Sgt. Maj. William Sowers has seen a lot throughout his 23-year
career in the Marine Corps, from the time he stepped on the yellow
foot prints, until his current billet as the regimental sergeant
major for Combat Logistics Regiment 15. Photo by USMC Lance Cpl.
Jerrick J. Griffin, Oct. 24, 2011
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CAMP PENDLETON, Calif. (10/27/2011) -- Sgt. Maj. William Sowers has
seen a lot throughout his 23-year career in the Marine Corps, from
the time he stepped on the yellow footprints, to his current
assignment as the regimental sergeant major for Combat Logistics
Regiment 15, 1st Marine Logistics Group.
With eight
deployments under his belt, from Iraq and Afghanistan to Okinawa and
afloat, and having completed two tours on the drill field, Sowers'
breadth of experience and leadership continues to help shape future
generations of Marines. Sowers, 40, from Stuart, Va., began his
career in October 1988 when he attended recruit training at Marine
Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island, S.C. After recruit training, he
went on to graduate from the School of Infantry and received orders
to Scout Platoon, 2nd Tank Battalion, 2nd Marine Division, Camp
Lejeune, N.C., where he spent four years as an anti-tank assault
man.
During that time, Sowers participated in Operations
Desert |
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Shield and Desert Storm as a forward observer for the company. In
1997, Sowers became a drill instructor aboard MCRD Parris Island
wherehe helped transform raw recruits into U.S. Marines. While on the
drill field, he was meritoriously promoted to gunnery sergeant, and
after a successful tour, he received orders to the 2nd Marine
Division. |
In December 2001, in response to the terrorist attacks,
Sept. 11, 2001, Sowers deployed to the U.S. Embassy in
Kabul, Afghanistan, where he served as the company gunnery
sergeant of Company L, 3rd Battalion, 8th Marines, 2nd
MarDiv.
While with 3/8, he was selected to first
sergeant and received orders to the drill field again, this
time at MCRD San Diego as the company first sergeant for
Company E, 2nd Battalion where he achieved his current rank
of sergeant major and was assigned as the 1st Battalion
sergeant major. Having spent the majority of his career in
infantry units, Sowers said being assigned to CLR-15, his
first logistics unit, gave him an appreciation for all the
hard work that goes into providing logistics support, from
transporting supplies to providing medical care for Marines
on the battlefield.
“Coming from the infantry,
working with 1st MLG, I've always been on the other side,”
said Sowers. “On the infantry side ... I ask for something and
it shows up. Now that I'm on this [logistics] side, I see
the work and the effort and how much it takes to get the
[supplies and equipment] from A to B and the effort from the
youngest guy working at the [Supply Management Unit] all the
way up to the [combat logistics battalions] delivering it
out to you.”
Throughout his career, Sowers said he
has had a lot of positive influences. “My first four years
in the Marine Corps I had an outstanding company gunny,
Gunnery Sgt. M. Z. Brown,” said Sowers. “Those are the guys,
as I grew up, I tried to emulate, because they were both
outstanding role models as Marines ... They taught me the
right way, took me under their wing and showed me the way to
do it.”
Sowers hopes to impart the same sense of
esprit de corps into the today's generation of
non-commissioned officers. “For the young leaders, every
Marine that joins the Marine Corps has the right to be led
morally, ethically and professionally. And as a young NCO,
that's how they should treat their young Marines that come
in.”
In addition to having strong leadership, Sowers
credited his wife of 20 years, Yolanda, for helping him
succeed in his career. “My success rests solely on the
strength of my wife,” said Sowers. “She takes care of the
family, the household. I've got eight deployments in the
Marine Corps. It makes it difficult on the family, and I'm
lucky to have a strong wife and a strong family that's able
to overcome the stresses that come with what we do.”
Even though he has enough time under his belt to retire,
Sowers has no desire to leave the Marine Corps “gun club”
just yet.
“I'm going to stay in the Marine Corps
until I don't enjoy it
anymore,” said Sowers. “I've had
the opportunity to work in some great units. I've been
surrounded by great individuals, and as long as I continue
to enjoy what I do I'm definitely going to stay in.”
By USMC Lance Cpl. Jerrick J. Griffin
1st Marine Logistics
Group
Provided
through DVIDS
Copyright 2011
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