San Diego -- The Marine Corps is built around strong leaders, who are willing to take charge, take initiative and be responsible for the lives of other men and women. This can be a daunting task with many obstacles that few can overcome. Drill instructors at Marine Corps Recruit Depot San Diego are constantly looking for one recruit who can step up and lead their fellow platoon members as the guide.
Lance Cpl. Maximilian J. Musick, Platoon 1027, Company B, 1st Recruit Training Battalion, was that one recruit who stepped up and took over as guide early on in the first phase of recruit training. After earning the leadership role, Musick maintained his position throughout the remainder of recruit training.
Musick attributes his accomplishment to the nature of his upbringing. He was raised with separated parents and lived with his mom, thus missing out on a father figure growing up. His mom, being an emergency medical technician, was gone the majority of the day, leaving him in charge of his two sisters, one older and one younger.
“Being the only man of the house, not having a father around and my mother being gone all day really matured me early on in my life,” said Musick, a Phoenix native. “The leadership role I developed in taking the responsibility, making sure tasks were getting done, taking the initiative, and not slacking off carried over to recruit training well in my position as guide.”
The maturity Musick displayed made a major impression on his senior drill instructor. Though he initially wasn’t the first guide chosen, he made sure he was the last.
“His demeanor, being a 19-year-old kid, he was mature, and I was looking for someone mature who could follow simple orders but could also get the rest of the recruits to follow him,” said Staff Sgt. Bryan M. Reza, senior drill instructor, Plt. 1027, Co. B, 1st RTBn. “It’s part of the reason why he lasted as guide; he’s strong mentally and physically.”
Another leadership quality that helped Musick was his humble attitude he carried and displayed to his platoon.
“He had a good head on his shoulders and wasn’t arrogant about the fact that he was the guide,” said Reza. “He showed recruits the mutual respect that he wanted.”
Even after Musick became aware that he was going to be the honor graduate for his company, he didn’t go around bragging to others; instead, he kept it to himself and continued his responsibilities as if nothing changed.
“He was extremely humble about it,” said Reza, who is completing his last cycle as senior drill instructor. “He now knows that he’s the honor graduate and is getting promoted to lance corporal but hasn’t told anyone and still says he has to prove himself and show humility to the rest of the recruits.”
One aspect Musick believes helped keep him grounded was his growing Christian faith during recruit training. Every Sunday recruits attend religious services where they are able to learn even more about themselves.
“It surprised me that not only did I grow as a person but as a Christian as well,” said Musick, who enlisted the morning of his 18th birthday. “You find out who you are as a person in recruit training and it made my faith strengthen as well as my confidence.”
Musick has proven that even though one may grow up with many hardships, there is always the ability to turn it into something that one can learn and grow from. The role of guide is one that can be applied not only to recruit training, but in life as well. Musick says his guide in life, though distant, was great and made him who he is today.
“My mother wouldn’t settle and wouldn’t let us bring home anything either than a ‘B’ or above,” said Musick. “You wouldn’t want a ‘C’ average person taking care of your life so why would you want that with anything else. That same work ethic can be applied to Marine Corps recruit training.”