Photo By Tech. Sgt. Christopher Hubenthal | U.S. Marine Cpl. Sabrena Norris, Marine Forces, Pacific (MARFORPAC) Band clarinetist,...... read more read more
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MARINE CORPS BASE HAWAII – “Even though they’re on different sides of the spectrum, shooting a rifle and playing the clarinet have in common that… patience is key,” said U.S. Marine Cpl. Sabrena Norris assigned to the Marine Forces, Pacific (MARFORPAC) Band’s woodwind quintet.
Norris said that on a typical day, she works to perfect her skills as a clarinetist while meeting and aiming toward exceeding her standards as a Marine. From administrative responsibilities to physical training, from the rehearsal room to the rifle range, Norris said that she wishes that there was more time in the day to perfect her craft and military professionalism.
“Time management is definitely Key to staying proficient as a musician,” Norris said. “We have to practice all of the time, you can never be content at your skill level. You always have to strive to be better.”
Striving to be better paid off when Norris’s determination and commitment was noticed by a Marine sergeant during her annual rifle qualification. Her performance at the range eventually led to her being asked to represent MARFORPAC at a competition. During the month of February 2016, Norris competed in the Pacific Division Matches at Pu’uloa Range Training Facility at Ewa Beach, Hawaii.
“A sergeant who was in charge of the roster at the PACDIV matches saw that I was a good shooter and asked if I would be available,” Norris said. “I had asked my command to go, I begged and pleaded and they let me, so I got the opportunity and just worked my butt off.”
Norris competed in the PACDIV matches as part of MARFORPAC’s eight-person team and ended up performing in the top five percent out of 192 competitors and ranked first for MARFORPAC in the rifle matches.
“I ended up placing seventh out of 200 Marines, and I got a silver medal, which was pretty cool,” Norris said. “I was honored to be there. It was super, super incredible.”
During the PACDIV matches, day by day, Norris consistently improved on the range.
“My experience at the PACDIV match was incredible,” Norris said. “I met a lot of cool people and learned a lot of new things. I think it’s really cool because I got to meet Marines outside of the band that belonged to different units, so I got a different outlook on certain MOSs [Military Occupation Specialty] and how they feel about the rifle range and the Marine Corps in general.”
Chief Warrant Officer 3 Bryan Sherlock, band officer for the MARFORPAC Band, explained why it is important for Norris and other Marines to strive to excel.
“It’s one of those opportunities that a Marine gets only once in a while,” Sherlock said. “I know she’s like me and joined the Marine Corps to do Marine things. In addition to playing music, perfecting our technical and tactical skills is part of the job. It’s important that we adjust for her and give her the opportunity to perfect her rifle skills. It also sends a signal to the group and the rest of the unit that this is one of the most important things that we do.”
Norris is just one face in the U.S. Pacific Command that does her part to ensure the Indo-Asia-Pacific mission continues to thrive by effectively executing her day-to-day mission. She has been invited to shoot as part of the U.S. Marine Corps Shooting Team at Camp Lejeune later this year.
| Date Taken: | 03.15.2016 |
| Date Posted: | 03.15.2016 21:36 |
| Story ID: | 192511 |
| Location: | HONOLULU, HI, US |
| Web Views: | 134 |
| Downloads: | 1 |
This work, Passion and Patience pushes Marine at PACDIV matches, by TSgt Christopher Hubenthal, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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