Leatherneck Magazine

“You teach Marines to make ethical decisions on and off duty,” Dykema said. “The recruits are here to be recruits and to learn how to be Marines. But at the same time, they understand the importance of values.”

“Whenever you talk to any Marine, even if they got out or are retired, they always have that in their heart,” Butler said. “We want ours to have the same thing— to have that passion in their hearts too.”

Cpl Heather Osorio PAO, MCRD Parris Island, S.C.

CPL HEATHER OSORIO

Recruits spar during the Crucible phase of training at MCRD Parris Island as Coast Guardsmen from the Coast Guard Training Center in Cape May, N.J., observe.

ma, a battalion commander at the Coast Guard Training Center. Dykema’s role in Coast Guard training is similar to the role of the Recruit Training Regiment sergeant major.

Dykema’s team of Coast Guard company commanders, the equivalent of Marine drill instructors, is responsible for reevaluating the moral aspect of training. Three other teams, which were not on Parris Island for this visit, were covering physical training, academics and the culminating event of training.

During the command’s review of various armed forces training, the Corps stood 34 LEATHERNECK APRIL 2008

out as the top for value-based training, said Coast Guard Petty Officer Zarella Butler, a company commander.

“The command went to all the other services, and they felt this [the Corps’ training] is what we are looking for as far as discipline and leadership,” Butler said. “[With our training] we are almost there. We just need a little push to make us better.”

“It’s important that they are recognizing our value-based training,” said Gunnery Sergeant David Labonte, one of the escorts for the group and a series gunnery sergeant for Company L, 3d Recruit Training Battalion.

Former 3d MAW Sergeant Major
Passes Knowledge Along

■ Marines go on to pursue many walks of life after leaving the active ranks. Some may hang their neatly pressed uniforms in closets and reminisce about the journeys they’ve taken during their careers in the Marine Corps.

For a former sergeant major of the Third Marine Aircraft Wing, his journey after retirement led him to Murrieta Valley (Calif.) High School’s Marine Corps Junior Reserve Officers’ Training Corps.

Retired SgtMaj Gilmore Richter became an instructor for the school’s JROTC program in 1993, shortly after ending his 30-year career.

The adjustment from working with active-duty Marines to high-school students wasn’t a hard transition, said Richter. What was difficult, however, was learning how to work in a nonmilitary environment.

“Having been around Marines for 30 years is why it was so hard for me to adjust to working with civilians,” said Richter. “I quickly learned that military life and civilian life are completely different.”

Richter still wakes up at 4: 30 a.m. to arrive at the office by 5: 30 a.m. and get the day started, just like when he was active duty, according to retired Lieutenant Colonel William Akana, the senior Marine instructor at the school.

“Sergeant Major doesn’t know he’s retired,” said LtCol Akana. “His dedication to this program and these kids is beyond what anyone would expect.”

As a Vietnam War veteran and former drill instructor, Richter has a vast amount of knowledge to pass on to the JROTC students.

While his class takes notes, Richter walks among the students, telling them about his experiences and the importance of creating a good image of themselves.

“Every day, I tell my students to think twice about the actions they take,” said Richter. “I ask the students if what they do is going to positively affect the school’s perception of the program.”