Photo By Kristyn Galvan | United States Marine Corps staff noncommissioned officers participate in a field meet...... read more read more
United States Marine Corps and 1st Force Storage Battalion staff noncommissioned officers participated in a field meet at Marine Corps Logistics Base Barstow’s McCarver Hall Fitness Center, California, May 31. U.S. Marine Corps Captain William Kemp, 1st FSB supply officer, organized the field meet, which has not occurred at MCLB Barstow in several years. “For us here at Barstow, this will be the first one in some time. Though every senior Marine with rotations at other units has stories from other field meets, many first timers here haven’t participated in one before. A field meet will give them a taste of the fleet life while showing off their status as combat athletes,” said Kemp.
During the field meet, Marines were divided equally into red and blue teams and competed against one another in eight challenges, which included trivia, basketball, weights, pull-ups and tug-o-war. For the U.S. Marine Corps, field meets are a customary tradition in every battalion and have been in existence for at least a century, potentially before World War I.
U.S. Marine Corps Capt. Michael Henson, commander of Company L, 3rd Battalion, 4th Marines at Twentynine Palms, California, saw firsthand the importance of esprit de corps when he was a private first class. “Esprit de corps defines a special club, a brotherhood, a sisterhood, an organization, an institution that is greater than its individual members. Such groups often trace their lineage to long before any of the current members joined. Esprit de corps is often strengthened by an inherited legacy kept alive by reverence for those who went before,” said Henson, in the November 2021 issue of Proceedings, an open forum publication by the U.S. Naval Institute. “Though it may be hard to measure, it is indisputable that units with strong esprit are more combat efficient than units without. Anyone who has experienced it can attest to its effectiveness,” said Henson.
Esprit de corps is defined by Merriam Webster as “the common spirit existing in the members of a group and inspiring enthusiasm, devotion, and strong regard for the honor of the group.”
“The 2024 Barstow SNCO field meet was an event to showcase the plethora of athletic and intellectual skills our Marines here on base have developed. Marines are by nature both proud and athletic and have the mental toughness for all levels of competition. Field meets are an opportunity for Marines to compete and prove their worth to one another while also spending time together outside of the working environment. Field meets historically raise both comradery and esprit de corps,” said Kemp.
| Date Taken: | 06.13.2024 |
| Date Posted: | 06.17.2024 13:47 |
| Story ID: | 474154 |
| Location: | BARSTOW, CALIFORNIA, US |
| Web Views: | 52 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, MCLBB's Field Meet Defines Esprit de Corps, by Vanessa Schell, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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