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    Recruiting Station Portsmouth changes command between Majors Gourgoumis and Boada

    Recruiting Station Portsmouth changes command between Majors Gourgoumis and Boada

    Photo By Gunnery Sgt. Jonathan Wright | Major Stephen Boada, the new commanding officer of Recruiting Station Portsmouth, New...... read more read more

    PORTSMOUTH NAVAL SHIPYARD, NH, UNITED STATES

    06.26.2015

    Story by Sgt. Jonathan Wright 

    1st Marine Corps District

    PORTSMOUTH, N.H. - Major Andrew G. Gourgoumis relinquished command of U.S. Marine Corps Recruiting Station Portsmouth, New Hampshire, to Maj. Stephen J. Boada aboard Portsmouth Naval Shipyard, June 26.

    Gourgoumis, a native of Cambridge, Massachusetts, has served as the commanding officer of RS Portsmouth since May 2012, during which the station was awarded with multiple Recruiting Station of the Year awards and commendations from the Commandant of the Marine Corps.

    During the ceremony, Gourgoumis passed the unit colors to Boada in front of the station’s 100 recruiters, headquarters staff and guests, symbolizing the transfer of command authority and responsibility.

    “During my time as temporary custodian of the guidon, these Marines through their tireless efforts earned multiple commendations and created 2,200 Marines and 100 Marine officers,” said Gourgoumis. “Marines on this duty are mentors to young men and women, are coaches, teachers, and sometimes father figures who save them from a destructive future. This duty really brings out some of the best qualities that make a Marine when their work goes beyond meeting a quota and legitimately cares about an individual’s future regardless if they’re going to enlist or not."

    Boada hails from a forward observer background after commissioning following four years of enlisted service. Most notably, he received the Silver Star during his 2004-2005 Afghanistan deployment with 3rd Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment. An intense firefight saw Boada coordinate fixed-wing air support while engaging the enemy himself, eventually exposing himself to enemy fire while attempting to recover fallen Marines to safety. A subsequent deployment to Iraq and multiple commanding and instructor positions followed, leading to his recent posting as inspector-instructor of Battery P., 5th Battalion, 14th Marines in Spokane, Washington.

    “From what I’ve seen during my visits to the substations so far, this is a locked-on group of Marines that I’ll have the definite pleasure of commanding,” said Boada. “I’m looking forward to my next few years here and keeping the high level of RS proficiency that’s been the norm for the past three years.”

    Gourgoumis is to report as a student at the Command and Staff College aboard Marine Corps Base Quantico, Virginia. Regarding his time at RS Portsmouth, he was appreciative of all the experiences gained while commanding a recruiting office but was anxious to get back to the fleet.

    “For many of us who have been gallivanting around the world for the last 10 to 25 years, this duty affords us the opportunity to get back to our roots with our loved ones,” said Gourgoumis. “But in the end, we always seek to be back with our brothers, back with our fellow Marines.”

    Recruiting Station Portsmouth is part of 1st Marine Corps District and covers a recruiting jurisdiction of Maine, New Hampshire and eastern Massachusetts.

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    NEWS INFO

    Date Taken: 06.26.2015
    Date Posted: 07.01.2015 13:28
    Story ID: 168783
    Location: PORTSMOUTH NAVAL SHIPYARD, NH, US
    Hometown: CAMBRIDGE, MA, US

    Web Views: 214
    Downloads: 0

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