Photo By Sgt. Marco Mancha | Corporal Steven Hanson, a section leader with 1st Battalion, 2nd Marine Regiment,...... read more read more
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MARINE CORPS BASE CAMP LEJEUNE, N.C. - Communications have failed, ammunition is low and the only thing within a mile radius is incoming enemy. Ten pairs of eyes with rifles in hand look to you for direction to lead them into battle. What do you do?
The Marines of 1st Battalion, 2nd Marine Regiment, can rest assured their small unit leaders are more than capable of leading the “Timberwolves” into battle.
Four Marines with the battalion recently attended courses with Advanced Infantry Training Battalion and graduated as honor graduates, sweeping their respective courses across the board. The modest fighting men were all stunned when they heard the news.
“I honestly felt surprised,” said Lance Cpl. George Lynch Jr., a squad leader with 1st Bn., 2nd Marines. “When I asked a lot of my peers why they chose me, they said, ‘Because you stepped up. You took control from day one, and you tried your hardest.’ It felt good knowing that all my hard work had paid off.”
Each Marine chosen as an honor graduate was selected by a combined vote from their instructors and peers.
Peer input during selection made the honor all the more meaningful, concluded Lynch of Seaford, N.Y.
Lynch attended the Advanced Infantryman Course, designed to provide a Marine with the knowledge and skills required of a squad leader in an infantry rifle platoon.
His fellow Marines with the battalion took honors in their own respective courses to include Advanced Assaultman Course, Advanced Mortarman Course and Advanced Machine Gunner Course.
Each six-week course is split between 75 percent practical application and 25 percent classroom. The courses have a heavy focus on technical infantry skills such as land navigation, combat orders and employment of an infantry squad. The Marines’ decision making skills are also put to the test during various field exercises where the young leaders must learn to adjust quickly to ever changing scenarios.
One of the Marines set himself apart by going above and beyond the course curriculum during the Advanced Mortarman Course.
“Because I’m a martial arts instructor, instead of going straight home after work, I took the guys who wanted to ‘belt-up’ and ran a brown and black belt course,” mentioned Cpl. David Hudson, from Montpelier, Vt.
Hudson went to the course with the basic fundamentals of his job. He left with a much greater confidence in leading his Marines.
“I think this sets a good example, especially for the Marines in my squad,” added 28-year-old Hudson. “Hopefully they take more pride in knowing that I went to the school and came back graduating at the top of the class.”
Cpl. Steven Hanson, a section leader with 1st Bn., 2nd Marines, who was honor graduate for the Advanced Assaultman Course, said that what he learned from the course enabled him to be a better Marine and leader.
“I feel like I’m going to be a lot better at leading my Marines because during my past deployment, I knew my job , but not as well as I wanted to. Now that I hold that knowledge, I know my Marines will be more confident in following me and have more trust in me than before,” explained the 22-year-old Hanson of Florence, Colo.
Hanson, along with the rest of the honor graduates, now carries the torch once held by their leaders. They carry it with pride knowing they reflect the high-quality of Marines that fight with the “Timberwolf Battalion.”
Sergeant Maj. Robert Pullen, the sergeant major for 1st Bn., 2nd Marines, said he was proud of the actions of his Marines.
“I’ve been in the battalion about 100 days now, but it’s a good introduction to the caliber of Marines that we have in the battalion,” said Pullen. “To have four of our Marines graduate as honor grads at the schools, they shed a good light on the type of Marines we have. It shows how much dedication these Marines truly have.”
| Date Taken: | 06.06.2013 |
| Date Posted: | 06.06.2013 15:43 |
| Story ID: | 108185 |
| Location: | MARINE CORPS BASE CAMP LEJEUNE, NC, US |
| Hometown: | FLORENCE, CO, US |
| Hometown: | MONTPELIER, VT, US |
| Hometown: | SEAFORD, NY, US |
| Web Views: | 864 |
| Downloads: | 1 |
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