CAMP LEATHERNECK, Afghanistan— Before a deployment, Marines train with their units, establish relationships and build camaraderie.
But one Marine prepared for her deployment with one unit, but was transferred to a different unit once she arrived here.
Cpl. Sasha Savage, a supply noncommissioned officer with Regimental Combat Team 7, deployed with Marine Air Ground Task Force Support Company, Reset and Reconstitution Operational Group, but moved to the regiment after a shortfall was identified.
Savage, a 23-year-old native of Beaverton, Mich., works with the regiment’s infantry battalions to ensure they are properly submitting supply requests and making responsible fiscal decisions. For an NCO, this is an important responsibility.
“Poor stewards of government spending and misappropriations of government funds are some things that supply absolutely has to be in tune with,” said 1st Lt. Donald Turner, the supply officer with RCT-7. “Being irresponsible with that is very unfavorable for a command.”
Savage’s role goes beyond being an NCO. She has also been trained to fill in as the supply officer if Turner has to leave the office to tour the regiment’s battlespace.
“That’s the way we trained her so that she could be here to answer questions if I’m not around,” said Turner, a 26-year-old Columbus, Ohio native and graduate of Ohio State University. “We wanted to create multiple capabilities within her as a Marine.”
Savage, whose father served in the Army and the Navy, has a lot of responsibilities, but she has proven to be up to the task. For about two weeks, the RCT was unable to use scanners, so she improvised. Savage changed her daily run route to pass each of the battalion’s supply sections. Along the way, she picked up and dropped off paperwork. The route is just short of 5 miles and she carried a backpack, but she just shrugged it off.
“I just dropped by and picked it up,” Savage said. “It’s really not that far.”
Such an attitude is not that uncommon with Savage. She doesn’t brag about having learned a new job specialty by working as a night-watch clerk or that she has improved her Marine Corps Martial Arts skills to brown belt. She even recently finished writing a book report on The Last Stand of Fox Company, a book off the Commandant’s reading list.
Turner said her humble attitude won’t prevent her from leading Marines now or in the future.
“When she came in, she was rather quiet about things,” Turner said. “Her path of leadership now is leading her peers; leading by example. She’s actually trying to be the best NCO in the shop, and Marines are following her because of it.”
Savage has made a big impact on the supply section of the RCT and will continue to be an important asset, Turner added.
Editor’s note: This article is part of a series wherein every week we recognize an individual Marine or sailor with Regimental Combat Team 7. The Marines and sailors of RCT-7 are dedicated, disciplined and driven to accomplish the mission, and the Marine in this article has earned special recognition for standing out among these professionals. Be sure to check every week to see who will be honored as the latest Marine of the Week.