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 MARINE CORPS BASE CAMP PENDLETON, Calif. – The dusty mountain air
was littered with unrelenting machine gun fire as Marines sent
thousands of rounds down range. Sparks flew through the sky as
rounds ripped through the rusty metal targets a few hundred meters
away. In between burst of fire, the shouts of Sgt. Joshua See (photo
left), the
lead machine gun instructor with 1st Marine Division Schools, echoed
over the rocky terrain as he paced up and down behind a brass
covered firing line.
See joined the Marine Corps in 2006,
while he was still in high school. During that time a series of
events led to his ultimate decision to earn the title.
See was athletic and gravitated towards team sports
growing up. He joined the Brownwood High School football
team where he played defensive line. See and the other
linemen became close-knit friends on and off the field. The
bonds that See formed with his teammates would prove to be
lasting and influential to See's future decisions.
See's plans after high school were anything but certain, law
enforcement initially interested him, but as he became
closer with his teammates and coach they began to encourage
him to consider a military career.
“I always felt
like I had been adopted by my team. I was surrounded by
leaders and people that I could look up to when I was in
school,” See said. “College never appealed to me and I knew
that I wanted a physical, hands-on job. As a junior, I saw a
lot of the seniors that I played with joining the Marine
Corps. They were guys that I really respected and looked up
to, so I just naturally gravitated to the military.”
See edged closer to joining the military but his decision to
enlist solidified when he received news that his former
teammate had been killed. Corporal Michael Ledsome with 2nd
Battalion, 2nd Marine Regiment, died while conducting combat
operations in Anbar province, Iraq. Losing his friend at
such a young age ignited a fire in See that set a clear path
to give his all to his country and to the ones that he
loved. It was at that moment that See understood sacrifice
and he chose to join the Marines.
“Michael was
willing to risk his life for his country,” See said. “If he
was willing to give his life for his country what sort of
man would that make me if I didn't offer to do the same?
After I heard that he died I knew that serving my country
was the only option for me. I owed him everything.”
See joined the Marine Corps his senior year of high school
in 2006 and never looked back. The loss of his friend has
driven him to offer everything he has to his students so
that they can be fully prepared for anything in combat.
“The only thing that I regret when I look back on
joining the Marines is that I didn't do it sooner,” See
said. “I can't change what happened to Michael, but I can
make sure that I put forth every ounce of effort I have
every day.”
After multiple deployments, including two
combat deployments to Afghanistan and years of perfecting
his skills in the infantry field he found himself as the
lead machine gun instructor at 1st Marine Division Schools.
See shares his real-world experiences with his students,
giving them extra tools to utilize during the course and in
combat.
“He is a phenomenal instructor who develops
and brings out the best in his students and the other
instructors,” said Master Gunnery Sgt. Paul Hoffman, the
Staff Non Commissioned Officer for 1st Marine Division
Schools, and a native of Duncan, Okla. “See doesn't
sugarcoat anything. He is blunt and direct and I think
that's the best way to be in this job field. Machine guns
are used everywhere in the Marine Corps so the impact that
See has is vast.”
As an instructor, See realizes that
his task is not an easy one, but he takes pride and comfort
in knowing that he helps to make more capable and combat
ready Marines.
“I love my job,” said See, a native of
Brownwood, Texas. “Any day that I can lay my hands on
machine guns and share my knowledge and passion for them
with other Marines is a good day. I wake up wanting to do
everything that I can to help those around me.”
See
teaches a variety of machine gun courses that vary in length
from eight days to a month and he instructs approximately
500 Marines a year. Marines going through the course learn
the characteristics and the proper and effective
implementation of the M240, M249, Mk 19 and .50 caliber
machine gun. They also participate in practical application
exercise and live-fire ranges to improve their performance
with the weapons.
Observing students improve and
adding new skills to their repertoire is See's reward for
the dedicated effort that he puts into his job.
“Junior Marines depend on strong NCO's for guidance and
knowledge,” See said. “I base a lot of what I teach on my
experiences and what I have seen. I try to pass on as much
as I can to Marines, knowing that so many of them look up to
me.”
Whether he is behind a weapon or in front of a
class, See expects nothing less than the best from himself
and those around him. Living a life of excellence and
passing on his knowledge to others is See's way of repaying
the highest debt owed to those that sacrificed everything.
By U.S. Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Jonathan Boynes
Provided
through DVIDS
Copyright 2014
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