MARINE CORPS BASE CAMP LEJEUNE, N.C.-- -- The United States Marine Corps prides itself in tradition and uniformity despite the passage of time. While individual Marines share many similar traits, each also has a different background that proves to be a benefit to the unit.
Lance Cpl. Dariusz J. Stanislawski, a native of Queens, N.Y., and originally from Poland, came to the United States when he was 16 years old to be with his mother.
“My mother was here. She’s a citizen,” said Stan, who shares dual American and Polish citizenship, “I’m here by choice. It’s a good place to be.”
Stan is a rifleman with the 4th Marine Expeditionary Brigade, Anti-Terrorism Battalion, Bravo Company, who visited the Military Operations Other than War branch for one week to learn the fundamentals in employing non-lethal weapons. The course is designed to train Marines to deal with situations without always first resorting to lethal force, said Staff Sgt. Nathan W. Thompson, chief instructor of the course.
“The non-lethal training course, we learning to take control of riots, crowds, and about the continuum of force,” said Stanislawski, who also learned how to employ pepper spray and police batons if the situation dictates.
This kind of training is a step up from the regular duties of a rifleman, but is necessary for Marines preparing to deploying in support of anti-terrorism operations.
“The responsibility of the 4th MEB is readiness to deal with all situations”, said Lance Cpl. Seneca J. Pickett, a rifleman also with Bravo Company who also participated in the training. “We have to be able to control people without hurting them,” he said.
“We still employ lethal force when necessary,” added Pvt. James Slay, a Squad Automatic Weapon gunner also with Bravo Company.
Stanislawski indicated he is looking forward to deploying with his unit wherever their skill is needed, and mentioned he’s highly motivated for the tasks ahead. “Right now, we’re just shooting at plastic dummies. In a real world situation, the crowd would be a lot bigger.”
“Hopefully, we’ll get to deploy soon and do our job,” he said.