During Exercise KAMANDAG in Palawan, Philippines, Marines with the 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit Command Element had the opportunity to improve their martial arts skills and belt up in the Marine Corps Martial Arts Program while deployed. For one Marine, it was his passion for teaching that drove him to mentor Marines in MCMAP on his off hours, in addition to supporting the11th MEU’s mission on deployment. We sat down with Sgt. Anthony Ayala to learn more about his role as an MAI.
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Hometown: Palmdale, CA

MOS: 0861 Fire Support Marine
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What about being a Martial Arts Instructor do you most appreciate/enjoy?

“I enjoy seeing the transformation of each Marine from the beginning of the course to how they transform in the end. It brings everyone closer and gives them a reason to be more social with each other.”
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What made you want to become an MAI?

“I’ve always had a passion for martial arts and coaching my whole life so as soon as I got promoted to corporal in 2018, I wanted to go on the first Martial Arts Instructor course I could to continue that passion.”
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How does instructing Marines in Martial Arts improve the MEUs mission and lethality?

“Sustaining marine corps martial arts keeps Marines physically, and mentally ready for hand-to-hand combat.”
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What is one thing you’ve learned from your experience as an MAI that you want to pass on the Marines here and your Marines in the future?

“Don’t ever underestimate your abilities as a person. You will never know your full potential until you’ve been put in a place or position that requires you to do things you never thought you’d be able to do.”
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What have you learned during this deployment and how does it make you a better instructor and leader?

“One thing I learned is that you make time for the things you want, so if you have downtime to do anything that betters yourself such as MCMAP, take the opportunity to go sustain and better yourself. The same goes for your Marines; if you know that you have some white space, go ahead and fill it with some type of activity that will better them in the long run.”