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FORT SILL, Okla. -- Marines have been called many things: Leathernecks, Jarheads, Devil Dogs, but two labels seem to stick each and every time: leaders and professionals.
The Marines of 2nd Battalion, 14th Marine Regiment display the characteristics expected of them as leaders and professionals each and every day.
But the Marines of 2nd Bn., 14th Marines aren’t just Marines.
They’re police officers, engineers, nurses, mechanics and pretty much anything else anyone can think of, which means they uphold the same characteristics in both their Marine Corps life and in the civilian world.
Upon stepping on the yellow footprints which mark the starting point of recruit training at either Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island, S.C. or MCRD San Diego, every Marine is honor-bound to uphold the core values of honor, courage and commitment. This is more than just an obligation to come in one weekend a month, it is a commitment to a lifestyle of doing the right thing, whether wearing cammies or jeans.
The Marines of 2nd Bn., 14th Marines showed those values at their annual training exercise, which took place June 1-15 here.
“You’re a Marine 24/7,” said Lt. Col. Andrew J. Paige, commanding officer, 2nd Bn., 14th Marines. “It can be hard if you have a family, a civilian job, school, among other things, but you can never say you’re a part-time Marine. You can’t take off your eagle, globe and anchor, just like you should never forget about your Marine Corps values.”
The life of the Reserve Marine is a delicate balancing act between a military and civilian lifestyle.
Lance Cpl. James Tenison is an admin clerk with 2nd Bn., 14th Marines who is halfway through his master of business administration degree, holds down two jobs, as well as fulfilling all of his obligations to the Marine Corps. He credits a lot of his time management skills to things he’s learned as a Marine.
“The Marine Corps has taught me so much,” Tenison said. “Being able to hold yourself accountable as well as managing other people is an extremely valuable skill in the civilian world. In the Marine Corps, it’s a necessity.”
Tenison said he wasn’t too much of a "people person" before the Corps. But since he has had other Marines in his charge, he has picked up valuable mentoring skills he uses in his everyday life.
“I recently took in two guys who were in my undergraduate class,” he said. “It’s been really rewarding passing on the knowledge and skills that the Marine Corps and life experience have taught me.”
Paige says he hopes all Marines can take the skills they get here and improve their performance at civilian jobs.
“An employer can expect that when they hire a Marine, that they will do their job,” Paige said. “But as a Marine, they should go above and beyond expectations because that’s what Marines do.”
It’s not all about what the Marines do for the employers, though, Paige says. There is a lot that could not be accomplished without the help of the people that give our Marines jobs.
“We want to thank all of the employers that are so supportive of our Marines,” he said. “I understand that you make big sacrifices to allow your employees to come out to training, but we do our best to make sure that they come back better than when they showed up”
| Date Taken: | 06.07.2012 |
| Date Posted: | 06.15.2012 16:52 |
| Story ID: | 90088 |
| Location: | FORT SILL, OKLAHOMA, US |
| Hometown: | GRAND PRAIRIE, TEXAS, US |
| Hometown: | NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA, US |
| Web Views: | 211 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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