MARINE CORPS BASE HAWAII -- A quick look around Master Sgt. Antonio M. Sears’ office in the administration office of 3rd Marine Regiment and you can tell a lot about what kind of man he is.
All over the walls are Marine Corps recruiting posters, pictures from schools and training he’s completed, University of Florida Gators’ merchandise, and pictures of his family. It’s evident, without even meeting the 40-year old Marine, what’s important to him.
“I plan on staying in the Marine Corps until they kick me out,” he said with a smile. “I didn’t plan on it at first, but coming to the regiment here and being in direct contact with deployed Marines has changed my mind. I still think I can make an impact on the Corps and the Marines by staying in.”
Sears shipped off for boot camp July 28, 1985, after deciding the Corps was the right path for him.
“When it came time to decide if I wanted to go to college or not, the decision was easy,” he said. “My mom couldn’t afford for me to go to school. She raised me to be self sufficient, so I sought out what was best for me.”
After seeing a Marine Corps recruiter in his uniform, Sears knew that what he had to do.
“I saw the recruiter in the uniform and I saw all of the girls’ reactions,” he jokes. “He had a nice car and a brief case that he always carried around, and I said to myself, ‘I can do that.’”
When he finally enlisted, the recruiter asked him what job he wanted to have. When he asked “can’t I do what you do?” the recruiter gave him the second closest job: administration.
Sears left his hometown of Daytona Beach, Fla., for boot camp at Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island. After graduating boot camp, he went to Personnel Administration School at Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton. He was stationed at Iwakuni, Japan, where he was meritoriously promoted to corporal in July, 1986. From there he went to Headquarters, United States Marine Corps at Henderson Hall, Washington, D.C., for three years.
He was promoted to sergeant and sent to 6th Marine Corps District, Atlanta, Georgia. He also served in Okinawa, Japan, Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune, N.C., Port Au Prince, Haiti, and Camp Johnson, N.C.
Sears finally got his chance to be a recruiter in 1998, when he went to Recruiting Station Orlando, Fla.
“I enjoyed recruiting duty,” he said. “It was harder than I thought it was going to be. The work hours made me want to come back to the fleet, though. When you’re a recruiter, you’re at the mercy of the applicants. It was rewarding to know that I was helping young people shape their futures.”
After three years of recruiting duty, Sears returned to Camp Lejeune, this time to serve as class commander for Personnel Administration and Legal Services School. He taught new Marines in administration and legal military occupational specialties. This billet was his favorite one while serving in the Marine Corps, he said.
“I had just come off recruiting duty, so admin school was a sanity check for me,” he laughed. “It reminded me of why I was a Marine. It reaffirmed my belief in the Corps. I got to work with Marines who were right out of boot camp, so I was around Marines, not civilians. You get to see the effect that senior Marines have on them, and you know that you’re helping shape the kind of Marine they’re going to be.”
Sears came to Marine Corps Base Hawaii in 2005 to serve with 3rd Marine Regiment. Although he has never deployed to a combat zone, he recognizes the role he plays on the home front is important for the deployed Marines. In addition to supporting deployed Marines, he supports 3rd Marine Regiment’s families as the Regimental Family Readiness officer. His recent promotion to regimental administration chief allows him to play a bigger part in the lives of Marines.
“I support deployed Marines, that’s my job,” he said. “Even if I’m not deployed, I’m closely tied to the units that go and I get to support those Marines. I get to make sure they and their families are taken care of. My crusade has been to improve the quality of admin to achieve mission accomplishment and let the families know that we’re here to take care of them.”
Sears leaves Oct. 16 for the Pentagon, where he will serve as administrative chief, United States Marine Corps Office of Legislative Affairs. He said the sixth anniversary of Sept. 11 made the job seem even more important, reminding him that the Pentagon is an important place for the Department of Defense. Because his 17-year old son, Christopher, finishes up high school this school year, Sears and his wife, Mary Ann, decided she, Christopher and daughter Danielle, 14, will stay in Hawaii until Christopher graduates.
“It’s going to make for a long time apart,” he said. “I consider this my deployment because I never got to go to Iraq.”
To serve as a positive role model for his children’s education, Sears has plans on attending college and getting a bachelors degree. The degree will also help fulfill personal goals of his.
“Getting a degree was something I promised my mom,” Spears said. “It was how I got her okay to join the Marine Corps. If I accomplish that, then I’m making true on that promise to her.”
Sears also wants to use his degree to help him run for mayor of Daytona Beach. He has been active in Daytona Beach politics and elections, sending in absentee ballots and keeping informed on what’s going on in his hometown.
“You can be in a great little town and not realize how great it is until you leave,” he said of his hometown. “When you’re gone, you realize what’s good about it. I always knew my calling was Daytona Beach.”
With big goals and accomplishments, Sears still finds time to have fun. He spends Saturdays golfing with his wife and enjoys attending church with his family.
“It’s important to have goals and accomplish them,” he said, advising young service members to work for what they want in life. “It’s okay to have fun, but I believe you’ll have more fun accomplishing those goals so you won’t have any regrets. It’s important to have a balance in life. At the end of the day, the goal is to sleep well at night, and accomplishing your goals will help ease your mind. Don’t make unrealistic goals for yourself, know you’re strengths and weaknesses. If you’re a Marine, you’re a whole lot better off than most Americans because you’re in an organization that’s goal oriented. Build on the core values the Corps has instilled in you. They’re tools for success.”
Sears doesn’t take complete credit for all his achievements. He recognizes the leadership he had throughout his career helped make him the success he is today.
“I was lucky, I had great leadership who pushed me to get ahead, so they’ve been a blessing on my career, and that’s what I hope to do for young Marines,” he said. “I’ve been blessed to work with good people who have taught me a lot, but I’m still willing to learn more. You won’t always know what to expect in life, but you should always strive for more. I want to make an impact wherever I go. I want to make a difference in the lives of Marines.”