Posted on 08/25/2005 4:06:21 PM PDT by SandRat
AL ASAD, Iraq (Aug. 25, 2005) -- Before Marine Aircraft Group 26 left North Carolina earlier this year, pre-deployment training helped its Marines and sailors prepare for some of the things they would see here.
Sergeant Thomas R. Fuller, the group’s training, anti-terrorism and force protection chief, was responsible for building a pre-deployment training plan and instructing some of the service members who deployed.
“All I did was help other Marines get ready to come out here and have the right mindset,” he said.
Single handedly, Fuller prepared nearly 1,000 Marines and sailors for deployment to a combat environment. He covered everything from convoy operations and enhanced marksmanship to information about improvised explosive devices during several one-week training evolutions that every deploying service member was required to complete.
A 1998 graduate of Oyster Bay High School, Fuller enlisted in the Marine Corps as soon as he had a high school diploma on his hands. “I knew the Marine Corps was the hardest of the services and I wanted a challenge,” he said. “Everyone of my buddies were going to college and I wanted to be different. Also, I needed to grow up.”
After graduating from basic training he attended The School of Infantry at Camp Geiger, N.C., and went on to receive weapons training for mortars.
His first duty station was Marine Corps Base, Camp Lejeune, N.C., where he served with Echo Company, 2nd Battalion, 6th Marines Regiment. Echo 2/6 sent Fuller to Kosovo in 2000 to take part in Operation Dynamic Response as a squad leader in charge of a section of mortars.
Two years later he deployed again. This time he was off to Djibouti, Africa, in support of Operation Enduring Freedom where he was a platoon sergeant and a squad leader.
In November 2002, Fuller transferred to MAG-26.
With the group he’s done a myriad of things. In addition to his regular duties he’s also been the colors sergeant and president of the group headquarters noncommissioned officers’ call, where he gives leadership classes to fellow noncommissioned officers.
Here since January, his agenda has kept him busy. As Marines and sailors from the unit arrived at this former Iraqi air base he briefed them on operational security, unexploded ordnance, the dos and don’ts of living here, and the permissions granted to contracted workers.
From March to mid-May he and two other sergeants ran what they called the MAG-26 Leadership Course. According to Fuller, they took 60 percent of what is taught at Corporals’ Course and began teaching it to corporals and other junior Marines in the group.
“We did all that after hours and those who attended did it voluntarily,” he said. “I’ve done a lot of things and I have a lot of knowledge. One day the younger Marines are going to find themselves in a position that I’ve been in and I want to pass that knowledge to them.”
Looking for a bigger challenge he volunteered to serve as an instructor at the Regional Police and Border Patrol Academy here while maintaining his responsibilities in the group. At the academy he teaches future Iraqi police officers about patrolling, how to react to an ambush and how to interview suspects and victims.
Though he admits the job can be challenging at times, he finds it rewarding once the Iraqis complete their training.
“When they leave our camp they are more disciplined and more knowledgeable,” said Fuller. “We go the extra mile to ensure they understand everything we teach here. The real test for Marines is combat and the real test for Iraqi police is patrolling their streets and bringing order to their country.”
As an instructor, Fuller is part of a team of hand-selected Marines who spend many long days ensuring the students follow their designated training schedule.
“It’s a tough task,” he said. “Once their training is over we see the changes in them and we see that they’re proud to have earned something that wasn’t easy. And I say it wasn’t easy because we make sure of that.”
When asked about what gives him the strength to keep going day after day Fuller said is the love of his wife, his admiration for the Marine Corps and the constant support of caring people in the U.S. who take time to send him a note and thank him for his service.
“I’m a Marine with all my heart and everybody knows this, but my first words were not ‘Semper Fi,’” he said, speaking about the Marine Corps’ motto—Semper Fidelis, which is Latin for ‘Always Faithful.’ “I had to grow into this uniform and I take great pride in wearing it. Waking up every morning and putting on this uniform puts a big smile on my face.”
- For more information about the Marine reported on in this story, please contact Sgt. Juan Vara by e-mail at varaj@acemnf-wiraq.usmc.mil -
MARINE PING
BTTT!!!!!!
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