Photo By Sgt. Cody M. D. Haas | Staff Sgt. Andrew Walters, a combat instructor with Kilo Company, Marine Combat...... read more read more
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CAMP PENDLETON, Calif. –Accomplishing a certain mission is a career goal for most military members, but for one former logistics Marine, it is a daily objective.
Staff Sgt. Andrew Walters, a combat instructor with Kilo Company, Marine Combat Training Battalion, School of Infantry – West, started off as a bulk fuel specialist with Bulk Fuel Company, 7th Engineer Support Battalion, 1st Marine Logistics Group, before transitioning to his current billet.
“Being a bulk fuel specialist is a good job,” said Walters, a native of Philadelphia. “It’s a necessity, which is great. I love my (military occupational specialty), but I love teaching combat tactics.”
The mindset and unit integrity of a ground support unit is very similar to that of an infantry unit, making for a smooth transition to combat instructor.
“In a bulk fuel company you can have a platoon of 20 Marines or a platoon of 70 Marines, it’s all about personnel management,” said Walters. “In MCT, it’s very much the same when I’m leading 120 Marines every day. It’s not just about having rank, it’s about having a command presence and being a leader Marines can constantly emulate.”
Each day Walters sets out to push new Marines further by giving them more knowledge on infantry tactics to make them better.
“There’s a mission every day,” he said. “It’s a lot of full bore, up-tempo, something new every day from sunup to sundown.”
It is not rare for a combat instructor to get less than three hours of sleep a night during a four-week cycle. Less sleep can add to additional stress to an already overwhelming training schedule.
“You learn to work around the stress and run with it,” said Walters.
A combat instructor billet is certainly not for everyone. There is a extensive amount of training including a five, ten and 15 kilometer hike and culminates with a ten-day Battle Skills Readiness Exercise to complete each cycle.
“My drive is to get the mission accomplished and not let anyone else down,” said Walters. “If I’m slow and sluggish, (new Marines) are going to see it. No matter how sick I feel, how tired I am, it just goes away because I have a leadership role as a Marine combat instructor.”
Every day, Walters uses the leadership abilities he learned as a bulk fuel specialist to accomplish his tasks as a combat instructor.
| Date Taken: | 06.21.2013 |
| Date Posted: | 06.21.2013 13:01 |
| Story ID: | 109048 |
| Location: | CAMP PENDLETON, CA, US |
| Hometown: | PHILADELPHIA, PA, US |
| Web Views: | 385 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Former Bulk Fuel specialist leads Marines within combat schoolhouse, by Sgt Cody M. D. Haas, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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