First sergeant excels in Navy leadership course

Photo By Spc. Leigh Campbell | 1st Sgt. Gary Smith is the Marine honor graduate for the Navy Senior Enlisted Leadership Academy's class 128. Smith, the first sergeant for Headquarters and Service Company, Combat Logistics Regiment 3, 3rd Marine Logistics Group, was presented the award during a graduation ceremony Dec. 7 in Newport, R.I.  

CAMP FOSTER, JAPAN

01.23.2002

Courtesy Story

III Marine Expeditionary Force   

By Lance Cpl. Juan D. Alfonso
III Marine Expeditionary Force PAO

CAMP FOSTER, OKINAWA, Japan -- A 97 percent average may be enough to make him the honor graduate at the Navy Senior Enlisted Leadership Academy, but it took more than a score for his peers and instructors to say "he deserves more."

Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy Joe R. Campa made 1st Sgt. Gary Smith an honorary Navy senior chief petty officer during the graduation ceremony for the Navy Senior Enlisted Leadership Academy's class 128 Dec. 7 in Newport, R.I.

Smith, a Walterboro, S.C. native, and the first sergeant of Headquarters and Service Company, Combat Logistics Regiment 3, 3rd Marine Logistics Group, distinguished himself by finishing as honor graduate at the leadership course, which is designed to teach E-8s and E-9s from every service how to effectively lead in a joint service environment.

"1st Sgt. Smith epitomized the core values of the Navy and Marine Corps team and consistently displayed the traits we look for in 'the chief,'" said Master Chief Petty Officer Michael P. Dyer, an instructor at the academy.

Smith's instructors and classmates decided that among the 148 students, including Army, Air Force, Navy and foreign service members, he deserved to be the class honor graduate.

The highly academic course chooses its honor graduate based on the highest percentile attained at the end of the course, which is calculated through academic scores, performance and peer evaluations.

Smith said his pride and thirst for challenge is what led him to enroll in the course.

"This is a phenomenal school, and it's definitely something we need more allocations for," he said. "The way we fight in the future is going to be in a joint service arena. This course teaches how to lead in a joint environment."

An integral part in how to lead in a joint environment is learning the philosophies of other services and foreign military, Smith said.

"The biggest (teachers) were my fellow students," he said. "The same leadership challenges we face in the Corps, every service faces."

Smith's love for the Marine Corps and what it stands for motivated him through the course. It pushed him to excel past his peers and ultimately led to the honors he received, Dyer said.

"I would constantly be given praise about the Marine Corps from my classmates," Smith said. "They'd say, 'First sergeant, you got it right' and they weren't just talking about me, they were talking about the Marine Corps and its leadership. We have it at such a junior level that it's ingrained in us. It makes us swell up inside and shows that we don't cut corners. We strive to better ourselves and those around us."

Dyer said Smith's motivation, wealth of experience and eagerness to learn drove him and his fellow classmates to excel.

"He was always involved," Dyer said. "He allowed his fellow students to learn about him and the Corps he so proudly represents. He truly is a Marine's Marine."

• Date Taken: 01.23.2002
• Date Posted: 01.23.2007 13:39
• Story ID: 8904
• Location: CAMP FOSTER, JP