Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point, N.C. -- Meet the Marine
Being a Marine goes past the uniform, haircuts and swagger. It’s a whole Marine concept. They are a group of exceptional human beings who embody the Corps’ ethos of honor, courage and commitment. Now, here is your chance to Meet the Marine.
Name: Sgt. Zachary R. Van Dusen
Age: 23
Hometown: Fredonia, Pennsylvania
Military Occupational Specialty: 6469 reconfigurable transportable consolidated automated support system technician
Billet: Faculty advisor, Corporal’s Leadership Course¬
After dropping out of college, U.S. Marine Corps Sgt. Zachary R. Van Dusen was at a low point in his life. Not knowing where the future would lead and working a job he didn’t like, Van Dusen decided to challenge himself and join the Marine Corps.
“I was looking for not only direction in life, but purpose,” said Van Dusen, 23, from Fredonia, Pennsylvania. “That’s what I found with the Marine Corps.”
According to Van Dusen, the Marine Corps gave him the opportunity to make an impact in the lives of others. Whether mentoring Marines or pushing those around him to better themselves professionally and personally, he said he enjoys being able to help others.
“The biggest thing that fuels me every day is the fact that I can just make an impact on anybody throughout the day,” he said. “Any Marine I come in contact with whether it’s a peer, a junior or someone superior to me, it’s up to me if I want to make an impact on them and I like that feeling.”
Van Dusen said his biggest accomplishment in the Marine Corps was being selected to join the faculty at the Corporal’s Leadership Course (CLC) on Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point, North Carolina. The CLC is a professional military education course designed to give Marines who have earned the rank of corporal the tools they need to become better leaders and live up to the rank of non-commissioned officer.
While a CLC instructor Van Dusen is in the perfect position to do what he said he is passionate about, helping Marines daily. He said he is able to mold the hearts and minds of the students in the class through mentoring, teaching the curriculum and helping push the Marines to improve themselves during physical training.
“The Marine Corps made me into a professional leader, a mature individual and someone who is very driven in life,” he said.
Whether it’s teaching the Marines at CLC, or mentoring junior Marines when he goes back to his regular section, Van Dusen is confident he has the tools to help others succeed.