1ST LT. GEORGE J. FLYNN III
Executive Officer, Company G, 2nd Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division

I joined the Marine Corps because my father is a Marine. I just always wanted to be like him. One of my earliest memories of him is seeing him come downstairs, dressed for the Marine Corps Ball, with white gloves and blue trousers with the red stripe. He looked like Superman.

When 9/11 happened, I was an ROTC scholarship student at Virginia Tech, so I already knew I was going into the Marine Corps. 9/11 made me realize the importance of what I was going to be doing.

My father was an artilleryman, but I wanted to have a different route at some point so that’s why I went infantry. The infantry is what made the Marine Corps. Infantry is what stormed Mount Suribachi at Iwo Jima.

We deployed to Kuwait in January 2003, two months after I joined my regiment, and went into southern Iraq during Operation Iraqi Freedom. I was a platoon commander. There were no combat veterans in my platoon. We all learned together, baptism by fire. We returned home in June 2003, but headed for Afghanistan last November, returning home in May 2004.

My non-military friends ask why we bother in Iraq and Afghanistan. I think we are making a difference. There were some people over there that needed some help and we gave it to them. There are people who have a chance at a better life now.

Preparing for combat, you always wonder what you’re going to be like. At [The Basic School at Quantico, Va.] they always told us that at some point the training just kicks in and takes over. You get this sense of calm as your training takes over.

Setting an example is the most difficult thing about leading men in combat, 24/7. In combat, you’re the one they’re looking at for leadership. You need to be one step ahead and always have them on your mind. Somebody is watching everything you’re doing: all of your decisions, your emotions and your actions.

They say that the Marine officer/enlisted relationship is father and son but, being platoon commander, the age difference is so small it’s like being an older brother to these guys. The officer/enlisted admiration goes both ways. There are a lot of bonds forged. I like the fact that I get to hang out with the Marines I go home and brag about every day. It’s nice to know that 20 years from now, we will be able to say we were serving together and doing something good for the world.

I motivate my Marines by being out in the field with them. If they see you out there, doing everything they’re doing, they’re going to realize it’s important because their platoon commander’s doing it. I really want these guys to know I care about them. I hope my enthusiasm rubs off on them. I hope that they leave work with the enthusiasm that I come to work with. If they move on, I want them to go out into the world a better person than they were when they first decided to enlist.

I teach my Marines honor and to understand the legacy they’ve inherited. They need to understand how they are part of something bigger than they are. We’re the best of the best. You can’t get around it. Right now in high school kids are learning about the Spartans. I’d like to think 2,000 years from now guys in high school are going to be learning about the U.S. Marine Corps.