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MARINE CORPS RECRUIT DEPOT PARRIS ISLAND, S.C. - Of the 200,000 people who join the military every year, 180,000 join the enlisted ranks and 20,000 become officers. There are various opportunities for enlisted Marines to transition to the commissioned ranks and continue their career, but the selection process for these programs is extremely competitive and requires a process of indoctrination completely different from the enlisted mindset. That being said, Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island boasts prior-enlisted commanders in nearly every battalion; an unprecedented circumstance. Each of them took the road less traveled to get to where they are today, but they all share the same experience of enduring recruit training and earning their Eagle, Globe and Anchor aboard the recruit depot.
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As the son of a district attorney, Lt. Col. Michael Sandstrom had plans of attending college and following in his father’s footsteps with a career in law or a medical profession. Military service was an integral part of his family history; his maternal grandfather served in the U.S. Navy in the Pacific during World War II and his father served as a Green Beret in the U.S. Army during the Vietnam War.
“Neither talked much about their service as I was growing up, but they both had great pride in the country and its service members,” Sandstrom said. “It wasn’t until after I had become a Marine that either of them began talking about their service. It is humbling to have these adults, who I’ve looked up to my whole life, be passionately interested in what I was doing in the Marine Corps.”
Sandstrom said he was inspired to look into the Marines after watching his sister become a poolee. At the time, he had completed six semesters of college and wanted to find a more solid and disciplined career focus.
“My sister convinced me that the Marine Corps was the best and most challenging of all services, and would provide me with the discipline and focus to find a professional career,” Sandstrom said. “My recruiter, Gunnery Sergeant Louthan, did not have to do much salesmanship, and I shipped to MCRD San Diego less than two months later.”
Sandstrom’s initial plan was to complete one enlistment and use his GI Bill to return to college and go into a Public Relations career. During that time, he served as a Service Record Book Clerk for 3rd Medical Battalion in Okinawa, Japan, and Marine Air Control Group (MACG28) at Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point, N.C. He said what changed that for him was receiving encouragement from every Marine in his peer group, leadership, and command to look into becoming a commissioned officer through MECEP.
“I wanted to lead Marines, and you absolutely do that as an NCO, but to have peers and seniors that had faith and trust in my abilities to succeed as a commissioned officer, really made me want to pursue that goal,” Sandstorm said.
Through his experiences as a commissioned officer and currently as the 3rd Recruit Training Battalion Commander, Sandstrom says he still leans on the lessons he learned in recruit training as building blocks of the Marine he is today.
“It started with my drill instructors laying the foundations,” Sandstrom said. “In my experience, it is our character that drives all our decisions, and it is our decisions when facing adversity that defines our character. In retrospect, I learned that when I took that first step and put my feet on those yellow footprints, engaging in a commitment in something bigger than myself. I think reminding myself – constantly – that it’s not about me has helped me throughout my career. You’ve got to keep growing, personally and professionally, and share your experiences, both good and bad, so that you can help others grow.”
Sandstrom, like the rest of the battalion commanders aboard the depot, doesn’t see his prior-enlisted experience as something that gives him and “edge,” but something that built upon the foundations to help him succeed as a leader.
“As a company grade officer, I think my enlisted experience helped me gain credibility with staff noncommissioned officers, and helped me guide junior Marines in personal and professional decisions,” Sandstrom said. “What I’ve noticed in prior-enlisted officers is that we make decisions faster with less information because we already have a foundation of decision-making. It’s very beneficial at the company grade level. I think what keeps me humble is not changing who I am. I truly believe I’ve just grown into a better version of the Marine that graduated with Kilo Company nearly 27 years ago.”
| Date Taken: | 08.05.2021 |
| Date Posted: | 08.16.2021 12:17 |
| Photo ID: | 6784863 |
| VIRIN: | 210805-M-XU431-0452 |
| Resolution: | 4669x3557 |
| Size: | 2.28 MB |
| Location: | PARRIS ISLAND, SOUTH CAROLINA, US |
| Web Views: | 247 |
| Downloads: | 8 |
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