USMC Detachment welcomes new top SNCO

By Ms. Dawn M Arden (Leonard Wood)June 12, 2014

USMC Detachment welcomes new top SNCO
Marine Sgt. Maj. Jason Patrick, left, incoming Marine Detachment sergeant major, receives the NCO saber from Marine Col. John Giltz, detachment commander, symbolizing his assuming responsibilities as the new detachment sergeant major during a Post an... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL

The Marine Corps Detachment on Fort Leonard Wood held a Post and Relief ceremony welcoming Sgt. Maj. Jason Patrick as the new detachment sergeant major Friday at Nutter Field House.

Patrick assumed the role of detachment sergeant major from Sgt. Maj. Michael Gray who is retiring after 30 years of service.

"The Post and Relief is an important signal to the Marines that they now have a new protector to guide them; mentor them," said Marine Col. John Giltz, detachment commander.

"You are absolutely the perfect fit," Giltz said during his remarks to a packed Nutter Field House. "Your demeanor, your approach, your calmness, your candor, your sense of humor is going to serve you well here."

Patrick comes to Fort Leonard Wood with more than 25 years of service from Marine Corps Air Station Miramar, Calif., where he was the VMFA 323 Death Rattlers sergeant major.

Other previous assignments include Marine Wing Headquarters Squadron 3, 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing MCAS Miramar, Calif., sergeant major and MCAS Kaneohe Bay, Hawaii, sergeant major.

"I look forward to serving the Marines here and helping to develop great Marine leaders," Patrick said.

He added, "I look out at the Marines standing behind me and ones before me, they truly embody our Corps values."

Giltz told Gray that he appreciated his friendship and his advice.

"The fact that every time, no matter the topic, you were an advocate for the Marines," Giltz said. "You weren't just an advocate for Marines but you were an advocate for what's right, those two in your mind, and mine, were always exactly the same."

Gray told those in attendance that a lot of things have changed in his 30 years in the Corps, but the one thing that has not changed is the tenacity that Marines possess and their willingness to carry out the nation's business when called upon.

"To survive in the Marine Corps, you have to be smart; you have to be strong; you have to be dedicated to those people to your left and those to your right," Gray said.

Related Links:

Fort Leonard Wood GUIDON Newspaper

Maneuver Support Center of Excellence and Fort Leonard Wood