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CAMP LEATHERNECK, Afghanistan - By Marine Corps standards, a
Tifton, Ga., native's rise through the ranks has been nothing short
of meteoric.
In less than four years Staff Sgt. Zane Moorman
pinned on the rank of sergeant, accomplishing what takes many
Marines twice as long to do. After deploying to Afghanistan for a
second time, his seniors saw exemplary leadership potential in him,
and he earned a combat meritorious promotion to the rank of staff
sergeant less than five years after joining the military.
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U.S. Marine Corps Staff Sgt. Zane Moorman (center), a Tifton, Ga., native and regimental radio chief for Combat Logistics Regiment 2, Regional Command (Southwest), stands with Lt. Col. Brian Mullery (left) and Sgt. Maj. Roger Griffith (right), the executive officer and regimental sergeant major of CLR-2, during his reenlistment ceremony at Camp Leatherneck, Afghanistan, Sept. 2, 2013. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Sgt. Anthony Ortiz)
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Now the regimental radio chief for Combat Logistics
Regiment 2, Regional Command (Southwest), Moorman recently
rededicated himself to his Marines and the Marine Corps when
he reenlisted here during his third deployment to
Afghanistan in September.
It's been less than eight
years since he first donned the uniform.
“It's a
great honor to know I have the opportunity to serve another
four years, to lead and guide the future of the Marine
Corps,” said Moorman after his reenlistment. “As a man,
without the uniform on, I don't need to be in the Marine
Corps. I could be successful outside the military, but I
want to be here to help contribute to our success in the
future as the best fighting organization in the world.”
Moorman said every day is an opportunity. The chance to
serve is not a duty, but a gift.
“What I expect of
myself, I put into my Marines,” he said. “I always go back
to the [principle] know yourself and seek self-improvement.
We wake up every day and say, ‘We're here, it's a good day.
Life is good.' But what can we do to make things better for
ourselves, our Marines and the Marine Corps? That's how I go
about it ... not settling for anything less.”
His zeal
for leadership and tradition are not new. Moorman received
numerous accolades throughout his career. He earned the
Gung-Ho award upon completion of the Martial Arts Instructor
Course in 2007 and later took the Honor Graduate and
Leadership award for his performance at the Marine Corps'
notoriously-tough Drill Instructor School.
Moorman
served two years as a drill instructor at Marine Corps
Recruit Depot Parris Island, S.C., where his own military
carrier began. Despite the exhausting work pace in the
training environment, where 130-hour work weeks are the
norm, Moorman personally loved the experience of nurturing
and hardening the next generation of Marines.
“The
feeling of taking civilians, molding and shaping them into
the future of the Marine Corps, was amazing,” he said. “They
come in civilians, and we teach them everything they know
about the Marine Corps. It's an awesome feeling and an honor
to be able to do that.”
Moorman bore witness to his
recruits' transformation while remembering what it meant to
him when he first joined the military. For all of his
success and sacrifice, he said the origin of his own love
for Marines, Corps and tradition came from his early days in
the military.
“They were definitely passed down to
me,” recalled Moorman. “The second time I went to Parris
Island, when I was a drill instructor, did not change me. It
did not make me into a keeper of traditions. I was like that
since day one. My drill instructor instilled that in me, and
I've been like that ever since.”
Known for his firm
demeanor and love for physical training, Moorman took his
experiences at Parris Island with him when he joined his
current unit for what will likely be his final deployment to
Afghanistan.
“What I expect of myself, I put into my
Marines,” said Moorman. “I don't expect them to do anything
I don't do or have not already done ... Every day I hope I
make a difference in my subordinates', leaders' and peers'
lives. That's why I stick around.”
He said experience
has taught him how to work with people, pick his battles,
and when to be firm. It's also taught him hard work pays
off.
“The Marine Corps is what you make of it,” said
Moorman. “What you put in is what you're going to get out.”
By USMC Cpl. Paul Peterson
Provided
through DVIDS
Copyright 2013
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