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."

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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. SpadaroSergeant MajorUnited States Marine Corps Forces ReserveUnited States Marine Corps Forces North