MARINE CORPS BASE CAMP PENDLETON, Calif. -- Marines with Corporals Course 341-16, the fourth graduating class of Marine Aircraft Group (MAG) 39’s newly created course, graduated aboard Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, California, Jan. 27.
Corporals Course is a residential professional military education course required of corporals to be eligible for promotion to the next rank.
The PME course reintroduces the Marines to the values of the Marine Corps and teaches them skills essential to being a successful noncommissioned officer, including leadership traits, patrolling and Marine Corps knowledge.
“You guys are the next generation,” said Maj. Gen. Michael Rocco, commanding general of 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing, during a visit with the students. “That’s why courses like these are important. That’s why we spend so much time mentoring, teaching and training Marines.”
Marine Aircraft Group 39 leaders thought developing their own course was necessary because the residential course is now required for promotion.
“Before, in order to get the Marines into a course, they would have to go to different units or sometimes different bases,” said Staff Sgt. Michael Zandaki, staff noncommissioned officer- in- charge of MAG-39’s Corporal’s Course. “Now that this course is required, it fills fast and with the amount of Marines we have, it only makes sense to have our own course to give them the best chance to succeed.”
According to Col. Michael Borgschulte, commanding officer of MAG-39, the course also allows the command to tailor the curriculum to the group’s values and needs.
“We found it to be a critical need for the group to be able to have our Marines training our Marines,” said Borgschulte. “Being the largest MAG in the Marine Corps, we have a certain culture and way of doing things, so it was important to me to have our own NCOs bringing up our future leaders.”