Photo By Lance Cpl. Jerrick J. Griffin | First Sgt. Michael Cato, company first sergeant, Headquarters Company, Combat...... read more read more
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CAMP PENDLETON, Calif. - After spending the majority of his career in the infantry, 1st Sgt. Michael Cato is now taking on the challenge of being the senior enlisted Marine in a logistics unit.
Cato, from Temecula, Calif., served as the company first sergeant
of 1st Battalion, 1st Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division,
before taking his current billet as company first sergeant with Headquarters Company, Combat Logistics Regiment 17, 1st Marine
Logistics Group.
Cato has been in the Marine Corps for almost 18 years. He joined in 1994 and after recruit training and MOS school he received in his original MOS as a Light Armored Vehicle Crewman.
Being at a logistics unit has been ‘an adjustment’ from what Cato is used to.
“It’s a different dynamic,” said Cato, 37. “There is a different mission set where we would focus on the field in my previous unit, here they focus on getting gear in and getting gear out.”
Throughout his career, Cato has served in various billets. In December 1997 Cato received orders to School of Infantry West, Camp Pendleton, Calif. and served as an instructor and staff non-commissioned officer in charge. A few years later in September 2001, Cato received order to Marine Corps Recruit Depot San Diego, for Drill Instructor School. During his tour on the drill field he filled the following billets of Drill Instructor, Senior Drill Instructor, and Chief Drill Instructor for Lima Company, 3rd Recruit Training Battalion. Cato reported to the Naval Academy for duty in March 2007 and served as the 10th Company Senior Enlisted Adviser until September 2009.
Cato has also been on several deployments. He deployed with the 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit aboard the USS Wasp straight to the Adriatic Sea in support of Operations Deny Flight, Joint Endeavor, and Provide Promise. He deployed in 1996 in support Operation Agile Lion, in Stuttgart, Germany. In 2005 he deployed to Fallujah, Iraq, in support of OIF III with India Company, 1st Platoon. Then he deployed in July 2006 to Okinawa, Japan, as part of the 31st MEU.
Out of all the units Cato has been with, he stated that the Marines are the same only the mission is different.
“The job and the Marines are the same,” said Cato. “I don’t see a difference in the Marines as far as attitude, moral and discipline.” In his short time with the unit, he said he has been impressed by what he has seen.
“The unit, so far since I’ve been here, has been great,” said Cato. “Great staff [non-commissioned officers], great officers and Marines in general. They’re motivating and I wasn’t expecting anything less before I got over here. But at the same time, getting here and seeing first-hand how well the Marines carry themselves is even more impressive than my initial expectations.”
Cato’s plan as he moves forward with HQ Company is to bring out the competitive edge between the companies in order to build more camaraderie.
“I want to bring more unity to [HQ Company],” said Cato. “Holding little competitions such as sports tournaments between the companies would make that unity.”
| Date Taken: | 02.02.2012 |
| Date Posted: | 02.02.2012 20:32 |
| Story ID: | 83257 |
| Location: | CAMP PENDLETON, CALIFORNIA, US |
| Web Views: | 407 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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