USTommyMC

There are several things in the Marines Corps that I can live without. In boot camp I prayed for the day when we would no longer have to iron our cammies and polish our boots. Those prayers were answered fairly quick. Swim Qual is another thing I can live without.

Yesterday my Lieutenant comes by and tells me to give my Warrant Officer a call. I give him a call and he drops the bomb on me. In less than a week we will be going through an ISMAT (Internal Supply And Maintenance Analysis Team) Inspection.

I get handed a three inch high stack of papers describing the process and what needs to be done. This is another one of my nightmares. Any word or event that starts or ends with “inpect” I do not like. I have been through tons of inpections throughout my short career and I’ve hated them all. Luckily I have passed them all with flying colors.

So why does this inspection worry me? It doesn’t really worry me but its a maintenance inspection. Basically someone will be inspecting our record jackets to make sure they are in compliance with whatever it needs to be in compliance with. They will also make sure that any gear we say is broke is on the DPR (don’t ask me what that means).

I have made it a mission of mine to stay completely away from anything related to maintenance. The world of maintenance and supply is scary to me and I stay away from scary things. I don’t know how Randy does it but thats his job I guess.

Luckily I have a Marine that is skilled in that is area and that Sergeant is my MIMMS (again don’t ask me) NCO. That Sergeant will be handling most of the work and I will just supervise and make sure we are good to go. In the end the success or failure of our section will fall directly on me. Unlike my Staff NCOs of the past, I do not and will not take the credit for something my Marines do. Staff NCOs and Officers get to where they are because of the Marines under them. My Marines will be properly recognized when the time comes.