Photo By Jennifer Brofer | Sgt. Maj. Robert Ledferd, sergeant major, Combat Logistics Regiment 17, 1st Marine...... read more read more
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CAMP PENDLETON, Calif. - When Sgt. Maj. Robert Ledferd, 48, from Springfield, Ill., first considered joining the military in 1982, his father wanted him to join the Air Force. But he had other plans.
When he and his father went to visit an Air Force recruiter, “My
dad walked out of the room, and I snuck over to the Marine recruiter,” said Ledferd, sergeant major of Combat Logistics Regiment 17, 1st Marine Logistics Group. “Before you know it, I
was already signed up and ready to go.”
His father tried to talk him out of it, claiming the Marine Corps
would be “too tough” for the 119-pound 20 year old.
“That just made me more resilient,” said the 158-pound former
drill instructor. Ledferd shipped out for boot camp in July 1983 and spent four years in artillery before being honorably discharged. But eight months later, after having difficulty finding a job, and having
missed his Marine Corps “family,” he quickly re-enlisted – and hasn’t
looked back since.
After 28 years, including two tours on the drill field, multiple
deployments and his most recent two-year stint as the director of the Staff Noncommissioned Officer Academy aboard Camp
Pendleton, Ledferd has amassed a wealth of knowledge on what
it takes to be a successful leader, which he gladly shares with his
fellow Marines.
‘Drink the Kool-Aid’ When the sergeant major tells his Marines to “drink the Kool- Aid,” he refers to “the buy-in that the Marine Corps is the best institution in the world,” he said.
“If you believe that, you’ll put forth a lot more effort,” said Ledferd,
who added Marines should be upholding the core values of
honor, courage and commitment every day.
The key, said Ledferd, “Is to remind Marines of why they joined
the Marine Corps in the first place.”
“Every Marine who signed that contract to go in, they were
motivated, they were excited about it, they were ready and wanted to be a Marine,” said Ledferd. “I emphasize to the staff NCOs that they have to remind the Marines every now and again that the Marine Corps is a great institution and try to get inside the Marines’ mind and thoughts and get them to do an internal look of why they joined the Marine Corps.”
‘Wire-brush’ to remove the rust Marines are encouraged to “wire-brush” other Marines to ensure they are adhering to Marine
Corps regulations and policies, said Ledferd. And junior Marines
shouldn’t be afraid to correct a senior Marine, in a tactful manner,
if needed.
“I got wire-brushed by a PFC the other day because I didn’t
quite blouse my trousers correctly,” admitted Ledferd.
From private to general, every Marine should evaluate themselves
daily to ensure they are upholding the high standards of a Marine, to include getting back to “the basics”: remembering to walk left and abreast of a senior Marine, giving the appropriate greeting of the day and standing up when a senior Marine enters the room, said Ledferd.
“Look at yourself and look at others, and make sure there’s no
rust, there’s no complacency within yourself or your Marines around
you,” said Ledferd. “Look at yourself in the mirror and ask, ‘Would
you want to follow you?’”
Nearly three decades of service Ledferd recently re-enlisted for
two more years in the Corps, which would bring his total years of service to 30. But he has no plans to hang up his uniform just yet.
“From there I’ll just take it as it comes and see what the Marine
Corps has in store for me,” he said. “If they ask me to stay longer, I’ll stay longer.”
| Date Taken: | 08.12.2011 |
| Date Posted: | 08.12.2011 12:01 |
| Story ID: | 75251 |
| Location: | CAMP PENDLETON, CA, US |
| Web Views: | 449 |
| Downloads: | 2 |
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