CAMP HANSEN, OKINAWA -- “Ever since I was little, I have always wanted to join the forces.” Sgt. Kaley Gee said.
From a young age, Gee had dreamed of joining the U.S. Marine Corps. She desired to be a part of something bigger than herself and wanted to give back to her country.
“My uncle is a master gunnery sergeant in the Marine Corps, and I have two brothers who are Marines,” she said. “The three of them were pretty big impacts in me making the decision on joining the Marine Corps.”
Prior to arriving to the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit, Gee was carrying out her duties as a Marine Air Ground Task Force Planning Specialist within a different unit. As soon as Gee attached to the 31st MEU, she hit the ground running, filling a staff sergeant billet as the Marine Air Ground Task Force planning specialist chief and the training non-commissioned officer.
“Sgt. Gee is one of the most well-rounded NCOs within the Corps and has continuously impressed all that have had the privilege to work with her,” said Gunnery Sgt. Andrew Kissick, the assistant operations chief for the 31st MEU. “She has held the billet of a staff NCO for almost two years and has set the bar high for any other SNCO that may relieve her of those duties.”
Gee assists in ensuring the 31st MEU is trained and ready to fight at a moment’s notice. Her duties include but are not limited to submitting scores for rifle range qualifications, Physical Fitness Tests, Combat Fitness Tests, annual training, and anything that falls within the required training for a Marine.
“As long as you have motivation and the drive that it takes to accomplish the mission, you succeed.” said Gee.
Gee explains that the responsibility and leadership needs of the billets she has fulfilled have given her an even greater respect for what it means to be a sergeant in the Marine Corps. Not only has it provided her a sense of what a leader is, but has paved the way forward for when she is pinned a staff sergeant.
“Always doing the right thing even when no one is watching has always been a big thing for me,” says Gee. “Anyone could be watching at any time, and I will make sure to lead my juniors in that manner.”
The 31st MEU, the Marine Corps’ only continuously forward-deployed MEU, provides a flexible and lethal force ready to perform a wide range of military operations as the premier crisis response force in the Indo-Pacific region.