Gunnery Sgt. Michael Benson Flightline Friday 1

IWAKUNI, YAMAGUCHI, JAPAN

11.10.2021

Story by Lance Cpl. Justin Marty 

1st Marine Aircraft Wing   

Gunnery Sgt. Michael Benson sits tall and quiet in his office chair. His eyes tell stories of
experience and leadership knowledge. Each crease on his face has a tale to tell of the last 18 years of
service Benson has provided to the U.S. Marine Corps as a combat engineer.
“I’ve always had a fascination with the military, my dad and I would go to air shows when I was a kid’
said Benson, smiling as he reminisced on his childhood. “My grandfather was a Marine back in World
War II in the south pacific so I think that was one of the reasons I went Marines.”
Benson grew up in Ray, Ohio. He described it as, “Your typical small town U.S.A. experience.” Ray has a
population of around 1,530 people. “My dad was a civil engineer and my mom was a stay at home
mom.” said Benson. “They worked hard to make sure we were always doing something like vacations,
camping, or fishing. It was your normal southern Ohio family life.”
“I joined right out of high school in 2003,” said Benson. “When we got to that age, of course the
recruiters would always come around, and I think what honestly, as cliché as iIt sounds, made me want
to join was just seeing the recruiter in his dress blues and thinking, ‘I want that for myself.’” Benson
went on to say that he wasn’t confident and had low self-esteem at that age and that he saw the Marine
Corps as an opportunity to change that.
Benson said his father was the main motivation of why he wanted to join as a combat engineer.
“Somehow I thought him being a civil engineer and being a combat engineer would be the same, but it’s
definitely not” he said laughing. Nevertheless, you can tell Benson has a passion and drive for the role
his military occupational specialty (MOS) plays in the Corps. “Personally, I think that the combat
engineer MOS is one of the most important in the Marine Corps,” said Benson. “We are a wide range of
things the Marine Corps needs to accomplish its mission.” He continued to list all the way engineers are
effective in all missions and described the Marines with the job as, “Jacks of all trades”
Benson has had an interesting career in the Corps. His highlights include; two back to back Iraq
deployments as part of operation Phantom Fury, one tour to Afghanistan, leaving the Corps and
rejoining, and becoming a recruiter. “I got out after my second deployment to Iraq thinking the grass
was greener on the civilian side,” said Benson. He went on to say that the jobs he had in the civilian
sector didn’t appeal to him the same way being a Marine did. “I just wasn’t fulfilled being a civilian and I
knew that the amount of experience I had gotten in my first four year was going to waste.” Benson said.
“My boss at the time was a retired Gunnery Sgt. And he kept telling me and motivating me to get back
in, and so one day I decided it was time and I went back.”
“I would say to the young men and women that want to join the Marine Corps that it has by far been the
easiest job I’ve ever had, being out in the civilian world and being on recruiting duty has shown me how
hard it is to make a living right out of high school. The Marine Corps has made me the man I am today.
Don’t be afraid to talk to a recruiter and at least see what opportunities are open to you” said Benson in
his closing statement.

• Date Taken: 11.10.2021
• Date Posted: 11.11.2021 20:24
• Story ID: 409074
• Location: IWAKUNI, YAMAGUCHI, JP
• Hometown: RAY, OH, US