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As an instructor at the School of Infantry, a Marine is expected to be physically fit, mentally strong and have a vast amount of knowledge in their occupational field.
With one amputated leg, Gunnery Sgt. Gabriel Guest, the chief instructor of the Advanced Machine Gunners course at Advanced Infantry Training Battalion, School of Infantry – West, is no exception.
Gunnery Sgt. Gabriel Guest, a native of Spokane, Wash., continues to mentor and lead Marines as the chief instructor at the Advanced Machine Gunners course at Advanced Infantry Training Battalion, School of Infantry – West, after having his left leg amputated Oct. 10, 2012. Guest now continues his Marine Corps career through the Expanded Permanent Limited Duty program, which allows Marines who incurred significant combat injuries that would normally restrict them from continuing their Marine Corps service to continue their careers by mentoring Marines through their leadership skills complemented by combat experience. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Joseph Scanlan/Released)
“When I joined the Marine Corps, I chose to join the infantry because I like action and being in the thick of things, and because of the challenge it presents,” said Guest, a native of Spokane, Wash. “The infantry is very dynamic because there are a lot of different aspects you can master like weapons or tactics.”
Guest deployed four times, three times to combat zones in his career.
His first deployment was with 3rd Battalion, 1st Marine Regiment, in support of the 13th Marine Expeditionary Unit, in response to the USS Cole being bombed. His second and third deployments were to Iraq with1st Bn., 1st Marines, and his fourth and final deployment was to Afghanistan with 2nd Bn., 7th Marine Regiment.
Guest experienced his first enemy contact while deployed to Afghanistan in 2008.
“After our first engagement in Now Zad, we had to fight our way out of the city,” Guest said. “It was like that every day for the next five months. Most engagements lasted anywhere from five to 15 hours long. I never wanted to see my guys get hurt or wounded, but I still carry those memories with me today.”
After five months of constant enemy contact, Guest’s vehicle drove over a pressure plate improvised explosive device during an engagement Aug. 10, ejecting him from the vehicle and causing three different compound fractures in his left leg.
This story originally appeared here on the official Marine Corps Blog. Please feel free to continue reading on the Marine Corps Blog.
