Photo By Sgt. Kealiiholokaikeikiokalani De Los Santos | Sgts. Justin Condon and Bradley Briggs Jr., Marine Corps Community Services (MCCS)...... read more read more
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CAMP ALLEN, Va. — The United States Marines are issued the M16 service carbine rifle, a gas-operated assault rifle that fires 5.56x45 M855 Ball or “green tip'' ammunition fed from a 30-round magazine. With a maximum effective range of 3534 meters and a cyclic rate of fire of 700-900 rounds a minute, the M16 is the single most important piece of gear entrusted to a Marine. Although easy to operate, modern military standard issue carbine rifles are no exception to an age-old rule applicable to every warrior community, across all lands foreign and domestic, and in every war past. “A sword never kills anybody; it is a tool in a killer's hand” - Seneca, Roman Stoic philosopher. Marines are selfless; they will sacrifice time and personal comforts for their brothers and sisters-in-arms. Leaders and followers, Marines accomplish any mission and the commander's intent is always met. By learning to bridge the gap between mastering the use of the M16 and leading the Marines who carry them, Marines learn, grow, adapt, eat, sleep, and operate as a team.
Treating others as operators within a team and recognizing the breadth of their experiences inside and outside organizational confines are leadership concepts familiar to Sgt. Justin Condon, Marine Corps Exchange (MCX) store manager, and Sgt. Bradley Briggs Jr., assistant MCX store manager, the Marine Corps Community Services (MCCS) Marines with Fleet Marine Force, Atlantic (FMFLANT), Marine Forces Command (MARFORCOM), Marine Forces Northern Command (MARFOR NORTHCOM), Headquarters and Service Battalion (HQSVCBN). Unlike the majority of Marine Corps military occupational specialties (MOS), the MCCS Marine 4133 MOS can only be earned via lateral (LAT) move when a Marine with an already established MOS chooses to change their MOS to fit the personal and professional goals of the individual and the needs of the United States Marine Corps.
Condon begins, “I like change, I like to develop leadership skills and I thought MCCS Marine was perfect for that. Not only was it a change from what I was currently doing, but because it was changing as I got it. I previously had a mentor, he was in our unit at the time and I really liked his leadership style. I went to him pretty often to ask for advice, thoughts on what I should be doing, even after he had moved to an operations position. Later down the road he LAT moved into this MOS and he loved it. It seemed like he was doing something different everywhere he went and it really just caught my eye because of that.”
Briggs Jr. replies, “Before this, I was a communications specialist. A buddy of mine went to the career fair and told me about the Marine Corps Community Service Marines recruiting Marines. I was stationed at Courthouse Bay at the time, met a Staff Sergeant that worked in the MOS and we got to talking. Before I joined the Marine Corps I was in retail for about three years, so I had done it before. Not on the manager's side, but level entry work. I was interested in it and it certainly has a lot of opportunities outside of the Marine Corps.”
Complexities of store, customer, and employee management are conducted by the MCCS Marines, who have prior experience as leaders within the Marine Corps. As sergeants, both Condon and Briggs Jr. are used to having junior enlisted under their charge, however, their MOS provides a unique opportunity. Sergeants Condon and Briggs Jr. do not lead a fireteam, platoon or section of young junior enlisted, rather they actively employ civilians and veterans; active duty Marines are trained and ready to be operational under any and all leadership styles, with an affinity for coaching, counseling, and mentorship. MCX employees are accustomed to different managerial styles so Sergeants Condon and Briggs Jr. had to find their footing when applying a military leadership style.
Briggs Jr. said, “It’s a lot of trial and error. You need good Staff Non-Commissioned Officers and mentorship when you first get in. Being a good leader in the Marine Corps can translate to being a good leader in the civilian world but… not always. You got to know the fine lines you walk in. You can look to good SNCOs in our MOS for guidance. Finding those people you trust to give you good advice.”
Condon remarks, “In the Marine Corps, you can’t quit. You can request a mast and go to your leadership, but people usually wait till something extreme. We've all been trained, taught how to be Marines, and suppress a lot of feelings to accomplish the mission sometimes. There is none of that in the civilian world. You find out real quick with employees that can quit on you, that can make complaints for minor things that wouldn’t be in the Marine Corps, and how important morale is. Making sure your employees are working hard for you, not because they’re afraid of you. There’s a good mix of fear and respect in the Marine Corps but there should never be a fear factor here. That’s something you have to work on.”
Condon and Briggs Jr. typically work from 0700 – 1900, Monday through Friday, working the weekends if the need arises. Their days dedicated to working retail, overseeing the MCX and leading its employees hone their leadership capabilities naturally. Lessons learned in leadership and general management are not narrowed to the Marine Corps’ doctrine, culture, or ethos. Unlike many active duty Marines, Condon and Briggs Jr. are gathering time and experience explicitly applicable after their end of active service (EAS) dates. Once their active duty contracts are fulfilled and they transition into the civilian sector, retail businesses and companies across the United States will gladly foster the skill and talent both Marines have earned during their time in service.
Briggs Jr. speaks about his experiences, “We get a lot of managerial experience. You can get higher billets where you are directors of operations of business, retail directors, or different entities of MCCS. So when you EAS, you can transfer over into a high paid position in the civilian world. Like a manager of a Walmart, Target, or any kind of big retail store. With what we know, we can go into the business side of it; like ordering and purchasing supplies.”
Condon describes his personal and professional life balance within the Marine Corps, “I was always really big on clarity as a leader and I think I’ve developed that skill even further. At the lowest level in the Marine Corps you are taught to have some sense of leadership but everything in retail is clearly defined so moving outside of what someone's job description, you have to be incredibly clear about what you want. Before with Marines, I called everyone into a school circle, told everyone what we were doing and that’s that. As a leader with the MCCS, we are big on policies and standard operating procedure. It gets proofed on everyone so there’s a clear understanding, we even run them by the team to make sure everyone knows exactly what it is, finalize that draft and that SOP will be permanent. Whenever I do go out into the field, onto deployment, or put into a leadership position with any unit I’m supporting I can use that extra bit of clarity.”
Both Condon and Briggs Jr. are still active duty sergeants. They may not have Marines directly under their charge right now, but they still interact with Marines who come inside the MCX and are expected to lead any and all who are of lesser grade when the time presents itself. The time spent underneath the shade of an MCX ceiling is not lost on either Condon or Briggs Jr. Both recount the transition from leading Marines to leading employees, and reflect on how the MOS or their billets have not impeded their growth.
Briggs Jr. opens up, “It’s a very weird experience. You don’t have Marines under you, you have civilians. That is a whole culture change when you are brought up with Marines, used to having junior Marines, able to talk a certain way, discipline a certain way, and then you LAT move back into the civilian sector. You’re a sergeant but also a professional civilian boss. You have to make sure everything is done perfectly without losing your temper, or bringing anything from the Marine Corps into it. It’s very interesting going from having junior Marines, being in charge of those Marines and knowing your left and right lateral limits then your left and right lateral limits shrink so much when working with civilians. It’s one of the benefits of this MOS. It’s such a culture shock for us to come in and work with civilians, that when we retire or decide to get out, the jump from Marine to civilian is not as bad a culture shock as it is to most Marines. Most others don’t know what to do, they don’t have a uniform, their job is different, and they’re not leading Marines.”
Condon continues with insights into followership and lifestyle differences between military and civilian leadership, “I understand subordinates a lot better because they have so much more freedom of opinion in the civilian sector than in the Marine Corps. It’s a balance to build upon your Marine Corps leadership skills using this knowledge and information. Everytime you make decisions or grow in a certain area you have to compare it to the Marine Corps. You have to ask, ‘do I wanna change my leadership style or am I going to integrate what I’ve learned as a leader of Marines?’”
When deployed, MCCS Marines set up and manage tactical Field Exchanges and occasionally other MCCS support services as a joint operation with the Army & Air Force Exchange Service. While conducting field operations in unfamiliar and potentially hostile environments, Marines are stripped of creature comforts and left to harbor their memories of loved ones, personal artifacts, and the shelter of familiar settings. Every Marine pulls from their individual well of morale to sustain themselves when conditions cause mental drought, but everyone's well runs dry eventually. An MCCS Marine’s purpose temporarily satisfies Marines' thirst for the little things that bring them closer to memories of better times, pulling them through hard days and a hard day’s work.
Condon emphasizes the unseen battle effect his MOS’s footprint leaves, “Deployment is where it’s at. We sell what can help with the mission and what can help with morale. Those are our two biggest goals. Assist the mission, assist with morale. The highlight of the job is giving those little things that feel a little bit more at home in a situation that absolutely does not feel like home, bringing morale to those that need it most.”
With such enthusiasm behind Condon and Briggs Jr.’s words, it should come as no surprise that both sergeants plan on re-enlisting and continuing their careers with the United States Marine Corps. Both Condon and Briggs Jr. wish to continue to enrich the quality of life for the Marines of FMFLANT, MARFORCOM, MARFOR NORTHCOM, HQSVCBN and their families. They aspire to bring their accumulated understanding of morale and the dynamic between subordinate and leader to the wider Marine Corps. M16’s are simple machines activated by mechanical, thoughtless actions. Marines, like many humans, have a fierce sense of personal identity and their actions are motivated by thoughtful opinions and complex experiences. Every Marine is a rifleman, but the issued rifle does not make a Marine.
| Date Taken: | 04.15.2022 |
| Date Posted: | 05.05.2022 15:04 |
| Story ID: | 420068 |
| Location: | NORFOLK, VA, US |
| Web Views: | 315 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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