoors, full of cliff-jumping and playing hide-n-seek in Arizona sandstorms.”
Additionally, Sargent recalled taking advantage of many hot Arizona summers to ice block, which some will say is known as a western tradition. This is known as using a block of ice and sliding down a slope. Continued ice blocking will create a wet indentation in the grass and speeds will increase.
When Sargent graduated from Campo Verde High School in June 2017, it was clear that military service was the right choice.
“Since my childhood, I knew I wanted to join the military. The recruiting efforts and Marine Corps ethos led me to enlisting in the Marines.”
Sargent initially wanted artillery and was intrigued by the idea of lifting heavy weaponry. After taking the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery test, Sargent discovered his test scores were exceedingly high and opened new military jobs. The Marine recruiter recommended that he should research into the intel military occupation field.
After researching, Sargent discovered that intel offered a new type of challenge.
“I was intrigued by the endless career opportunities, whether I stay in for 20 years or go the contracting route.”
Intel is broken up into four specialties, including counter/ human intel, all-source intelligence analyst, imagery analysis, and geographic intelligence. Most schooling is held at Marine Corps Detachment Dam Neck, Virginia and is responsible for teaching Marines, Sailors, and civilian counterparts. Intel’s mission is to reduce the commander's uncertainty and drive operations.
Sargent stepped on Marine Corps Recruiting Depot San Diego’s yellow footprints following high school graduation and checked into MARDET Dam Neck in November 2019.
“The course was about 12 weeks long and I was eager to learn the skills necessary for this field,” Sargent said, “Over the course I grew an appreciation for intel and learned that teamwork is essential.”
With over six years of intel experience, Sargent experienced multiple problem sets. This included the 3rd Intel battalion, under III MEF information Group in Okinawa, Japan. Here, Sargent deployed to a joint military environment and worked closely with the South Korean military under the Joint Intelligence Operations Command-Korea.
Thereafter, he spent three years under FMFLANT, MARFORCOM, MARFOR NORTHCOM. Here, Sargent produced over 300 products aiding in the commander’s decision-making.
“Although I can't go into detail about day-to-day taskers, I can confidently say intel is crucial for the future of the Marine Corps,” Sargent expressed, “My advice for anyone looking into this ever-changing job field, is you will need to have a continuous will to learn, be level-headed, and always adapt quickly.”
As for Sargent, he looks forward to a new problem set under United States Central Command in Tampa, Florida. From there, he will consider whether he wants to pursue chief warrant officer route or an intel job in the civilian sector.
“Going the chief warrant officer route will enable me to be a master at my craft, while serving the corps,” Sargent said, “It's too early to tell which I will decide. But, what I do know is my job is rewarding and I intend to stick with it.”
| Date Taken: | 06.01.2023 |
| Date Posted: | 06.20.2023 13:13 |
| Story ID: | 447541 |
| Location: | NORFOLK, VIRGINIA, US |
| Hometown: | GILBERT, ARIZONA, US |
| Web Views: | 137 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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