Why I Love My Marines Greetings! As I travel through our great Nation, I have had the opportunity to encounter literally thousands of Marines, Sailors, Family, and supporters of our great Force. Each individual I encounter has a compelling story to tell that demonstrates their special love of Country and Corps. Each individual I meet has one common unified bond with me - we love Marines! Their story needs to be told. You need to hear and see that we have magnificent Marines out there who are truly making a difference. We have Marines who demonstrate the unique ability to adaptively balance their responsibilities as Marines and whatever other endeavors they deal with (from jobs, to school, their families and community/civic obligations). Each individual I encounter truly remains, "ready, relevant, and responsive" and are an integral part of the "Total Force." Lt. Gen. Mills and I sleep well at night knowing that we have a Force that is prepared, organized and eminently trained at a moment's notice to execute a deployment - from engaging our Nations foes to assisting in peacekeeping operations, or aiding Americans in need. Simply, you make our Corps the world's premier fighting force by being most ready when our Nation needs us. Lt. Gen. Mills and I thank you for your service and sacrifice. Hence, I present to you..., "Why I Love My Marines."
_______________ In keeping with our theme of “Why I Love My Marines,” for this installment of the series, I want to take a different direction and recognize those that support Marine Forces Reserve. This past week my travels placed me in the great State of New Jersey and I had the distinct opportunity to meet with some of the hardest working Marines in our Corps, our Marine Corps Recruiters. Did you know that our Recruiters are out there every day, serving in our hometowns with the incredible responsibility of recruiting and screening the future of our Corps? And, for those Marines out there reading this, your journey to earn the title, “U.S. Marine” all started when you met your recruiter. Maybe you sought out the recruiter (or the recruiter sought you out) – regardless of how you accessed into the Corps, it was the distinct efforts of the Marine Corps recruiter that started you on your journey of earning the Eagle, Globe, and Anchor. Our Marine Corps Recruiting Force is simply magnificent. They are the first Marine you encounter, and our Corps continually pledges that our best and brightest are screened for this important duty. Our Recruiters are responsible for recruiting Marines for both the active component and the reserve component. Marine Forces Reserve plays a key role in this recruiting effort – it is called the “all community approach” to recruiting. Our reservists as members of the community enhance and assist the recruiting effort in their communities by providing our recruiters with those that we think can become “one of us.” During my visit, I met with the Recruiting team from Recruiting Sub-Station Central Jersey. Admirably led by Sgt Nathan Broderick, along with three other phenomenal Marines, the team is responsible for the eligible population of all of Burlington County (and parts of Camden County), New Jersey.
In the photograph, (from L-R), Staff Sgt. Paul Noland, Merritt Island, Fla., Sgt. Nathan Broderick, Pennsville, N.J., Sgt. Willie Knott, Newark, N.J., Sgt.Maj. Spadaro, and Staff Sgt. Steven Toth, Las Vegas, Nev. Because of their superlative leadership in representing our Corps daily, I LOVE THEM!!! They are all great SNCO’s and NCO’s who are extremely dedicated in their duty of finding the best citizens from that area. Their enthusiasm is contagious and it’s unmistakable why they are successful Marine Corps Recruiters. For the readers from the RSS Central New Jersey area, if you know of someone who has the “stuff” to become one of us, The Few, The Proud, The Marines – give one of those Marine Recruiters a shout. You can find them on Facebook: www.facebook.com/usmcrsnewjersey or www.Facebook.com/njmarines or call (609) 871-0335. I know they will get right back to you – they are on duty all the time (another reason why I love them – they never stop in their endeavor). Finally, special thanks to all the readers out there - please also do me a favor. If you know of someone who has what it takes to be “one of us,” give your local Marine Corps Recruiter a call and maybe, one day, that person can claim the title, United States Marine. Yours aye, Sgt.Maj. Spadaro Anthony A. Spadaro Sergeant Major United States Marine Corps Forces Reserve United States Marine Corps Forces North