Captain Grose's Motivation pages

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FAREWELL AND FOLLOWING SEAS

 

 
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I received this email from one of my Marines as he was leaving the Marine Corps. I had moved on to Monterey and he was finishing up his time in 29 Palms, California.


"Dear Sir,
How is it going? Well I'm finally getting out. It's been good and it's been bad but it's time for me to leave. Just to catch you up on some things. I just recently got married back in June and me and my wife had a baby girl on September 17th. Attached is a picture of me and my daughter. Well the reason I was e-mailing you is because I was wondering if you can write me up a letter of recommendation for when I go for job interviews. I start my terminal leave on February 22nd. I know it's kind of short notice but if by any chance I can have it by the February 15th I would appreciate it."
(I withheld his name)


Dear LCpl ______,

I was so delighted to hear from you and I want to thank you for sending the picture. Congratulations on your promotion, marriage, and newborn angel. She's beautiful and got your looks (because I assume her momma's still got hers <grin>).

I was a little saddened to hear that you are leaving the Corps and I hope you have thought it through and talked with someone you trust. The worst thing about being a Marine is seeing good people leave but if you have made a solid decision based on honest reasons, you must have come up with what's best for your family and future. But the Corps is losing something special and that hurts me a bit.

One of the hardest things I ever had to do as a Marine was seeing you go through trouble and being helpless to alter the consequences. For so long, you were my go-to man and it really pissed me off to have to go to "senior" Marines for missions based on rank. But we both know who I went to when I couldn't dick around with getting results.

As a Officer, I was required to keep a certain professional distance from my Marines but as an old enlisted type, it was hard for me to do so. Yes, I was hard on you and the rest of the Marines but that was because I really liked most of you (yes, there were some I didn't particularly like but you were not one of them and professionally, I didn't treat them any better or worse).

You may not believe this but the commitment I made to you and all others put in my charge extends to life, in or out of the Corps. So if you run across a bald old man a few decades in the future, don't be surprised if he jumps in your shit for not shaving or just as readily shows up for a special event with a proud grin.

I would be honored to write a letter of recommendation for you. Normally, I would tailor it to the specific job you are trying to get but I can write a generic one. What field are you looking into? Any points you want me to highlight?

Always at your service and Semper Fi,

Jason D. Grose
Captain United States Marine Corps
https://members.tripod.com/~jdgrose115/

"And of course you can't become
if you only say what you would have done..."

 If You Steal My Sunshine
Len



Here is the letter I wrote him...

To Whom It May Concern,

My name is Captain Jason D. Grose and I was Jose's Officer In Charge for 18 months when we were assigned to 7th Marines in 29 Palms California. Officially, he was the junior Marine working in my administration shop but as the most knowledgeable Marine working for me, his performance and responsibility far exceeded his rank.

Jose was a consummate hard worker who quickly became the “go to” man when anyone in the Regiment wanted the right answer for administrative matters. This became a problem for me because he was always being inundated with outside requests which he handled willfully in addition to the duties I imposed on him. Whether it involved correspondence, awards, fitness reports, publications, or even missions outside of the administration realm, Jose would quickly ascertain the situation, figure out a variety of options, and implement the best solution. What made Jose stand out even more was that he would do this often without any guidance. Normally, this would evoke concern for me as a leader, depending on the Marine I was dealing with. But I can say that when it came to Jose, I was never disappointed in his professional performance.

Because of his professional and personal qualities, I tried to keep Jose in the Marine Corps but I respected his decision to move on after hearing that he honestly weighed his options and chose the best path for himself and his family. I can say that, as a leader, I could only hope for a team of Marines just like Jose and that our loss is another organization’s gain.  His knowledge of administration is only out done by his ability to assimilate new concepts and interact with other people. His stellar performance as a junior Marine within a population of very demanding personalities has shown that Jose has mastered the skill of interpersonal interaction which will serve him well in any endeavor he pursues.

Jose has my full professional and personal endorsement to work in the administration field, a position he excelled in while assigned to my shop.  But more importantly, I must point out that I would personally accept his services in just about any field he chooses. I have no doubt he would quickly become the resident expert.

Please contact me for any further questions at jdgrose115@polyglut.net. Thank you.


Email -- jdgrose115@polyglut.net
Web -- https://members.tripod.com/~jdgrose115/

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