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“As Jim Mattis puts it in his book, Call Sign Chaos, ‘In order to be a proficient leader, one must read a hundred books.” Sgt. Randy Rhodes Jr., an ammunition technician currently stationed at Camp Lejeune N.C., understands the importance of education through the Commandant's Reading List to become a better Marine.
Sgt. Rhodes joined the Marine Corps in 2016 as an eager high school student ready to make an impact on the world around him. He soon found himself in Camp Lejeune stationed at 25th CLB where he picked up the rank of Corporal. Understanding the importance of being an NCO within the Marine Corps, Cpl. Rhodes, took it upon himself to become the best leader, and father, he could be.
In 2019, while visiting family in Wendell, North Carolina, Rhodes sustained a life-threatening injury from a head on collision with an ATV.
“I had a traumatic brain injury without a shadow of a doubt. I lost my sense of smell and I barely have a sense of taste…” Rhodes reflected. “I have vertigo that recurs about two to three times a week that I have to reset. I lost a lot of feeling down my entire back, some parts of my toes and some parts of my fingers.”
While in the hospital during his recovery, many Marines from his command came to visit and show their support. His fellow Marines continue to support him throughout his healing journey.
“I still had Marines coming up to come see me,” he said. “That meant the world and showed that within this brotherhood there was a sense of caring; there was a sense of camaraderie and that helped my mental health.”
After being released from the hospital, he was transferred to Wounded Warrior Battalion East also on Camp Lejeune. While there Rhodes was able to focus on his recovery process to strengthen his mind and body.
“They said I could possibly get medically separated,” Rhodes states. “That was definitely a dark cloud looming in my future, and I did not want that to happen. So, I put my best foot forward and I did everything in my power to expedite the healing process to the best of my capabilities.”
Rhodes decided the best way to keep his mind and spirit strong was through reading. By endeavoring to read every book on the Commandant's Professional Reading List, he improved mentally and gathered a better understanding of what it meant to be a leader within the Marine Corps.
“Whenever I see something set before me, I view it as a challenge to always better yourself,” he said. “Whenever I found out that nobody has ever done this entire reading list, I said to myself, ‘Alright this is my new “why?”, this is my new purpose, I’m going to accomplish this.’”
Over 140 books and book reports later, the newly promoted Sgt. Rhodes found his way of contributing back to the Corps. Rhodes established a book club within the Battalion where he could still make an impact on the Marines around him.
Sgt Rhodes believes that he’s come a long way from the Corporal he was in 2019, but still feels he has a long journey ahead of him. There are more books to be read and more Marines that can learn from his experiences.
“The biggest battle I face is my mental health because I want to get back into the fight. I want to go back to the fleet. I love being a United States Marine,” he said. “I love wearing the cammies every single day. When my feet hit the ground, I think about, ‘What is the legacy I can leave before me, and the impact I can leave on other Marines.’ And if I can just plant that seed and if I can help anybody in any shape or fashion, then I did my job as a leader. I did my job as a mentor.”
| Date Taken: | 04.04.2022 |
| Date Posted: | 04.27.2022 16:13 |
| Story ID: | 418137 |
| Location: | NC, US |
| Web Views: | 182 |
| Downloads: | 1 |
This work, Sgt. Randy Rhodes: A New Chapter, by Joseph Cooper, LCpl Dylon Grasso and Cpl Oneg Plisner, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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