MARINE CORPS BASE HAWAII, KANEOHE BAY, Hi -- Doing 23 Marine Corps Institute distance learning courses is no easy task. Doing 23 in one year is unheard of, and this is why Sgt. Saulo D. Ugarte is getting an award for being MCI graduate of the year for fiscal year 2000.
The 24-year-old Los Angeles native said that's not all. "I did 23, and I also did six Federal Emergency Management Agency courses. I also have an associates degree in fire science." Ugarte works as a crash crewman with the Marine Corps Air Facility's Aircraft Rescue and Firefighting unit. Ugarte was born in Managua, Nicaragua, but was brought up in East L.A.
"It takes dedication. I get very involved in school. I want to be able to give my Marines knowledge. I study at lunch, at night, whenever I can. Really, the longest process is waiting for them to come back. I have done 47 MCI's all together."
Ugarte doesn't have a secret; he does his MCI's like everyone else. "I read the book thoroughly, then I take the practice test in the back of the book. If I miss any, I go back and study the part I missed until I know I have it."
Doing MCI's may seem boring to some, but he has motivation behind doing each one. "My favorite one is about heavy machine guns - I used to be an 0331," he said. "I like ones that have to do with leadership and tradition, like in the 8,000 and 7,000 series."
Even the MCI graduate of the year has a least favorite MCI, and for Ugarte, whose native language is Spanish, one course really sticks out in his mind. "The hardest one was spelling and punctuation."