Metal Worker

You are the weld-shop junior. The shop chief hands you a joint, a rod, and a position — your job is to lay a bead that passes visual and bend test before anyone lets you touch a piece of gear that has to go back to the fleet.

You arrived at MCES Camp Lejeune for the Metal Worker course, and you learned the difference between reading about welding and striking an arc that holds under load. Now you are in the fabrication shop at the engineer support battalion or the combat engineer battalion, and the day is built around weld practice, grinding, layout, cutting, and the shop maintenance that keeps the equipment running. You run stick (SMAW), MIG (GMAW), and TIG (GTAW) beads on mild steel, stainless, and aluminum — and the staff sergeant running the shop pulls every coupon for visual inspection and sends enough to destructive testing to know whether you are actually fusing or just stacking dimes on top of cold metal. When you are not welding, you are cutting with oxy-fuel or plasma, learning basic lathe and mill operations, maintaining shop tools, and cleaning the shop the way the gunny expects it. Field exercises are where it becomes real: you set up the field welding shop, fabricate repair parts from raw stock on the spot, and learn that the infantry company waiting on a bracket you are cutting does not care about your learning curve.

• 01Strike an arc and run a clean bead in all positions (flat, horizontal, vertical, overhead) using SMAW to the AWS D1.1 visual acceptance criteria — no porosity, no undercut, no cold lap.
• 02Set up and operate GMAW (MIG) and GTAW (TIG) welding machines on mild steel and aluminum — wire feed speed, voltage, shielding gas flow, and travel speed adjusted for the joint and the material.
• 03Operate oxy-acetylene cutting and plasma cutting equipment to make straight, clean cuts on plate and structural shapes — the fabricator who cannot cut straight cannot fit straight.
• 04Read a basic fabrication drawing — weld symbols per AWS A2.4, dimensions, tolerances, material callouts — and lay out the work on raw stock with a soapstone, square, and tape.
• 05Maintain shop equipment: grinders, welding machines, the lathe, the drill press — clean, lubricate, inspect cables and consumables, and report deficiencies before the gear goes down mid-job.
• 06Set up and tear down the field welding shop — generator power, ventilation, fire watch, tool inventory — to the shop chief's standard on the timeline the platoon commander signed.

• —AWS D1.1 — Structural Welding Code — Steel (the weld quality standard your coupons and field welds are inspected against).
• —MCO P11000.12 — Marine Corps Engineer Operations (the umbrella order for engineer employment, including fabrication and repair support).
• —NAVMC 3500 (13xx T&R Manual) — Individual and collective tasks for the 13xx occupational field; your task list lives here.
• —Applicable welding machine technical manuals (TMs) for SMAW, GMAW, GTAW equipment the battalion fields.
• —MCO 6100.13 — Marine Corps Physical Fitness, Body Composition, and Military Appearance (PFT/CFT standards).

• —1st-Class PFT and CFT under MCO 6100.13 — anything below 1st-Class and the shop chief is having a different conversation about you.
• —Weld coupons pass visual inspection and bend test to AWS D1.1 criteria before you are cleared to weld on real equipment or structural repairs.
• —Demonstrate safe operation of oxy-fuel and plasma cutting equipment — fire watch, ventilation, PPE, hot-work permit procedures — without being corrected.
• —Tan Belt MCMAP out of MCRD, Gray Belt before you make LCpl — MCO 1500.54.
• —Complete all individual T&R tasks for the 1316 apprentice level on the timeline the shop chief sets.

• —Welding without proper pre-heat or post-heat on a job that calls for it. The weld cracks in service, the part fails in the field, and the investigation traces the fracture back to your coupon log and your process sheet.
• —Skipping the fire watch after cutting or welding. Hot-work fires in a field shop or a vehicle bay do not announce themselves — and the shop chief who signed the hot-work permit is standing next to you in the 1stSgt's office.
• —Using the wrong filler metal for the base material. Welding stainless with a mild steel rod or running aluminum wire on steel contaminates the joint — and the weld either cracks or corrodes out within months.
• —Grinding a bad weld smooth to hide defects instead of gouging it out and re-welding. The QA inspector or the shop chief will find it — and so will the gear it fails on.
• —Leaving shop tools, consumables, or gas cylinders unsecured during field operations. A loose acetylene bottle is a bomb. A missing grinder is a missing grinder for the rest of the exercise.

The good junior Metal Worker is the Marine the shop chief sends to a field repair job without a babysitter, because the bead will pass visual, the cut will be straight, the fire watch will be standing, and the tool inventory will come back complete. By month twelve he is running coupons at the welder qualification standard, and the SSgt is putting his name on the next AWS certification test list.

You are the NCO who can weld, cut, machine, and fabricate — and now you are responsible for making sure the junior Marines in the shop can do the same without burning the place down or sending a bad part to the fleet.

You run a section of the fabrication shop or you are the lead welder on a field fabrication team attached to an engineer support element. You are qualified on all three primary welding processes (SMAW, GMAW, GTAW) and you are expected to produce structural-quality welds in all positions on mild steel, stainless, and aluminum without supervision. You lay out and fabricate repair parts, brackets, mounts, and structural repairs from raw stock — reading drawings, selecting material, and choosing the weld process and parameters for the job. You train the junior Marines on process, safety, and quality — and you sign the hot-work permits, run the fire watch program for your section, and account for every tool and consumable in the shop inventory. In the field, you are the fabrication team lead the platoon commander sends to the unit that needs a repair part that does not exist in the supply system — and you figure out how to make it from what you have.

• 01Produce structural-quality welds in all positions (flat, horizontal, vertical, overhead) using SMAW, GMAW, and GTAW on mild steel, stainless steel, and aluminum to AWS D1.1 acceptance criteria.
• 02Read and interpret fabrication drawings, weld symbols (AWS A2.4), and specifications — then lay out, cut, fit, and weld the assembly to tolerance without rework.
• 03Operate the lathe, milling machine, and drill press to produce machined components — facing, turning, drilling, tapping, and basic milling operations — to the tolerances the drawing calls for.
• 04Train junior Marines on welding technique, cutting safety, and shop procedures — demonstrate the process, watch them run it, correct the deficiencies, and sign the task completion in the T&R system.
• 05Run the section's hot-work permit and fire watch program — issuing permits, posting fire watches, verifying fire extinguisher status, and enforcing the ventilation and PPE requirements that keep the shop standing.
• 06Manage section tool and consumable inventory — welding wire, rods, grinding discs, cutting tips, shielding gas — so the shop does not go cold in the middle of a field problem because someone forgot to order wire.

• —AWS D1.1 — Structural Welding Code — Steel (your work is inspected against this; your welder qualification tests reference it).
• —AWS A2.4 — Standard Symbols for Welding, Brazing, and Nondestructive Examination (the weld symbol language on every drawing you read).
• —MCO P11000.12 — Marine Corps Engineer Operations.
• —NAVMC 3500 (13xx T&R Manual) — Collective and individual tasks at the Cpl/Sgt level for the 1316 MOS.
• —MCO 1610.7 — Performance Evaluation System (you are writing proficiency and conduct marks now).
• —Applicable welding machine and shop equipment TMs for the specific gear your battalion fields.

• —Current welder qualification to AWS D1.1 or applicable military standard — the test is pass/fail and the coupon goes to destructive testing.
• —Green Belt MCMAP at minimum; Brown Belt is the bar you chase before Sergeants Course.
• —1st-Class PFT and CFT — your Marines do not respect a fire team leader who falls out of a hump.
• —Corporals Course graduate — required and gated; do not let the slot drop.
• —Composite score tracked monthly — pull the current cutting score for 1316 to Sgt before you ask the shop chief where you stand.

• —Signing a hot-work permit without verifying the space. A fire in the vehicle bay or the field shop traces directly back to the permit you signed and the inspection you did not do.
• —Releasing a fabricated part without inspecting the welds yourself. The infantry uses it, it fails under load, and the investigation starts with who signed it off.
• —Letting a junior Marine operate the lathe or mill without direct supervision until they are qualified. Machine tools remove fingers and eyes without warning — there is no second chance on a lathe catch.
• —Using incorrect welding parameters because you "know what works" instead of referencing the WPS (Welding Procedure Specification) for the material and joint. What works on mild steel will crack high-strength steel.
• —Losing accountability of compressed gas cylinders — acetylene, oxygen, argon, CO2 — in the field. Every cylinder is a serialized item, and an unaccounted acetylene bottle is both a safety hazard and a property accountability failure.

The good Cpl Metal Worker is the fabricator the platoon sergeant sends to the field with a box of stock and a drawing, and the part comes back welded, ground, and ready to install without a quality call-back. His junior Marines are running clean beads because he stood behind them and corrected the rod angle, not because he welded it himself. The shop chief is already talking to the platoon commander about his Sergeants Course packet.

You run a fabrication section — the welders, the machinists, the equipment, the quality, and the training pipeline. The platoon commander sends you the problem; you come back with the part.

You lead the metal worker section in the engineer support company or the fabrication section of the maintenance platoon. You manage three to six Marines, you assign and supervise fabrication and repair jobs from the work request queue, you inspect completed welds and machined parts before they leave the shop, and you are the quality control voice the platoon commander relies on. You write FitReps on your Cpls and you own the section's T&R training plan — ensuring every Marine in the shop progresses through welder qualification, machining skills, and the cutting processes on the timeline the company expects. In the field, you run the forward fabrication capability: you site the shop, manage the generator power, coordinate with the supported unit for work requests, and ensure the parts you produce actually solve the problem the line unit brought to you. You also manage the section's tool and consumable budget, coordinate with supply for welding consumables and raw stock, and handle the shop's hazardous material (HAZMAT) program — welding fumes, grinding dust, solvents, compressed gases.

• 01Manage a fabrication section work queue — receive work requests, assess feasibility, assign jobs based on skill and equipment availability, set priorities, and deliver completed parts to the supported unit on the timeline the platoon commander committed.
• 02Inspect completed welds and fabrications to AWS D1.1 acceptance criteria and applicable military standards — visual inspection, dimensional check, and the judgment call on whether a field repair meets the structural requirement.
• 03Write FitReps on your Cpls under MCO 1610.7 — observed performance, specific job outcomes, honest marks that the reporting senior can defend.
• 04Build and execute the section's T&R training plan — welder qualification progression, machining skill development, cutting process training, safety certifications — tracked against NAVMC 3500 individual task completion.
• 05Run the section's HAZMAT program — welding fume ventilation, grinding dust controls, solvent storage and disposal, compressed gas handling — to the base environmental and safety officer's standard.
• 06Coordinate with the S-4 and supply section for welding consumables, raw stock (plate, bar, pipe, angle), shielding gas, and cutting consumables — maintaining a 30-day operational stock in garrison and pre-staging for field exercises.

• —AWS D1.1 — Structural Welding Code — Steel (your inspection standard and your welder qualification authority).
• —MCO P11000.12 — Marine Corps Engineer Operations (the employment framework for engineer fabrication support).
• —NAVMC 3500 (13xx T&R Manual) — Sgt-level individual and collective tasks.
• —MCO 1610.7 — Performance Evaluation System (you write FitReps now).
• —MCO 1400.32 — Marine Corps Promotion Manual (composite scores, cutting scores, board eligibility for SSgt).
• —Applicable HAZMAT and environmental compliance orders — MCO P5090.2 (Environmental Compliance and Protection Manual) for shop-level HAZMAT management.

• —Sergeants Course graduate — required and gated on the path to SSgt.
• —Current welder qualification on all three primary processes (SMAW, GMAW, GTAW) maintained through periodic requalification testing.
• —Section T&R completion rate on track — every Marine in the shop progressing through the qualification matrix the company expects.
• —Brown Belt MCMAP minimum; Black Belt is what the company gunny notes on the next FitRep.
• —1st-Class PFT and CFT; your section average is reported and watched.

• —Releasing a structural repair without a documented inspection. If the weld fails in service and there is no inspection record, the investigation starts and ends with the section leader who signed nothing.
• —Letting welder qualifications lapse because the field schedule was heavy. An unqualified welder producing structural repairs is a liability the CO does not know he is carrying until the failure report arrives.
• —Running the shop without enforcing PPE — welding helmets, safety glasses, hearing protection, respiratory protection. One arc flash eye injury or one chronic fume exposure claim, and the safety investigation reviews every shop SOP you signed.
• —Not pre-staging consumables before a field exercise. Running out of welding rod on day three of a two-week problem turns your fabrication section into a very expensive working party.
• —Hiding section problems from the platoon commander to look good. He finds out from the supported unit — and the conversation about your FitRep is happening in a room you are not in.

The good Sgt Metal Worker runs a shop that produces parts on time, to spec, with clean inspection records. His Cpls are progressing toward welder qualification because he is standing behind them at the bench, not sitting in the office. The platoon commander sends the hardest fabrication jobs to his section because the parts come back right the first time, and the company gunny has already mentioned his name to the 1stSgt for the next SSgt board.

You are the senior metal worker in the company and probably the platoon sergeant. The CO and the company gunny rely on you to keep the fabrication capability running — equipment, Marines, quality, and the relationship with every supported unit that brings you work.

You run the fabrication platoon or you are the senior enlisted in the maintenance section that encompasses metal work, machining, and field repair. You manage ten to twenty Marines through your section leaders, you coordinate with the company commander and the S-3 on fabrication support tasking, you write FitReps on your Sgts, and you own the shop's operational readiness — from equipment maintenance schedules to welder qualification currency to consumable supply levels. You are the quality authority the CO calls when a critical structural repair is questioned, and you are the one who decides whether a field-fabricated part is safe for service. You also run the platoon's training calendar, manage the budget for shop consumables and raw stock, and handle the relationship with the base environmental office on HAZMAT, waste disposal, and shop ventilation compliance. The 1stSgt and the company gunny are watching whether your platoon can deploy its fabrication capability, produce quality work, and bring every Marine and piece of equipment back without a safety incident.

• 01Build and defend a platoon training and readiness plan — welder qualification progression, T&R task completion, shop safety certifications, equipment maintenance — that survives the S-3 training calendar and produces Marines the battalion can deploy.
• 02Write three to four Sgt FitReps per cycle that the reporting senior can defend at the battalion review — specific fabrication outcomes, leadership observed, marks justified.
• 03Run quality control across the platoon's fabrication output — inspection standards, welder qualification currency, process documentation — and make the call on whether a structural repair goes back to the fleet or gets re-done.
• 04Manage the platoon's equipment readiness — welding machines, generators, lathes, mills, drill presses, cutting equipment — to the maintenance schedule the shop was built to run on.
• 05Coordinate fabrication support tasking with supported units — work request intake, priority assignment, timeline commitment, delivery — as the face of the fabrication capability the battalion provides.
• 06Run the platoon's environmental and safety compliance program — HAZMAT storage, ventilation monitoring, waste disposal, hearing conservation, respiratory protection — to the base environmental officer's standard.

• —AWS D1.1 — Structural Welding Code — Steel (the quality standard you enforce across the platoon).
• —MCO P11000.12 — Marine Corps Engineer Operations.
• —NAVMC 3500 (13xx T&R Manual) — platoon-level collective standards you build the training plan against.
• —MCO 1610.7 — Performance Evaluation System (FitRep policy you write against).
• —MCO 1400.32 — Marine Corps Promotion Manual (SSgt-to-GySgt board mechanics, FitRep relative-value impact).
• —MCO P5090.2 — Environmental Compliance and Protection Manual (HAZMAT, waste management, shop environmental compliance).

• —Career Course completed; SNCO Academy slot identified as the GySgt board approaches.
• —Platoon welder qualification currency at 100% — every Marine who welds on real equipment is currently qualified on the process and position they are using.
• —Black Belt MCMAP — at the SSgt level the platoon expects the senior NCO to lead MCMAP instruction, not just participate.
• —Platoon PFT/CFT pass rate at or above 95%; the 1stSgt sees the unit health-of-the-force report.
• —FitRep relative value above battalion average — the SSgt-to-GySgt board is FitRep-driven.

• —Certifying a structural repair for return to service without personally inspecting it or reviewing the welder's qualification status. Your signature on the quality record is the last line of defense before the part goes into the field.
• —Letting equipment maintenance slide because operational demand is heavy. The welding machine that goes down mid-exercise because nobody followed the PM schedule is your schedule to own.
• —Writing inflated FitReps on Sgts who are not performing. The reporting senior remembers, the board reads the inflation, and the next cycle you are explaining why your people do not match the marks.
• —Ignoring environmental compliance because "it is just a shop." Fume exposure, HAZMAT spills, and waste disposal violations generate IG findings that land on the company and the CO, and the SSgt who signed the shop SOP is answering first.
• —Not tracking the platoon's consumable burn rate. Running out of welding rod, shielding gas, or cutting tips in the field is a fabrication capability failure that traces directly to the supply coordination you did not do.

The good SSgt Metal Worker runs a platoon that deploys its fabrication capability on time, produces quality structural repairs under field conditions, and brings every Marine home with their hearing and their eyes. His Sgts are SSgt-board-ready, his qualification records are clean, and the company commander is willing to lose him to a B Billet because the platoon he built will survive the transition.

You are the senior enlisted fabrication authority in the battalion — the SNCO the company commander and the S-4 call when a critical repair capability question comes up. Your Marines weld; you build the program that makes sure they weld right.

You are the company gunny or the senior fabrication chief in the engineer support battalion. You manage the company's entire fabrication capability through your platoon sergeants, you advise the company commander on metal work capacity, equipment readiness, and training priorities, and you set the quality and safety standards the shop operates under. You write FitReps on your SSgts and you sit in the company training board with the company commander and the S-3 representative. You coordinate with the battalion maintenance officer and the S-4 on equipment procurement, spare parts, and the capital expenditure requests that keep the shop modernized. You run the company through pre-deployment preparation — ensuring the field fabrication capability is exercised, the welder qualifications are current, and the shop can set up, produce, and tear down on the deployment timeline. The 1stSgt and the BSgtMaj are watching, and the MSgt-vs-1stSgt conversation is on the table.

• 01Build and defend the company fabrication readiness posture — equipment status, welder qualification currency, consumable stock levels, training completion rates — in the battalion BUB without surprises.
• 02Write three to five SSgt FitReps per cycle that the battalion FitRep board can defend — clean attribute rationale, defensible relative value.
• 03Advise the company commander on fabrication support priorities — which jobs the shop can handle, which require external support, and what the battalion is risking if the shop goes to the field without the right equipment or qualified Marines.
• 04Run the company through a pre-deployment fabrication exercise that validates the field shop setup, production capability, and tear-down timeline — and identify the gaps before the supported unit finds them.
• 05Mentor four or five SSgts into Career Course graduates and GySgt-board-ready candidates; identify who should be steering toward 1stSgt vs. MSgt.
• 06Brief the company commander honestly on enlisted morale, retention, family readiness, and the second-order effects of the deployment cycle on the Marines in the shop.

• —MCO P11000.12 — Marine Corps Engineer Operations (you teach the next generation off this, not just consume it).
• —NAVMC 3500 (13xx T&R Manual) — company-level collective tasks you build the training plan against.
• —MCO 1610.7 — Performance Evaluation System (FitRep mechanics you now teach to your SSgts).
• —MCO 1400.32 — Marine Corps Promotion Manual (GySgt-to-MSgt/1stSgt board mechanics, MOS roadmap).
• —MCO 5354.1 / MCO 1000.9 — Marine Corps SAPR and Equal Opportunity policy (you enforce these).
• —AWS D1.1 — Structural Welding Code — Steel (the quality framework you oversee across the company's fabrication output).

• —SNCO Academy Advanced Course (Career Course) graduate; SNCO Academy Senior Course slated when MSgt board approaches.
• —Black Belt Instructor (MCMAP) is the bar at this rank.
• —1st-Class PFT and CFT; the formation watches the company gunny's scores.
• —Company fabrication readiness rate — equipment operational, welder qualifications current, consumable stock maintained — defensible at the battalion BUB.
• —FitRep profile that the senior reporting official can defend at MSgt/1stSgt board.

• —Letting one platoon sergeant drift because you trust him. That is the platoon the IG inspection lands on.
• —Confusing being tight with the CO with being aligned with the CO. The company needs you to push back honestly, in his office, with the door closed.
• —Letting fabrication quality standards slide because the operational tempo demands output over inspection. One failed structural repair under load is worth more bad press than a hundred parts delivered on time.
• —Skipping the environmental compliance piece because "the base handles that." HAZMAT violations, fume exposure findings, and waste disposal problems generate IG findings that land on the CO, and the gunny who signed the shop SOP answers first.
• —Going around the 1stSgt to the BSgtMaj. You will be wrong on the facts and relieved on the spot.

The good GySgt Metal Worker is the SNCO the BSgtMaj sends to the worst shop in the battalion because the fabrication program comes back with clean qualification records, a working equipment line, and a HAZMAT program that survives the IG. His SSgts get GySgt, his company's parts production rate is the one the S-4 cites in the BUB, and the BSgtMaj is already mentioning his name to the regimental SgtMaj.

You are the standard-bearer. At 1stSgt you own the formation and the Marines in it. At MSgt you are the occupational authority the MMPB calls when the 13xx roadmap needs rewriting. Either way, Marines know whether the unit is right by watching how you carry it.

As 1stSgt you run the company — 130+ Marines, the company office, the platoon sergeants, the training calendar, and the boundary between what the CO needs and what the company can actually deliver. As MSgt you are the senior occupational expert — operations chief, battalion maintenance chief, or the SNCO the MOS roadmap board consults on the future of the metal worker field. As SgtMaj you advise the battalion or regimental commander on every enlisted decision and set the standard by what you walk past in formation. As MGySgt you are the occupational pinnacle — the Marine the MMPB calls when the 13xx occupational field roadmap needs rewriting. You write fewer FitReps, but they are the ones that pick the next 1stSgt and SgtMaj slates. You are also the senior voice on the future of the MOS — advocating for equipment modernization, training pipeline improvements, and the AWS and machining certifications that make your Marines competitive in the civilian market after the Corps.

• 01Run a 1stSgt's call that produces actions — accountability, sick call, training, discipline, family readiness, finance — in 30 minutes flat.
• 02Build a company training and tasking calendar with the CO and the GySgt that survives the battalion BUB without losing the platoons.
• 03Mentor four GySgts and the senior SSgts as the next 1stSgt / MSgt cohort, with honest reads on who is troop-leadership and who is SME track.
• 04Walk the fabrication shops and identify the broken systems — equipment maintenance, qualification currency, safety compliance, quality control — before the evaluators do.
• 05Brief the BC and the BSgtMaj on enlisted morale, retention, climate, and the second-order effects of policy decisions they cannot see from the conference room.
• 06Advocate at the MMPB level for the 1316 MOS — training pipeline, equipment modernization, AWS certification funding, and the civilian credential pathways that drive retention.

• —MCO P11000.12 — Marine Corps Engineer Operations (you teach these, not consume them).
• —MCO 1610.7 — Performance Evaluation System (you are the rater or reviewing officer on the FitReps that decide the next slate).
• —MCO 1400.32 — Marine Corps Promotion Manual (1stSgt / SgtMaj / MGySgt board mechanics).
• —MCO 1900.16 / MCO P1900.16 — Marine Corps Retirement / Separation (you are the resource the unit comes to for transition questions).
• —MCO 5354.1 — SAPR Program; MCO 1000.9 — Equal Opportunity (you enforce both, the IG validates both).
• —The Commandant's Planning Guidance and the current Sergeants Major Symposium reading list — you are expected to consume strategic doctrine and translate it down to LCpls.

• —SNCO Academy Senior Course graduate; Sergeants Major Course at Marine Corps University before competing for command SgtMaj slate.
• —Company UCMJ rate, retention rate, and SAPR/EO climate index in the top tier of the battalion.
• —Personal FitRep profile that the reporting senior can defend at HQMC — the bar at this rank is whether your rated GySgts get selected for 1stSgt and MSgt.
• —Zero senior-enlisted-level integrity incidents — financial, fraternization, OPSEC. One ends the career permanently.
• —Post-service transition plan running 24-36 months out — VA disability claim filed pre-EAS, SkillBridge or AWS certification pathway identified, no retirement walked into cold.

• —Going public with disagreement with the CO. You take the disagreement in his office with the door closed; you walk out aligned, every time.
• —Confusing seniority with leverage. The Corps keeps senior enlisted who serve the formation, not the ones who run their own program off the company commander's back.
• —Stopping personal PT because you are "too senior." Marines stop respecting the chevrons when the body stops carrying them.
• —Letting a GySgt run a bad climate because he is your guy. The BSgtMaj finds out, the regimental SgtMaj finds out, and the next slate gets read off without your name on it.
• —Not advocating for the MOS. The 1316 field is small; the senior Marine who does not fight for training pipeline funding, equipment modernization, and credential programs is leaving the next generation of Metal Workers to figure it out alone.

The good 1stSgt / SgtMaj is the senior Marine every boot in the formation knows by face and reputation. He is the reason the re-enlistment line forms after a hard deployment cycle. The CO trusts him with the worst news at 0200; the Marines trust him to fight for what matters. The good MGySgt is the Marine the MMPB calls when the 13xx occupational field roadmap needs rewriting — and the GySgts in the regiment quote his standards without realizing they are doing it.