Bringing Education of the Corps to the Fore

Written by Christian Sheehy

 

Sergeant Major Kent completed recruit training at Marine Corps Recruit Depot, Parris Island, S.C., in March 1976 and was assigned to the 1st Marine Brigade. In May 1978, Kent was transferred to Marine security guard Battalion where he served as a Marine security guard. He served at American Embassy, Kinshasa, Zaire and Panama. In June 1981, Kent transferred to Fort Benning for Airborne School and Parachute Riggers School at Fort Lee, Va. In June 1982 he was assigned as 2nd Air Delivery Platoon commander, and parachute rigger billets in various commands aboard Camp Lejeune, N.C.

In February 1983, Kent was transferred to Marine Corps Recruit Depot, San Diego, Calif., for duty as a drill instructor, senior drill instructor and battalion drill master with First Battalion. In January 1985, he was meritoriously promoted to gunnery sergeant.

In May 1985, Kent transferred to 3rd Air Delivery Platoon as platoon sergeant. In June 1986 he transferred to Engineer Company, BSSG-1 1st Marine Brigade, Hawaii, as company gunnery sergeant. In March 1988, Kent was assigned to Noncommissioned Officers School, 1st Marine Brigade as the NCOIC.

In February 1989, Kent transferred to Marine Corps Recruit Depot, Parris Island, S.C., as a student at Drill Instructor School. After completion of Drill Instructor School, Kent was assigned to Naval Aviation Officers Candidate School in Pensacola, Fla., as a drill instructor, chief drill instructor and first sergeant. In February 1990, Kent was promoted to first sergeant and assigned as first sergeant, MATSG, Pensacola, Fla.

In June 1992, he transferred to 4th Marine Regiment for duty. In June 1993, he transferred to the Army Sergeants Major Academy, Fort Bliss, Texas. After graduation, in February 1994 he was transferred and assigned as first sergeant, Battery L, 3rd Battalion, 12th Marine Regiment. In December 1994, he assumed the duties as sergeant major, 3rd Battalion, 12th Marine Regiment. In August 1997, Kent was transferred to the Marine Corps Recruit Depot, San Diego, Calif., where he was assigned duties as sergeant major, 2nd Recruit Training Battalion, and in September 1999 as Sergeant Major Recruit Training Regiment.

In May 2001, he was transferred to Marine Forces Europe/FMF Europe, Stuttgart, Germany, where he was assigned the duties as the sergeant major of Marine Forces Europe. In April 2004, he was transferred to I Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Pendleton, Calif., to serve as the sergeant major of the I Marine Expeditionary Force. Kent assumed his current post as the 16th sergeant major of the Marine Corps on April 25, 2007.

Sergeant Major Kent was interviewed by MAE Editor Christian Sheehy.

Q: As the enlisted leader of the United States Marine Corps, please share how educational opportunities afforded to you have helped to shape your career in the Corps.

A: Professional military education [PME] in the Marine Corps prepared me for off-duty education. Educational opportunities in the military are great and helpful because they give you good study habits, skills and the discipline needed to excel in advanced education. I didn’t have the discipline needed to excel when I graduated high school, but the Marine Corps gave me the discipline I needed.

I didn’t start my off-duty education until I was a sergeant major; I was always too busy. But, even though I reached the top of the enlisted ranks, I knew education was important, so I got started. I graduated magna cum laude with a Bachelor of Science in Workforce Education and Development from Southern Illinois University, Carbondale.

Advanced education prepared me because I was able to look at an overall picture of the Marine Corps—it allowed me to broaden my horizons, through both PME and off-duty education.

Q: As DoD moves further toward streamlining academic program offerings across the services, how has the Marine Corps, and your office in particular, been proactive in influencing this change to align with the interests of the student Marine?

A: The Marine Corps places importance on academic excellence, whether it’s off-duty or PME. The better we educate Marines, the more our warfighting capabilities will be enhanced. Education is an important part of the equation.

Q: What are some of the programs/initiatives your office is currently working on to help promote greater awareness regarding the benefits of education for in-service and post-service careers?

A: I was happy to see the recent changes in education benefits, where servicemembers are now able to pass along their GI Bill benefits to family members. We’re also heavily engaged in keeping PME up to date. On a senior level, for E-8s and above, we’ve established a senior enlisted PME program that will improve our warfighting capability. We’re constantly revamping our PME by ensuring our curriculum is up to date. We’re doing this to not only focus on the present fight, but to prepare for the many fights in the future.

Q: What educational advice would you give to a new enlistee who is seeking to make a career of the Corps?

A: Don’t wait like I did. Utilize the outstanding educational opportunities that are afforded to you. Start when you’re young and enroll in as many military and off-duty educational programs you can. Q: What else would you like to say?

Q: What else would you like to say?

A: PME has changed a lot, and it challenges Marines in many ways. It helps them think outside of the box and it challenges their leadership, which makes them better Marines. Roughly 98 percent of Marines are high school graduates, so we have to keep challenging them. With education, it’s a continual process, and we want them to grow. We have bright Marines, and they welcome the challenge.

We also have a high percentage of enlisted Marines that have their college degrees, from bachelor’s degrees to doctorates. These young Marines continue our great legacy and are taking our Corps into the future. The Corps is in good hands. ♦

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