MARINE CORPS BASE CAMP PENDLETON, Calif. - After leading his teammates to victory on the playing field as All-American lacrosse player, 1st Lt. Andrew McGann, the executive officer of Truck Company Alpha, Headquarters Battalion, 1st Marine Division, now leads Marines.
He said he enjoyed playing a team sport where there was a bunch of highly motivated people working towards a common goal, much like the Marine Corps.
McGann grew up in Jericho, Vt., and began playing football and lacrosse, and he snowboarded in his youth. He continued to play football and lacrosse while attending Gettysburg College, a four-year private school in Gettysburg, Pa., where he graduated with a degree in economics.
“Out of the four years I spent there, I was an All-American lacrosse player for three of those years,” McGann said. “It took a lot of time spent at the weight room getting stronger, on the track field running sprints and a lot of time spent out in the field house watching films to prepare for the next opponent.”
Upon graduating college, McGann began working at a brokerage firm in Maryland. After a year at the firm, McGann decided that the job wasn’t fulfilling enough for his competitive nature and chose to take a different route. He visited a Marine officer selection office to pursue a commission in the Marine Corps.
“I wanted to become an officer because of the responsibility that comes along with it, and it was an opportunity to serve my country,” McGann said. “I was interested in the enlisted route and thought about getting into Special Forces, but I ended up deciding that the officer route was going to be the best option and was going to have the most responsibility from the start.”
Since becoming an officer, McGann has completed a deployment to Afghanistan serving with Regimental Combat Team 5’s Civil Affairs Detachment, and is now assigned to Truck Alpha.
Gunnery Sgt. Ronald Helgeson, the company gunnery sergeant of Truck Alpha, said McGann always has a hunger to lead, and that is what makes him one of the best lieutenants that he has worked with throughout his career.
“When any task or mission is put in his hands, his hunger to lead and to make a difference shows,” he added.
As the executive officer of Truck Alpha, McGann is required to direct and monitor his company to complete annual training, supervise platoon-level training before scheduled deployments, and keep accountability of gear, personnel and weapons.
“He is a very energetic and very approachable officer,” Helgeson said. “Bigger and better things are in his future if he chooses to make the Marine Corps his career.”
McGann plans on doing a non-fleet tour to travel and broaden his experience after he leaves Truck Alpha in 2013.
“I’ve had a lot of good and varied experiences while I’ve been in,” McGann said. “I’d like to stay in the Marine Corps as long as it will have me.”