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    From being in the rear with the gear, to being out in front

    SPMAGTF CR-AF 17.2 Motivation Run

    Photo By Sgt. Jodson Graves | Sergeant David S. Mahaffey, a Marine Air-Ground Task Force plans chief, smiles for a...... read more read more

    MORÓN AIR BASE, Spain--Deployments are part of the Marine Corps. Sooner or later, a Marine may very well find themselves in a theater of combat operations, or providing humanitarian assistance, or even supporting crisis response. For some, it may happen within their first few months after joining the Marine Corps.

    For others, it could be several years later, and after multiple promotions before they experience their first deployment.

    For Sgt. David S. Mahaffey, a Special Purpose Marine Air-Ground Task Force-Crisis Response-Africa 17.2 plans chief, his situation is the latter.
    “I didn’t know truly what to expect,” said Mahaffey, a Garland, Texas, native and former gymnast. “I had an idea, but until I got here I couldn’t see how the pieces actually fit together.”

    One of those unexpected aspects of a first-time deployment for Mahaffey was the increased work tempo.

    “I think the work schedule is what catches a lot of people off guard, because from a personal standpoint, I didn’t expect to work all day, Saturday and Sunday, Monday to Sunday, seven days a week,” said Mahaffey. “I didn’t expect to have that kind of schedule and thus far that’s what it’s been.”

    The unpredictable and sometimes inconsistent work tempo, however, is helping Mahaffey become more well-rounded, not only at his job but in other aspects of his deployment.

    “For me, it doesn’t really matter what it is I’m tasked to do or what rank I am or position I’m in,” said Mahaffey. “For me, I always want to do my best and if I can influence the Marines that are underneath me in any way, it’s that they will, no matter where they’re at, do their best in their jobs and take the challenges that they’re presented as a chance to grow.”
    Mahaffey continued.

    “Yes, the Marine Corps says leave things better than you found it, but I just think that’s something you can do in life in general,” said Mahaffey. “That’s why I’ll do all these extra random tasks that have absolutely nothing to do with [SPMAGTF-CR-AF] planning, like cleaning air filters. Because somebody’s got to do it and it sucks working whenever it’s hot.”

    A Marine’s first deployment can range from excitement to pure anxiety, whether they are a junior Marine or a noncommissioned officer. For a lance corporal, they’re expected to merely observe, retain as much knowledge as they can, and perform their tasks as instructed by their superiors. When a Marine is already a sergeant, they’re expected to be the subject-matter expert. However, when a sergeant has not been presented the opportunity to deploy in their career, there can be some reservations from those around them.

    “I definitely got promoted faster than a lot of sergeants that I know,” said Mahaffey. “That’s not really in my control. But no matter where I’m at, I’m going to do the best that I can do. For me, it’s about completing the mission to the best of my abilities and doing my best.”

    Even then, Mahaffey stated he had reservations concerning his first deployment as a sergeant.

    “I think a lot of it is anger. I am angry that it took so long for me to, basically, learn my job,” said Mahaffey. “And a lot of that comes down to what examples I had prior to this.”

    “I can’t blame other people,” said Mahaffey. “If someone had told me, a long time ago, that I needed to read all these different documents and that would make me so much better as a planner, I would’ve done it then and I would’ve been at a completely different stage now.”

    “A lot of it’s frustration, that there were learning experiences that I could’ve had much earlier in the Marine Corps that I didn’t get till later on,” said Mahaffey.

    But that frustration was also intertwined with a crucial understanding of the situation and how it could be a blessing.

    “It’s all growth,” said Mahaffey. “I’m not scared of failing, but ultimately I’m going to do my best. And if I fail at that, I fail at that. But at the end of the day I know I did my best.”

    Mahaffey understands the balance between work and fun.

    “I have always wanted to learn how to salsa dance,” said Mahaffey. “When I was in Okinawa there was a captain and his wife was a dance instructor. So, at the USO she would do free salsa dancing lessons every Thursday night and I would go to it. Even though the music moves me, it moves me ugly. So the more that I do it, the better I get.”

    Salsa dancing aside, Mahaffey, as a sergeant of Marines, realizes the critical importance of having extracurricular activities while deployed.

    “I can do well in the Marine Corps. I can do well at any job that I do if I’m happy,” said Mahaffey. “But if I’m not doing the things that make me happy, my performance will suffer. I know that about myself. I have to have time to just let loose and get my mind completely off work.”

    Mahaffey had some advice for those Marines, whether a lance corporal, sergeant, or even a lieutenant, on their first deployment and unsure of what to do and how to occupy their free time.

    “If you find yourself sitting around and you’re unsure of what to do, just start asking people questions,” said Mahaffey. “Annoy them. Annoy the people that you’re doing turnover with. Annoy the people who outrank you. Annoy them until you know what it is you’re supposed to do and what’s expected of you. That way you can do the very best at [any] job.”

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    NEWS INFO

    Date Taken: 04.21.2017
    Date Posted: 05.03.2017 03:33
    Story ID: 232218
    Location: MORóN AIR BASE, ES
    Hometown: GARLAND, TX, US

    Web Views: 630
    Downloads: 0

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