First to Fight

First to Fight

They say,” Once a Marine, Always a Marine” and since November 10, 1775 has been an organization rich with history and tradition. The United States Marine Corps is one of the greatest military forces ever assembled, but also the smallest of the United States armed forces in the Department of Defense. With only 202,100 active duty Marines and 39,600 reserve Marines. While serving as a Marine the mission and vision of the organization was clear and unwavering. Its core values where ingrained in you from the moment you stepped foot on boot camp sole; and its culture was one like no other. Needless to say no organization is flawless and throughout the years the Marine Corps has grown and has room to grow even more.

As a Staff-Nco in the Marine Corps the mission was always clear. Since boot camp I was told to serve and protect American soil and her interest in foreign lands. Whereas the actual mission states,” The Marine Corps has been America's expeditionary force in readiness since 1775. We are forward deployed to respond swiftly and aggressively in times of crisis. We are soldiers of the sea, providing forces and detachments to naval ships and shore operations. We are global leaders, developing expeditionary doctrine and innovations that set the example, and leading other countries' forces and agencies in multinational military operations. These unique capabilities make us "First to Fight," and our nation's first line of defense.” (U.S. Marine Corps, 2013) I feel the Marine Corps mission has and always will state the reason for its existence. Also our textbook The Leadership Experience states that,” mission is what the organization stands for in a larger sense.” (Daft, 2012) Even though the mission is clear what people don’t see is that women can’t fight on the front lines. This is one area where the Marine Corps can improve in my eyes; because I’ve known many female Marines fitter than their male counterparts.

Looking into the future the vision of...