Richard L. Sherard Chief Warrant Officer · USMC & US Army · 1981 – 2013

Richard Sherard joined the United States Marine Corps before graduating from high school in Cheyenne, Wyoming. He had relatives who had been in the US Army and in the USMC. His thought was that if he had to go to war, he wanted to get the best training available. In August of 1981, he left the comforts of home and made his way to San Diego, California, then to Marine Corps Recruit Depot (MCRD).

Even with a night arrival, a greeting committee met this young man and others . Their loud voices, constant belittling, and presentations of “I’m the Drill Instructor and you’re not” were relentless. At night, the recruits obtained their new haircuts, new uniforms, and the awareness that things had “changed”. They went on until about 0230 hrs then slept in to 0500 when they were awakened to the same day, just a little different. The main push here is to instill in the new men that they are no longer civilians, they are in-training to be the greatest warriors ever known to mankind (...or something like that)!

The 60 new men were housed in a barracks that needed to be re-cleaned, of course. When it was time to head to the mess hall, the men always moved in formation. If mistakes in marching happened, they stopped and practiced until they got it right. On arrival at the mess hall, the leader announced to the food service personnel that “such and such platoon of such and such company was present for the meal.”

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