Staff Sgt. David S. Garza – Dallas, TX.
Age: 27
Occupation: Drill Instructor
Unit: 2nd Recruit Training Battalion, Marine Corps Recruit Depot San Diego
Garza was a drill instructor for three years, graduating six Company E’s, one Company F, and finished his tour as and finished his tour as the senior drill instructor and company gunnery sergeant the depot’s receiving section. During his time as a DI, Garza was awarded the Dan Daly Award for being voted best performing Green Belt Drill Instructor by all DIs in his company. Garza also received special awards and recognition for building two homes with a Habitat for Humanity project, coaching a youth soccer team aboard the depot, and helping the recruiting mission in Texas. Garza trained and converted more than 450 civilians to Marines. He’s received more than 10,000 recruits and prepared them for Marine Corps Recruit Training.
Staff Sgt. David S. Garza
Sgt. Walter Rattray
Sgt. Walter Rattray – Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
Age: 24
Occupation: Drill Instructor
Unit: 3rd Recruit Training Battalion, Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island, S.C.
Rattray seems to have been born for the drill field, but before finding his way back to Parris Island he served on three combat tours as an infantryman earning valorous recognition in both Iraq and Afghanistan. He believes instructing recruits has made him a stronger leader by giving him a stock in the future of the organization. “It’s different than leading Marines because you have the young generation of the Corps in your hand,” Rattray explained. “You put them in the Corps and they’ll remember you forever.”
Sgt. Nadia Sensing
Sgt. Nadia Sensing – Fullton, KY.
Age: 25
Occupation: Drill Instructor/Martial Arts Instructor
Unit: Support Battalion, Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island, S.C.
Sensing is a loud, poised drill instructor and martial arts instructor that demands volume, bearing and intensity from those in her charge. Marines and sailors often show up to Leatherneck Square specifically to endure her brand of training. “You can look at [her] and tell that she is a warrior,” said Pfc. David Porter, one of Sensing’s former students. “You might think warriors are brash and reckless, but it’s a controlled chaos. She always has absolute control and discipline. People see that, and that’s where the respect comes from.”
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Faces in the Ranks
October 20th, 2010 // By Marines StaffGunnery Sgt. John Mosser Dripping Springs, Texas Age: 32 Occupation: Platoon sergeant Unit: 3rd Reconnaissance Battalion Mosser was the team sergeant for a team of 20 Marines with 2nd Marine Special Operations Battalion in Afghanistan [Read more...]