MARINE CORPS AIR STATION MIRAMAR, Calif. -- Newly promoted corporals with 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing and Marine Corps Air Station Miramar, Calif., attended a three-day Committed and Engaged Leadership Indoctrination Course in East Miramar, June 3-5.
Maj. Gen. Steven Busby, 3rd MAW commanding general, implemented the course to teach new noncommissioned officers about the responsibilities that come with the promotion. Busby explained that he hopes to empower the new NCOs to better the Marine Corps as part of his Committed and Engaged Leadership initiative.
“Our responsibility is to them,” said Busby. “This concept is nothing new. The only thing that might be a little bit different is how it is packaged. The Marine is what we have to value most, because in the end, they are the mission.”
Busby explained that when Marines think about the concept of being committed and engaged, that it should be considered a basic concept of leadership. It’s being committed to the Marine Corps and being engaged with each other, because service is never about the individual; it’s about their brothers and sisters serving beside them.
Before the course, some had a misguided view of the potential a corporal could hold when given the right tools.
“Before I was promoted, a corporal, to me, was just someone who supervised and served as a barrier between the junior Marines and the sergeants,” said Cpl. Jordan Mercado, a newly promoted corporal attending the course. I knew corporals were supposed to be leaders, but this course has broken it down into specifics on how to lead. Now that I have the power to actually lead my Marines, I can mentor and guide them like I was. I’m glad I came here. It’s a great learning experience and I think this is a really good thing they’re doing here.”
Mentors laid down a foundation in leadership for the new NCOs with help from uniform inspections, classes on how to lead guided discussions, communications and counseling, and an introduction to the NCO Creed.
Armed with personal experiences, gunnery sergeants and sergeants helped further prepare their mentees for challenges they may face in the future.
“We’re mentoring these new corporals so that they have the tools they need to return to their shops and mentor their own Marines,” said Gunnery Sgt. Mohammed Huda, a mentor for the course. “We share our experiences with them to give them the opportunity to take the good and the bad of what they learn and use it to better their Marines.”
Huda expressed his pleasure about the new corporals’ drive to learn.
“These Marines have good heads over their shoulders,” said Huda. “We want to make sure that they understand that there are many different ways to accomplish the mission and that it’s okay to be dynamic, rather than being stuck with the one way they might be taught elsewhere.”
After the conclusion of the course, these newly indoctrinated NCOs are set to return to their offices and shops, or in some cases, report to Corporals Course where they can continue their education as a corporal of Marines. With this firm foundation in leadership begun, the corporals can put these new ideas to use as needed to help guide their own Marines.