August 6, 2015 -- Marines taking the two-week Corporal's Course at Marine Corps Logistics Base Albany were rewarded for reaching another milestone in their military careers, recently.
Twenty noncommissioned officers graduated in a ceremony held at the Base Theater, here, which culminated the completion of the Professional Military Education course on leadership.
Master Sgt. Jason Seaman, director, 4th Marine Logistics Group’s Corporal’s Course, MCLB Albany, acknowledged the corporals’ sacrifices and discussed the mission of the training.
“Although you’ve lost a portion of your workforce assets for two weeks, I trust that you will be gaining a more solid and professional young leader as a return on your investment,” Seaman said to the graduating Marines.
“The mission of the Corporal’s Course is to prepare (noncommissioned officers) for positions of greater responsibilities and give them leadership tools to successfully carry out those responsibilities,” Seaman continued.
According to Seaman, the class is the product of a challenging course of study that includes instruction in practical application in a variety of subjects, to include military studies, administrative skills, drills and ceremonies, physical fitness and leadership.
“As a result of their hard work, these young NCOs earned an academic class average of 87.6 percent,” he pointed out. “I wish you young NCOs success in wherever life takes you. I urge you to use the knowledge you have gained during this course to professionally lead those Marines under your charge so that they, in turn, may also become professional leaders of Marines.”
Guest speaker for the graduation was Marine reservist, Lt. Col. Kerry Mengelkoch, executive officer, Combat Logistics Regiment 4, Kansas City, Missouri.
Mengelkoch commented on the importance of the Corporal’s Course to the young NCOs and its value to their leadership abilities in the Corps.
“Coming to the Corporal’s Course as corporals, you may think, ‘I have to do this, if I’m going to be a sergeant in the United States Marine Corps, or if I’m going to be a successful corporal, I have to go to this course,’” she said. “But, this is an investment the Marine Corps is making in you, that our units are making in you and that our leadership is making in you because you are very important.
“The other day when Brigadier General (Patrick J.) Hermesmann, (4th Marine Logistics Group, New Orleans, Louisiana,) was here, he talked to you and he tried to explain and to make the point clear to you that you are the foundation of the Marine Corps,” Mengelkoch recalled.
“Many of us sitting in here, at some point in time, were sitting in the same seats that you are, sitting in the same uniforms with those chevrons on your shoulders thinking, ‘Okay, but I’m just a young NCO and I’m not quite sure where my career is going to go.’ But, if you look around the room here, there are a lot of Marine leaders here who, from their foundations as NCOs, are now successful in many different capacities.
“I know you’ve been working very hard; it’s been a lot of additional studying outside of the classroom,” Mengelkoch noted. “All that is very important; what’s going to happen here is you now have another layer of concrete – if you will – on that foundation in your career as a United States Marine.
“As NCOs, you have moved into the role of being professional Marine leaders,” Mengelkoch emphasized. “You are making sure that our most precious grid squares are covered. Thank you for what you’ve done here. Please use this investment for the betterment of yourselves, for the betterment of the Marine Corps. Semper Fi.”
Mengelkoch and Seaman presented each of the graduating corporals with their diplomas for course completion. In addition to receiving diplomas, honor graduates, Cpl. Angel Martinez (94.25 grade point average) and Cpl. Darius Warren (92.25 grade point average) received Gung Ho awards and letters from the Marine Corps Association for their achievements.