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The 36th Commandant’s Planning Guidance released in 2015
listed several Marine Corps’ Enduring Principles including
“Marines keep their honor clean and Marines take care of
their own;” adding “these principles define our identity as
Marines and as a Marine Corps.” The guidance further states
“in all that we do, we should seek to reduce the
dissimilarity between how we conduct ourselves in combat and
garrison.”
Marines are taught from the first day of
boot camp to take care of the Marine to the left and right
in combat. But less often is the same attitude stressed as
just as important while in garrison.
While the Marine
Corps endures recent criticism, there are still Marines who
display the morals and values of the Marine Corps. Several
Marines continue to do the right thing and some of those
Marines go above and beyond.
These Marines display
courage during difficult times where others may sit back and
think... I’ll let someone else handle that because I
don’t know what to do.
These Marines dedicate time toward helping
others.
These Marines save the lives of fellow Marines.
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Marines from Marine Corps Air Station Miramar, California, took
action to saves the lives of fellow Marines, near and far. Lance
Cpl. Kevin RodriguezMunoz saved a Marine from 3rd Marine Aircraft
Wing in San Diego's Gaslamp Quarter, April 8, 2017; Cpl. Rajinder
Walia and Sgt. Ayham Johnson saved a fellow Aircraft Rescue and
Firefighting Marine, January 17, 2017; and Cpl. Brandon Messina
saved a Marine from New York City after discovering a Facebook post.
These Marines demonstrated what Gen. Joseph F. Dunford Jr.,
currently the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, spoke of in his
2015 Planning Guidance, by having a bias for action and displaying
courage to make a difference. (Image created by USA Patriotism! from U.S. Marine Corps
graphic/photo by Sgt. Brytani Wheeler - June 27, 2017)
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HELPING THOSE WHO CAN’T HELP THEMSELVES
A Marine Corps Air Station Miramar postal clerk demonstrated what
Gen. Joseph F. Dunford Jr., currently the Chairman of the Joint
Chiefs of Staff, spoke of and stepped up during a night out with
friends at San Diego’s Gaslamp Quarter, April 8, 2017.
Lance
Cpl. Kevin RodriguezMunoz observed a suspicious man walking toward a
dark alley carrying what appeared to be a young military member who
seemed to be out of his senses. RodriguezMunoz approached the two
men to see if everything was OK only to discover the service member
was bleeding and incoherent. After a short dialogue, RodriguezMunoz
obtained the ID of the hurt service member and pulled him away from
the suspect.
“The first thing that came to my mind was to
save his life because he was a fellow Marine,” said RodriguezMunoz,
who is also a member of the security augmentation force. “Working
for [Provost Marshals Office] teaches me that we have to protect the
people who don’t know how to defend themselves.”
RodriguezMunoz caught the attention of others in the area who helped
care for the Marine while RodriguezMunoz contacted the Marine’s
chain of command who arrived and took him to the local hospital.
Through his actions that night, RodriguezMunoz saved the life of
the other Marine: a Marine he’s never met before, who is assigned to
3rd Marine Aircraft Wing and works at MCAS Miramar.
“He set
the example for the rest of us, to include myself and his
superiors,” said Chief Warrant Officer 2 Luis Reyna,
RodriguezMunoz’s officer-in-charge. “By being proactive and taking
charge of the situation to help another Marine, even though he put
himself in danger, speaks highly of his character.”
Reyna
described RodriguezMunoz as a Marine who is always taking initiative
at work and someone who is a participant not a bystander.
For RodriguezMunoz, it doesn’t matter what it takes, he will always
try to protect those in need. “My principles as a Marine are focused
on the protection of people and the Marines to my right and left,”
said RodriguezMunoz. “It doesn’t matter if it’s a Marine or
civilian, you’re always ready to help whoever needs it.”
There will be Marines who do something they aren’t supposed to do
according to the set standard of ethics, but America looks at the
Marine Corps as their protectors, Reyna explained. When Marines do
something great, it’s good for them but it’s important for the
community to see who these Marines really are and continue to
believe in them as America’s number one fighting force, in war and
at home.
HELPING YOUR FAMILY
The Marines in one unit at MCAS Miramar are like a family
according to the staff noncommissioned officer. That tight bond
inspired two Marines to take action January 17, 2017, which helped
saved the life of one of their brothers.
“It's automatic,”
said Gunnery Sgt. Roy Wright III, Aircraft Rescue and Firefighting
crash chief. “When a brother or sister needs help, we are there for
each other.”
That’s how Cpl. Rajinder Walia and Sgt. Ayham
Johnson reacted when one of their fellow Marines sent out a cry for
help.
“I received a text from the Marine stating he was
contemplating ending his life,” said Walia, ARFF material NCO.
“Myself and Sgt. Johnson began trying to contact the Marine, as well
as alerted our staff NCOs.”
When Walia and Johnson were
unable to contact the Marine through phone calls, they immediately
took initiative to go where they believed he lived.
“The
Marines reacted to the situation without being told,” said Wright.
“I’m extremely proud. To me, it means that I know my Marines will
take care of each other, regardless of the situation at hand.”
Senior leaders of the unit discovered the Marine no longer lived
at that residence so Johnson and Walia contacted his family and were
informed he had moved. The Marines worked together to narrow down
apartment complexes where the Marine may have moved, located him,
and got him the help he needed.
“The reason I took action
was because I cared about the welfare of my Marine,” explained Walia.
“Troop welfare is a big deal to me.”
While Walia doesn’t
consider himself a hero for his deeds that day, his actions and that
of his unit were the factor in saving a Marine’s life.
“I
believe taking action to help someone isn't just a Marine Corps
concept, it is just something that everyone as people should do for
each other,” said Walia.
“We put all our effort into the guys
to the left of us, taking care of them and looking after their needs
without really having to care about ourselves to an extent because
the guys to our right are doing the same thing for us,” said
Johnson. “We don't let each other fall through the cracks. I'd give
the shirt off my back to any of these Marines and they'd come back
with a blanket for me. They are my brothers and sisters.”
As
the Marine Corps Leadership Principles state --look out for the
welfare of your Marines – Wright recognizes the mindset to care for
others in a time of need, without hesitation, is something all
Marines should embody no matter the circumstances.
“The way
that Marines respond in garrison is how I would expect them to react
in combat,” Wright affirmed. “It’s a no Marine left behind
mentality.”
“It is impossible to picture a life without one
of the Marines you've spent that much time getting to know and care
for,” said Johnson. “It just doesn't happen.”
HELPING THOSE NEAR OR FAR
Unlike the others who were close by, or knew the Marine, an MCAS
Miramar aviation ordnance Marine took action to help a Marine more
than 2,400 miles away in New York City.
When Cpl. Brandon
Messina saw a Facebook post from a Marine he didn’t know, he
recognized the Marine needed help and quickly started doing what he
could.
Within 10 minutes of the post, several people had
already started commenting trying to locate the Marine to get
someone to him as soon as possible. From the comments, Messina found
his unit and called the duty to inform him of the situation.
“I got a call on the duty phone where Cpl. Messina said his name,
where he was from and that one of my Marines had just posted a
suicidal ideation on Facebook,” said Staff Sgt. Eric Berger, a SNCO
in the same unit as the Marine who made the post. “It was everything
I needed to call the EMTs and get them headed out; he was very
thorough.”
Other Marines used their connections to the New
York Police Department to start looking for the Marine as well.
“I didn't find out he was found by the cops or taken for medical
attention until two hours later,” said Messina. “It seemed to be an
eternity, but it was a huge relief seeing he was still with us.”
Helping a fellow Marine, even if they were 2,400 miles away, was
easy for Messina who has personally dealt with similar challenges.
“As a survivor, it made it unsurprising that he would identify
with the circumstances and take appropriate actions to ensure the
safety of that Marine,” said Capt. David Morell, Messina’s
officer-in-charge. “I'm sure to that Marine's family Messina is a
hero or an angel; to others he may have just been a concerned
citizen/Marine. To me, it took a great deal of personal strength and
moral courage to reach out and identify with the Marine and
understand the warning signs, which ultimately resulted in Messina
contacting someone from his command and communicating well enough to
them to take action and involve first responders.”
No matter
the distance apart or age difference, Marines have a tight bond to
care for one another.
“I'll probably never meet him or speak
to him but we're all here for each other and in that very moment you
saw exactly what this brotherhood means,” explained Messina. “We all
have each other's backs no matter what the circumstances are and
we'll go through every means possible to make sure you know that.”
Morell reiterated Marines are taught to never leave a Marine
behind and while most relate that to actual combat situations,
mental health challenges which come from varying forms of trauma, is
still a battle.
“The fact Cpl. Messina related to the
circumstances and took action is a reassurance to me as a leader our
conversations of service and sacrifice as Marines and the challenges
presented to us today are real,” said Morell. “Moreover, those of us
who have overcome similar circumstances stand ready to fill the gap
when a fellow service member is in need!”
“Marines taking
care of Marines has been a tenant of the Marine Corps forever and
always will be,” said Berger. “It's critical that we as Marines
recognize and pay attention to our peers, and their needs remain on
the forefront of our thoughts even when deployments aren't
happening.”
MARINES IN AND OUT OF UNIFORM
The term Marine is synonymous with young men and women who are
disciplined, smart, physically and mentally tough, and who remain
always faithful to each other and to our Corps.
Our initial
training instills in the individual Marine a selfless commitment to
fellow Marines, a bias for action, and an unwavering commitment to
mission accomplishment.
The planning guidance communicates,
“Although we remain proud of our heritage, we should expect no
credit tomorrow for what we did yesterday.” While these Marines were
awarded for their efforts, they believe they simply did what they
should have done.
Marine Corps doctrine, Sustaining the
Transformation, states: “Beyond preparing a Marine Corps that will
win in combat, what truly distinguishes our legacy to our nation are
the citizens we produce – citizens transformed by their Marine Corps
experience and enriched by their internalization of our ethos,
ideals, and values.”
The men and women who wear the eagle,
globe and anchor have dedicated themselves to selfless service to
our nation and its people, and the actions of these Marines serve as
a testament to that commitment.
By U.S. Marine Corps Sgt. Brytani Wheeler
Provided
through DVIDS
Copyright 2017
The U.S. Marines
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