Photo By Staff Sgt. Dana Beesley | Commanders and staff from Support Battalion and 4th Recruit Training Battalion on...... read more read more
Subscribe
A Parris Island Drill Instructor was honored as Beaufort Rotary Club’s Military Person of the Year in a ceremony held on Nov. 4th at St. Peter’s Catholic Church in Beaufort, S.C.
Staff Sgt. Caitlin Mercure enlisted in the Marine Corps in 2011 and received the Military Occupational Specialty (MOS) of Aircraft Ordnance Technician after graduating from Aviation Ordnance School in Pensacola, Fla. and the Center of Naval Aviation Technical Training in Virginia Beach, VA.
Prior to becoming a drill instructor, Mercure deployed in support of Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Inherent Resolve, respectively.
After graduating Drill Instructor School in April 2018, Mercure went on to serve at 4th Recruit Training Battalion and Support Battalion before becoming an Instructor of Water Survival with Instructional Training Company.
In recognition of the special relationship that exists between the military and the city of Beaufort, the Rotary Club of Beaufort annually sponsors a "Military Persons of the Year" Award to honor members of the Armed Forces stationed in the Beaufort area for their outstanding contribution and involvement in military and local civic activities. Mercure was one of three service members from the three military bases in Beaufort that was recognized.
Capt. Lauren Allam, Company Commander of Instructional Training Company, served as Company Commander in November Company beside Mercure for three training cycles and again as a Marine Corps Instructor of Water Survival. Mercure exemplifies what it means to be a selfless leader, Allam said.
“Staff Sgt. Mercure continually goes above and beyond to do her best for all those around her, especially those that other people have discounted,” said Allam. “As a staff noncommissioned officer, drill instructor, and person, Staff Sgt. Mercure has a large sphere of influence and she has used it to instill our core values in her recruits as they strive to meet her example.”
Mercure volunteered her time during the year to help the local community, while teaching her recruits about selfless service in the process.
As a senior drill instructor at Special Training Company, Mercure was in charge of recruits waiting to heal from an injury or improve their physical fitness in order to continue training.
After speaking with her recruits and battalion leadership, she devised a way to give them an opportunity to volunteer during their free time. Mercure and her recruits hand-made paracord dog collars and fleece blankets for the Palmetto Animal League Thrift Store and the Jasper Animal Rescue Mission. Their efforts in making these blankets and collars aided in keeping the animals warm and comfortable as they waited to find homes.
During the early part of the COVID-19 pandemic, Mercure saw that hospital workers and first responders attached to Beaufort Memorial Hospital were working long hours and wanted to aid their efforts in combating the virus. In her personal capacity, she reached out to local businesses in her home town of Trenton, Michigan requesting food and drink donations. Together, she and her recruits assembled more than 100 care packages to be distributed.
Capt. Mitchell Bottini, Officer-In-Charge of the Combat Training Tank on MCRD Parris Island, first met Mercure while serving as the series commander of the Female Readiness Platoon, or FRP, and would later work together with her as Marine Corps instructors of water survival.
Bottini said Mercure was an incredible asset to the team at FRP while serving as a senior drill instructor. He spoke of her reliability as the subject matter expert for her recruits’ medical and physical fitness readiness at any point in time.
“It’s easy for the recruits to get lost and not see the end goal while they are waiting to heal and return to training,” Bottini said. “Staff Sgt. Mercure took it upon herself to mentor them and involve them in the community. She put so much personal time into mentoring her recruits, knowing that she may never see them again once they returned to training and became Marines. She has this gift of pulling in those around her and creating a team; She’s the type of leader everyone wants to follow.”
Allam and Bottini both saw the potential and selfless service Mercure exemplified in every challenge she faced, but knew they were only two of the countless people she impacted as a person and Marine.
“Her heart is always in the right place in any decision she makes,” Allam said. “She sees problems and leads her Marines, from conception to execution, to creatively solve it, often improving processes and using the problem as a developmental tool for all those involved.”
When asked how she felt about receiving the award, Mercure said she was honored to be nominated but even more so to be selected from all of the Marines on Parris Island. She said giving back to the community was something she had enjoyed doing with her family since she was a kid, and being able to pass on the desire to give back to her recruits made her job that much more rewarding.
“Doing the projects with the recruits was a way I could give back, but also show them what it was to be a Marine and serve the community,” said Mercure. “Spending days on the island healing from injuries was never a plan for any of the recruits, but focusing on something other than their injuries or hardships was a way that made being away from home just a little easier.”
Mercure is currently serving as a drill instructor at November Company, 4th Recruit Training Battalion.
| Date Taken: | 11.04.2020 |
| Date Posted: | 11.12.2020 16:26 |
| Story ID: | 382900 |
| Location: | BEAUFORT, SC, US |
| Web Views: | 349 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Parris Island Marine Recognized as Beaufort Military Person of the Year, by SSgt Dana Beesley, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
No keywords found.
LEAVE A COMMENT