MARINE CORPS BASE QUANTICO, Va. -- This summer, four United States Naval Academy midshipmen left Annapolis to participate in Program Executive Officer Land Systems’ annual summer internship program at Marine Corps Base Quantico, Virginia.
Launched in 2013, the PEO Land Systems Internship Program provides an avenue for midshipmen to gain practical skills and hands-on experience in military acquisitions. Throughout the rigorous three-and-a-half-week program, future officers sit in on meetings, participate in field activities and visit various manufacturing and testing sites, including Northrop Grumman, for a G/ATOR manufacturing tour and various PEO LS and Navy developmental laboratories.
While at Quantico, interns also complete a project that allows them to apply what they’ve learned to real-world problems facing the Corps, later strengthening their communications skills by presenting their project results to PEO LS and program staff.
Perhaps most importantly, however, the internship provides midshipmen who are interested in becoming Marines with a unique insight into the daily life within the Corps.
“Midshipmen get exposure, in a fairly short period of time, to a wide variety of systems, organizations, facilities, processes, and most importantly, Marines,” said John Stroud, assistant program executive officer for engineering at PEO Land Systems.
Midshipman 2nd Class Andrew Bacilek, a junior, always knew he wanted to serve his country but admitted his knowledge of the Marine Corps was limited before starting his internship.
“I didn’t really know much about the program, but I was hoping it would open my eyes to the Marine Corps. I wasn’t familiar with acquisitions, but through the internship I’ve been able to experience the process first-hand,” Bacilek noted.
But the Annapolis third-year will leave Quantico with much more than new skills and real-life acquisitions experience; he has also gained a new appreciation for the Corps, and the Marines and civilians that help make it the world’s premier fighting force.
“People are held to a higher standard in the Marine Corps and that’s something I really like. You see it in the officers; they just carry themselves a little differently. I was leaning more towards the Navy before starting my internship, but now I’m thinking more seriously about joining the Marine Corps,” he added.
Midshipman 1st Class Elizabeth Jennings, a senior, was born and raised in Virginia Beach and always knew she’d grow up to serve her country. Coming from a long line of Naval officers, however, the Marine Corps was never on her radar.
“When I showed up at the Naval Academy, I wanted to be a Navy pilot, mostly because, coming from a Navy family, I didn’t know anything about the Marine Corps. However, day-to-day interactions with Marines have helped me realize that the same things that are important to me are also important to the Marine Corps officers I strive to emulate,” she said.
“Everybody here is very mission-driven and I’ve learned that regardless of your day-to-day job, you should always keep the mission at the forefront of your mind.”
“Now, I really want to be a Marine,” she added.
Jennings’ time working with PEO Land Systems has afforded her much more than a newfound desire to become a Marine; the real-world experience she’s gained will help her throughout her future military career.
“I think the internship will help me ten-fold down the line because now I can share these experiences with other midshipmen and with Sailors and Marines that I lead in the future,” she said. “This is a whole different world that we’re never taught about at school.”
Midshipman 1st Class Cameron Mayo, a senior, always knew he wanted to join the Corps, but his mother urged him to first pursue a college education. While looking for options that would allow him to earn a commission while studying, he came across the Naval Academy and quickly “fell in love with the place.”
“I worked my butt off in high school and I guess the rest is history,” the Annapolis “firstie” said through a grin.
By participating in the internship, however, Mayo says he was able to see “a different side of the Marine Corps” that he wouldn’t have necessarily been exposed to while studying at the Academy.
“At the end of the day, the Marine Corps is structured to support the Lance Corporal who’s on the ground carrying a rifle and a rucksack. All the technological innovations that are being made in order to support that make their lives safer and make them more effective at their job,” he said.
But as Jennings sagely noted, helping equip Marines doesn’t simply help keep Marines safe; it ultimately helps protect Americans from threats both at home and abroad.
“During the internship, we learned that the cutting-edge technologies that will be fielded in 10-15 years are only now being developed. Because we never know what the next threat is going to be to the American people or our allies, it’s important to make decisions now to best set ourselves up for success in the future,” she said.
“We now understand how much work has to be done now in order to be prepared for whatever threats lie ahead,” she added.