Personal Narrative: Defining Moments In BMT

Colder Than Hell: A Marine Rifle Company at Chosin Reservoir was written and published by Joseph R. Owen in 1996. This book gives us a riveting point-of-view of the early and uncertain days of the Korean War through the eyes of Owen himself, as a platoon leader (PL) in a Marine rifle company. As a PL of a mortar section in Baker-One-Seven-Baker Company, 1st Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment- Owen witnessed his hastily assembled men of a few regulars and reservists (who to mention some that have not gone to boot camp) quickly harden into the superb Baker-One-Seven known today. He makes it known quickly (in the foreword and the preface) that some of the major problems he initially encountered was due to how unprepared his unit was. Owen makes the

The 1st Sustainment Command (Theater) (TSC) promoted one of its own today. It was a true honor to be a part of Athena Oliver’s promotion from chief warrant officer three (CW3) to the rank of CW4. The Army has a unique esprit de corps, as we work, train, and fight beside each other in the tireless effort to protect the American people and preserve our way of life. Through war and peace, the Army is a professional organization—a Family. Warrant officers are highly skilled, single-track specialty officers, the ranks CW2 through CW5, are commissioned by the President of the United States and take the same oath as regular commissioned officers (O 1 to O 10).

Petty Officer Gavin is a knowledgeable and versatile Sailor whose team work has been invaluable to the command. He consistently takes on demanding assignments and completes them with exceptional results. His outstanding leadership, managerial skills and high level of professional competence have contributed significantly to the unit's high state of readiness.

We were all really excited and anxious all at the same time we had to go practice and set-up for the ball at noon, which only made the excitement worse and almost unbearable. After set up was over, I went hope to get ready for the ball. A few pictures later I was finally at the hotel in the receiving line to go into the ballroom with my date and my competition happened to be sitting right next to me. We sat and ate dinner and listened to the speakers as they talked, soon after came the sabre guard to recognize the seniors who were about to graduate, which I was in charge of. It was finally time to announce who our new commander would be for the 2017-2018 school year, everyone looked at Elias and waiting for his name to be called but his name was never called instead they called mine, the whole room looked at me with astonishment and the room fell silent as I walked up to receive my promotion. I looked back at the room and there was a lot of mixed emotions some good and some bad. At the end of the ceremony the old battalion commander and I cut the cake with a sabre to

As a Senior Enlisted Leader, the largest struggle perhaps is to recognize Sailors for a job well done, no matter how small it may seem. LPI taught us the value of “Encouraging the Heart” and the survey pinpointed praising people for a job well done (5), publicly recognizing people who exemplify commitment to shared values (20), and finding ways to celebrate accomplishments (25) as areas of concern.

This whole process enlightened me on how to handle situations that are not the best, and also how to always keep a positive spirit even when the clouds are covering the sun. A problem with most is that all they look and care about is the end result. Success is not determined by the end result, but the process to which one gets there. Those long nights training, working so hard to achieve their dream. No one becomes successful overnight. And without this lesson, I would not have become the young man I am

During our first few weeks at WOBC we continued to get acclimated with the new surroundings of Fort Sill and continued to get accustomed to the transition from being enlisted to the officer branch. We in processed with the 1-30th FA Battalion which was simple and painless but the skill level or knowledge base to answer questions in

It was the last inning in our all-star game, and we were losing 10 to 8. Our team had 2 outs and we couldn’t get the third. Our pitcher was doing bad, throwing all balls, while all of us in the field were tired, ready to fall asleep at any moment. There goes another walk. They score again. Great! I was thinking. At this point in the game I thought for sure that I would die right there in center field. However, baseball is baseball and things can change rather rapidly.

It was Monday, May 29th 1944. The brisk winds chilled the air, and I could see my breath as we ran through the mud. My standard issue black boots failed to repel the moisture seeping through to my socks. It had been raining for days, off and on, not too heavily, but a constant soft mist regardless, and it saturated the ground like a gentle flood. The balmy weather and constant precipitation turned the English city of Hampshire into a lush green tone on the shrubs and a white frosted color on the buildings we built just months prior. If I had made a guess, I would have assumed that two million troops were waiting in England. Waiting for action, waiting for orders from the big fella himself, General Ike, formally referred to

Chief Madison is an exceptionally hard-working professional, who personifies the core values of our Navy. He expertly carries out the leadership of a Chief Petty Officer and is a constant source of encouragement and inspiration to those around him, continually improving the performance level of the command and Fleet in all areas. His exemplary deckplate leadership, technical expertise, professionalism, loyalty, moral character, strong sense of heritage, commitment to equality and diversity make him a perfect candidate for the 2016 MCPO Anna Der-Vartanian Award recipient. Some of his specific accomplishments include:

Buccaneer Battalion’s fall leadership entrusts their responsibilities to the incoming leadership through the Change of Command Ceremony. During this year’s honored tradition, MIDN 1/C Hinson and MIDN 1/C Wise confidently place their trust in MIDN 1/C Dombroski and SSgt Ley to be the new BN CO and BN XO (respectively) and maintain the honor of our Battalion. Thank you to all those who proudly maintained billets during the fall and congratulations to those who are picking up where they left off. We look forward to a strong

When the Colombian Battalion reached land immediately settled in over a hundred tents, where they could comfortably organized eighteen men. They were close to Ethiopian troops, with the Colombian troops made a great relationship. Therefore, they shared stuff with them, by that time Ethiopian soldiers everyday asked for Colombian coffee, or some just wanted to try Colombian food. It was great time; it was clam before the storm. During those days, the Colombian Battalion was in intensive training for more than six weeks, because Colombian Battalion should be good to go by June 16, 51. That was how their destiny came true, the tour through the Pacific warm ends. It was a cold environment such as the one they lived in the Boyacá. Once in Korea, they realized what their purpose was not to show everything that we had laughed over a

Petty Officer Portis is highly recommended for the Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal for his sustained superior performance of duties while serving as Tactical Support Communication (TSCOMM) Leading Petty Officer and project supervisor for the TSCOMM facility relocation project at U.S. Naval Computer and Telecommunications Station (NCTS), Far East Detachment Okinawa during the period of October 2016 to January 2017.

Unanticipated and lasting character changes resulted from my performing with the Wissahickon Marching Unit. Humility and coping with failure were commonplace lessons in my first year, as I joined amidst a “rebuilding” season with rookies comprising more than two-thirds of the band. Though frustrating considering the quantity of time I had committed with little external validation, the end result was resilience, an unwavering dedication, and greater patience. Unlike many activities where several elite members can carry an entire group, the marching unit’s nature necessarily and firmly instills the value of inclusion, as the position and movement of every individual is literally vital to the formation and success of the whole. For me, aiding