MIHAIL KOGALNICEANU, Romania - The Marine Corps is only as strong and capable as the sum of all of its parts. Black Sea Rotational Force 14 has awarded Cpl. Dimitri Bouchee, an administrative clerk with BSRF-14, “Marine of the Week” Nov. 15, 2013 for his dedication to the task at hand, diligent work ethic, and outstanding contribution and involvement with the local community.
Every Marine is trained to be tactically and technically proficient within their specific craft in order to accomplish the mission.
Whether a Marine’s role is in the infantry, bringing close air support, or behind a desk authorizing paperwork, they continue to contribute to the fight. BSRF-14, the premiere crisis-contingency force in the Eastern European region, acknowledges the diligence every Marine and sailor across the spectrum.
First Lieutenant Evan Milnor, the adjutant and senior administrative coordinator with BSRF-14, nominated Bouchee for Marine of the Week after his long working hours to coordinate the travel and movement of Marines to different training exercises while maintaining his own requirements for training.
“We anticipated this was going to be a busy week for everybody,” said Milnor.
He continued to explain how Bouchee led the color guard for the Marine Corps Birthday celebration on base, authorized approximately 40 different sets of travel authorizations for Marines to be able to continue training while forward deployed, and then pulled long hours to accommodate the emergency needs of two Marines who lost loved ones back in the states.
“There were a lot of administrative hurdles in the process. But he managed to fight through that and got [those Marines] home. Then he proceeded to roll right into the authorizations … and completed [his training] during the day, so he had no time during the day. He came in and burned the midnight oil to complete all of the authorizations,” said Milnor.
Bouchee also volunteers often in the local community. He has attended more than five different events to either directly assist or interact with members of the community. Bouchee, who has a young daughter of his own, simply enjoys knowing he has made someone else’s day brighter.
“I love the sound of kids’ laughter. I love seeing kids smile. I love it when people smile in general. I would say I go above and beyond to try and make somebody smile. If I see somebody down, I will go over there and try to pick them up,” said Bouchee.
Without fail, Bouchee is consistently requested by the children who participate in the community events. His energy and enthusiasm positively affect all those around him. His leadership style will continue to form as he accepts his award as Marine of the Week and presses forward with his duties at BSRF-14.
“Bouchee fully embraces the leadership role that he is in. He takes pride in being a leader and being an example,” said Milnor.
Bouchee, like previous Marines of the Week, acknowledges that he works hard but remains humble with the results and recognition.
“It’s definitely an honor to be Marine of the Week. To me I am just doing what I do and that’s why I’m here,” said Bouchee.