Photo By Kristen Wong | Staff Sgt. Steven Smith, an explosive ordnance disposal team leader for the...... read more read more
Subscribe
MARINE CORPS BASE HAWAII — On Sept. 21, 2015, Hawaii Pacific University students received their lesson from a living form of history, wearing a white cover adorned with the iconic Eagle, Globe and Anchor.
American diplomacy became more than mere words on a textbook page as Staff Sgt. Steven Smith literally laid his cover down for the evening to “wear a different hat" as a guest lecturer for HPU students in the “History of American Diplomacy” course at the Education Center.
The history course covers, among other related topics, the history of U.S. diplomacy since the American Revolution, foreign relations and isolationism. Currently the explosive ordnance disposal team leader for the Headquarters Battalion EOD team, Smith previously served with the Marine Corps Embassy Security Group, and was invited to talk about the program, and his personal experiences as a Marine security guard.
“The Marine security guard is the first American one encounters upon entering a U.S. embassy,” said Dr. Jim Corcoran, Ph.D., an assistant professor of History and Asian Studies with the Military Campus Program at HPU. “His or her presence, appearance and conduct represent the image and impression of the United States of America and this is just the beginning of the excellent role the MSG plays in American Diplomacy.”
Corcoran, of Kailua, Hawaii, is a retired Army colonel, who has served three embassy tours himself, and has personally worked with MSGs before. He has had MSGs speak to students in previous classes.
“His practical, on station, experience is what we are after,” Corcoran said of Smith. “Staff Sgt. Steven Smith represents the best of the professional U.S. Marine Security Guard from the Marine Corps Embassy Security Group.”
Though Smith is used to informal chats with fellow Marines about MSG duties, this is the first time the Murray, Ky., native has ever made a formal presentation to a class. He gave an overview about MSGs, MCESG’s mission and history, and interwove the experiences of his own tours in Algiers, Algeria; Santiago, Chile and Manila, Philippines throughout. He said one of the most rewarding aspects of his time with this secondary billet was the ability to travel and learn a different culture.
“If you get the opportunity to travel the world, get to know other cultures and the way other people live,” Smith said. “It can be vastly different than you’re used to.”
While working in Algeria, for instance, Smith played a softball game for several hours with local orphans, learning that cultures can be different in some ways but universal in others.
“At the very root of it, kids are kids wherever you go,” Smith said. “That was a really good time and a really good experience of getting to know the local community and that’s kind of a big part that isn’t really the front of what the MSG program is, which is to protect the embassy and the material there, but also to kind of relate to the community and interact with them.”
At the end of his presentation, Smith answered various questions from the students. The discussion took many turns, from simply what type of uniform he wore while he stood guard at the embassy, to whether he was allowed to leave the embassy during his free time, what type of passport MSGs were entitled to receive, and more of the social aspects of his tours.
“They were very inviting, very friendly,” Smith said. “They asked a ton of questions, which is good. They were very engaged.”
Maxwell Higginbotham, a junior at HPU, said he was most surprised at the extent of training MSGs must go though prior to arriving at their first station.
“I thoroughly enjoyed hearing about Staff Sgt. Smith's experiences in (as an MSG); particularly his experiences in the many places he went while part of (MCESG),” said the Okinawa, Japan, native. “Staff Sgt. Smith's lecture supported our lessons on how much of diplomacy is based on personal interactions; such as when he played softball with orphans in Algeria.”
Smith expressed his gratitude for being able to share his experiences with the students.
“It was a great opportunity and I always enjoy sharing about my time on MSG duty,” he said. “It was one of the most memorable experiences during my career so far.”
The Foreign Service Act of 1946 first gave rise to the MSG Program, and on Jan. 28, 1949, Marines went to Bangkok and Tangier, Morocco to become the first MSGs. Marines who join the MSG Program attend a three-month course in Quantico, Va. Marines currently serve as MSGs at more than 140 embassies worldwide.
Marines must meet numerous requirements to become an MSG. The requirements vary for those ranked sergeant and below, from having a first-class physical fitness test to being at least 64 inches tall. Marines ranked staff sergeant and above have slightly different requirements, such as serving a minimum of 24 months on installation vs. the lower-ranking requirement of 18.
For more information about MCESG, visit www.mcesg.marines.mil.
Having guest speakers like Smith supports the relationship between the local community and the military.
“Staff Sgt. Steven Smith performed outstandingly in his presentation, question and answer, and discussion period relating to the topic of the Marine Security Guards at our embassies overseas," he said. “This was an extremely important portion of HPU’s (Military Campus Program) course, History 3676, ‘The History of American Diplomacy.’ His personal experiences as an MSG at various embassies reinforced his presentation and was very well received by our students.”
| Date Taken: | 09.28.2015 |
| Date Posted: | 09.28.2015 20:44 |
| Story ID: | 177444 |
| Location: | MARINE CORPS BASE HAWAII, HI, US |
| Hometown: | OKINAWA, OKINAWA, JP |
| Hometown: | MURRAY, KY, US |
| Web Views: | 335 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, HPU students taste history, Marine Corps style, by Kristen Wong, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
No keywords found.
LEAVE A COMMENT