Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point -- Millions of Americans acknowledge the military for what they do, and it is that feeling of appreciation, that feeling of patriotism, that motivates young men and women to join the military today.
Marines throughout the U.S. learned in basic training what the core values are about and how to maintain their honor, courage and commitment to the Corps and to their country. It is important for Marines to uphold these values every day.
Commitment is the act of binding yourself intellectually or emotionally to a course of action. A Marine will hold his commitment to his command and fellow Marines at a higher level of importance. Commitment is what compels Marines to serve their country and the Corps.
“To me, commitment in the Marine Corps is doing everything you possibly can to make our nation and our Corps better,” said Capt. Elizabeth Snyder, the air station adjutant. “We can do this by offering any and all experience and expertise we have to the Marine Corps.”
Every Marine is a leader, regardless of rank. It is up to the individual Marine with the most knowledge and experience to share what he knows with his junior Marines. If he chooses not to, he is only setting up his future leaders for failure.
“When a Marine shows poor commitment values, he not only hurts his fellow Marines, but he hurts our nation,” said Snyder. “If we are not committed to the Marine Corps, our country pays down to the smallest community because our national relations suffer. No nation would want to work with us.”
Snyder believes a person’s value of commitment is instilled into them at a young age.
“If you don’t learn the value of commitment during childhood, I believe you will have a lot of problems learning it as an adult,” said Snyder. “Unless they experience something dramatic that causes them to change as a person all together, a person may never be a committed member of society.”
Without commitment, a Marine may be held to a lower standard by their peers and fellow Marines. If a Marine fails his commitment duty, for example, and is late to work, he may be charged with Article 86, which is unauthorized absence, under the Uniform Code of Military Justice.
A person with poor commitment values will never fit in with Marine Corps standards, Snyder said. A troubled Marine will stick out like a sore thumb, and unfortunately may be neglected or isolated from their unit and section.
“If we are not committed to everything we do, then everything we do will not be relevant,” said Snyder. “It has no meaning behind it, and we wouldn’t accomplish anything.”