With Veterans Day right around the corner, I read some advice today that really transcends to more than the military and wanted to share it with you all. Remember to thank your Veterans, Active Duty and remember those that made the ultimate sacrifice (feel free to post your thank yous or stories). Sunday will be the 238th birthday of the Marine Corps. Since I am retiring from the military in a year, I wanted to say “Thank You” to the one person who influenced me the most in my career. Gunnery Sergeant Michael Ciccarelli. He was my first Gunny in the Marines. Gunny was a veteran of Beirut. An old school Marine who didn’t yell or get excited. He was a great leader and an even better teacher. Outside of boot camp, he had the most impact on me as a Marine. I learned a great deal from him. Some of the lessons were: -When you take care of the troops first, the mission will always accomplish itself. -Good leaders put the right person in the right job. No matter what their rank is. -No such thing as “shitbirds”. They just need to be put in the right situation to be successful. -Stay cool; especially under pressure. Everyone is looking to you. -Let junior troops make mistakes. That’s how they learn. -Don’t be afraid to fall on your own sword. That’s how you learn. -Don’t be afraid to take responsibility for your actions and the actions of your troops. -Always let your junior troops take the praise. -Take care of the families of your troops when they can’t. -Act like a Marine; no matter what. (Tough to get over this one) But the biggest lesson he gave me was when it was his time to PCS. I tried to thank him for everything he did for me. He wouldn’t accept my thanks. Instead he told me to remember what he had done for me and make sure I did the same for my troops. I have tried to live up to that my entire career. I hope I did OK, Gunny. Semper Fi!
Posted on: Sat, 09 Nov 2013 00:27:30 +0000
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015