Photo By Staff Sgt. S.T. Stewart | Sgt. Mark Slocum, a Lance Corporals Leadership and Ethics Seminar instructor with 2nd...... read more read more
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MIHAIL KOGALNICEANU AIR BASE, Romania – While currently deployed as the Black Sea Rotational Force, 50 lance corporals with 2nd Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment, graduated the Lance Corporals Leadership and Ethics Seminar, Feb. 20, at Mihail Kogalniceanu Air Base, Romania.
During the six-month deployment, the unit is scheduled to conduct six Lance Corporals Seminars.
Beginning Oct. 1, 2015, lance corporals will be required to complete the seminar prior to promotion to corporal. Lance corporals are still required to complete the MarineNet course “Leading Marines” in addition to the seminar prior to promotion.
“Lance corporals make up the Corps,” said Sgt. Bruce Roberts, an instructor for the seminar. “Without them we would fail. That’s why it is important to have this seminar and teach them leadership qualities that are important to the future of the Marine Corps.”
During the course, the 50 lance corporals split into five groups. Sergeants led the groups and served as instructors for the seminar. The non-commissioned officer instructors provide insight and guided discussions on various topics such as ethics, leadership traits and principles, and the importance of the lance corporal rank.
According to a letter from Sgt. Maj. of the Marine Corps, Sgt. Maj. Micheal Barrett, to the Marines attending the seminar, lance corporals influence 44 percent of the Marine Corps’ active-duty personnel.
“Being a lance corporal is like reaching a fork in the road,” said Lance Cpl. Joseph Lamanna, a Marine in the seminar. “As a lance corporal, you are at a point in your career when you can choose what kind of Marine you want to be. You can choose to seek out responsibility or you can choose to be a terminal lance corporal.”
The course was developed to promote the professional, ethical and intellectual growth of lance corporals, said Barrett in the letter. The goal of the course is to provide lance corporals with the opportunity to build leadership abilities.
“I hope to gain new leadership abilities, new leadership tactics and hopefully gain some knowledge on how to be a good leader for when I do pick up corporal,” said Lance Cpl. Jordan Ramos, a Marine attending the seminar. “I think lance corporal is a very important rank and I love that we have the opportunity now to learn how to be a lance corporal and how to be an effective lance corporal in the Marine Corps.”
For Lance Cpl. Francisco Reynoso, a Marine attending the seminar, the course changed his perspective on what being a lance corporal means. It taught him that lance corporal is the first step to becoming a leader and the first step toward a Marine Corps career.
“I didn’t really realize that in my position I could lead, that in my position I could take charge of other people,” said Reynoso. “I would always think, ‘that is not my job, and that is the next rank’s job,’ because I have never been in a position where I take charge of other Marines. I hear all the Marines talk about how they take charge of their squads, how they delegate and look out for their other Marines. It made me realize that I can do it too. I don’t need to wait until I’m an NCO to lead Marines.”
Seminar Chief Instructor, 1st Sgt. Leon Banta, oversaw the course, managed his instructors and ensured the highest level of quality was put into the course.
His remarks at the graduation captured his satisfaction with the lance corporals and what a tremendous job they did in just five days.
“My lungs were filled with a fresh breath of air and excitement when I saw how involved, knowledgeable, and dedicated this core of lance corporals is to the Marine Corps,” said Banta, who will act as the Chief Instructor for all six seminars during the deployment. “After seeing the intelligence, peer mentoring, teach backs and squad debates, I am convinced these lance corporals are light-years ahead of where I was at that rank.”
| Date Taken: | 02.20.2015 |
| Date Posted: | 02.20.2015 13:29 |
| Story ID: | 155014 |
| Location: | MIHAIL KOGALNICEANU, RO |
| Web Views: | 859 |
| Downloads: | 1 |
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