John L. Estrada, the 15th Sergeant Major of the Marine Corps and board member of PremiereTec Solutions LLC, was invited to be the guest speaker at this year’s University of South Florida’s (USF) Naval ROTC (NROTC) Navy/Marine Ball. The event commemorated the 232nd birthday of the U.S. Navy and the Marine Corps.
The USF Naval ROTC unit is entering its 7th year and Navy Captain Martin P. Smith, the organization’
The University’s NROTC program develops midshipmen with the highest level of duty, honor and loyalty. Students in the program are commissioned as Navy Ensigns or Marine Lieutenants upon graduation and then enter and take on the responsibilities within the 21st century U.S. military forces.
During his speech, SgtMaj Estrada expressed his congratulations to both military branches and discussed the proud heritage of the American military and compared today’s forces to the Spartans of ancient Greece. “Both have a camaraderie born of rigorous training and shared hardships, both are known for courage, physical endurance and unmatched battle skills, both show unwavering dedication to each other, to their families, their homeland, and a willingness to die to protect them, and both fight as a team, placing the needs of the unit before individual needs.”
He continued, “For the past 232 years, the men and women of the United States Navy/Marine Corps Team, ‘the world’s best fighting force’ has distinguished themselves on the high seas and every battlefield throughout the globe. Our rich tradition of excellence and professionalism has been handed down to us by generations of Marines and Sailors no longer on active duty; soon it will be your legacy; your gift to the future generations of Marines and Sailors, as well as your gift to our great Nation. It has been said that “There are only two kinds of people that understand Marines and Sailors” They are the Marines and Sailors themselves and those who have been unfortunate enough to have met them in battle. Everyone else has a second-hand opinion.”
The NROTC unit also invited Estrada to participate in the commissioning ceremony of Staff Sergeant Jose Guallabal as he started his career as a Marine Corps 2nd Lieutenant.
If you’d like more information about the University of South Florida’s NROTC program you can call them at 813-974-4789 or email naval@nrotc.usf.edu.
