MARINE CORPS BASE CAMP PENDLETON, Calif. – It takes a lot of hard work and dedication to be successful in the work place. One Marine noncommissioned officer who went above and beyond was recognized here, July 26.
Cpl. Robert Nadeau, intermediate radio repairman, Repairable Maintenance Company, 1st Maintenance Battalion, Combat Logistics Regiment 15, 1st Marine Logistics Group, received the 1st MLG Noncommissioned Officer of the Quarter award. The 22-year-old native of New Britain, Conn., stood out amongst the rest of the NCOs in the unit.
To be considered for NCO of the Quarter, the Marine must be a sergeant or corporal, must not have any court martials, must have a first-class Physical Fitness Test and Combat Fitness Test, must have a current rifle score and be within Marine Corps height and weight standards. The Marine then participates on a board, during which he or she is quizzed by Staff NCOs on Marine Corps knowledge and tested on bearing and uniform presentation.
Nadeau won the board over four other selected Marines and had perfect scores of 300 for his PFT and CFT and is an expert shooter with a score of 313. Nadeau expressed how he felt for being recognized among his peers.
“I feel outstanding, I can’t even put it into words right now,” said Nadeau.
Nadeau named two influences, Sgt. Daniel Goicochea and Sgt. Rudy Bolio, who helped him get to this point in his career.
“I would like to thank my mentors Sgt. Goicochea and Sgt. Bolio,” said Nadeau. “They are outstanding leaders. They have enabled me to get to this spot and I hope to enable all of my Marines to perform proficiently in their [Military Occupation Specialties] and as Marines.”
Goicochea had a few words to say about the recently name 1st MLG NCO of the Quarter.
“He sets the example in all he does, every challenge, he takes with a positive attitude,” said Goicochea, radio technician, RMC, 1st Main. Bn., CLR-15, 1st MLG. “He is the type of Marine that can be relied upon to contribute to the excellence of the Marine Corps. Through his actions, I know this Marine will make me and the Marine Corps even more proud with more future endeavors.”
“Cpl. Nadeau is a very impressive Marine,” said Sgt. Maj. Jeffery Miller, CLR-15 sergeant major. “He seeks knowledge and guidance from his sergeants and SNCOs in order to fix any deficiencies he might have in order to be a better leader for his Marines. He always puts his Marines before himself and visits them after hours and on weekends in the barracks just to talk to them and make sure they have everything they need.”
He also added that Nadeau worked tirelessly to help his Marines improve their physical fitness, especially the ones that have weight issues. He is a great family man and volunteers his time outside of the Marine Corps to different programs that need help and that he is just a fantastic role model for young Marines and an NCO they should emulate.
Sgt. Maj. Antonio N. Vizcarrondo Jr., 1st MLG sergeant major, gave Nadeau a few words of encouragement during the ceremony.
“You did a great job on the board,” said Vizcarrondo. “You were certainly one of the Marines to stand out, and as you continue on in your career you will continue to do great things for the Marine Corps and more importantly, the young warriors looking up to you. You take great pride and take care of your Marines and lead by example. I think that is a great quality in a young leader.”
At the end of the ceremony, the NCO of the Quarter thanked everyone for attending.
“I want to thank everyone for being here, but most of all I want to thank my family, particularly my wife,” said Nadeau. “She has been amazing in supporting me. She understands what it takes to be a Marine and she understands the time I have to put into it and if it wasn’t for her, honestly, I couldn’t do it.”
Nadeau also performed well on the meritorious sergeant board and will be meritoriously promoted to the rank of sergeant next month.