Marine Officer - Scott Cuomo

<span> <p> <img style="float: none;" src="http://assets2.marines.com/assetmgr/image/disp/inline/size/460x259/id/5547" alt="Capt Scott Cuomo <br/>Infantry Officer <br/>" /><h2>Setting goals at the Naval Academy</h2>Capt Scott Cuomo<br /> When I went to the Naval Academy, I had almost constant interaction with phenomenal Marine Officers from the first day I walked in, and a lot of infantry officers, but other officers as well, that only knew one way. They led by example, constantly, very inspirational. I had three great Marines that I looked up to. When they found out I wanted to be a Marine, they made sure that I understood that it was a calling and the obligation that I would have, if commissioned in the Marine Corps. They were very personable, inspirational leaders. They were in phenomenal physical condition. You never doubted what any one of the three of them wanted. They set goals, and probably most important is, they didn´t accept me at the level that I was at. They would say, this is your potential, and this is how I´m going to help you get there, all around, just great men in all facets of life. <hr /><h2>Training to Lead</h2>Capt Scott Cuomo:<br /> <br /> The Basic School for all Marine Officers is a six-month course. Every Military Occupational Specialty, from infantry to artillery to public affairs to communications to pilots, every MOS goes there. And the primary mission there is to make sure that we all understand what it takes to be a Rifle Platoon Commander in a combat environment. That six-month school provided me with a very solid baseline, from leadership to tactics, to teamwork. The number one leadership quality, number one leadership trait characteristic that any Marine Officer must, regardless of job, from infantry to communications, is that individual must lead by example at all times. He must be selfless, he must understand that it is about Marines and accomplish the mission, long before or always before him or herself. There´s a whole host of other things. That individual has got to be intelligent, he must be a critical decision maker, he must be able to operate under stress, all of those things. But ultimately, if he´s not leading by example, he´s not providing the Marines the service they need.<hr /><h2>The Role of the Infantry</h2>Capt Scott Cuomo:<br /> The Marine Infantry Officer does whatever the nation needs a Marine Infantry Officer to do. Over the last eight years, I´ve done just about every job that you can imagine. After school and going to combat, I served about 15 months in Iraq and have done what the American people think, normally, when you think of Marines and you think of infantry and what does that do, the Marine infantry deals with the enemies of our country. But on the other hand, they help in a combat zone. I spent the better part of my time trying to help people, help kids, help families, help rebuild schools, help rebuild medical clinics, help rebuild vet clinics, help people get their power on. So an infantry officer today, in the incredibly complex wars that we´re fighting and incredibly difficult times that we´re dealing with, can be asked to do just about anything, and that´s part of the reason I love the job, or the calling, if you will. It´s very, very challenging, and every day something new. Whether intended or not, your average Marine Officer, your average Marine in the infantry units that are most forward deployed at the tip, of the spear are America´s leading diplomats, in so many regards.<hr /><h2>Closer than Brothers</h2>Capt Scott Cuomo:<br /> I wouldn´t be a Marine any longer if it wasn´t rewarding. I love every single day being a Marine. And we´re at war, and so long as we´re at war, I won´t ever get out of the Marine Corps because someone´s got to do the job. But on the flip side of that, it is rewarding, every single day, to serve with Marines who want nothing more than to help our nation continue to be the nation that it is, and continue to help people where we can help them. So every day, every interaction, I love Marines, I love being a Marine, I love being around Marines. It´s nothing like being surrounded by people that are dedicated to serving something more than themselves. My platoon sergeant, who is a 10- to 12-year enlisted Marine, we´re as close as brothers, if not closer than that. I get on the phone, and I could say, First Sergeant, I have X problem, and it does not matter what that problem is, and he will drop everything that he is doing, and he will low crawl, run, jump on an airplane, whatever he has to do to help me or to help my family, which he´s done countless times, and I would do the same thing for him, based on the brotherhood that we have. And that goes to every single Marine that I´ve had the chance and the privilege to serve. So one of the things being a Marine Officer and being a Marine brings to the table is the incredible relationships that I don´t think can be matched anywhere else in the world.<hr /> </p> </span>

It’s rewarding every single day to serve with Marines who want nothing more than to help our nation continue to be the nation that it is.
-Capt Scott Cuomo

Commissioned: 2001
Commissioning program: U.S. Naval Academy
Education: U.S. Naval Academy

Captain Scott Cuomo was a midshipman at the Naval Academy when he first learned what it means to lead by example: his Marine Officer instructors upheld the highest standards of integrity and physical conditioning. These mentors pushed him to set and achieve goals, and shaped his path in the Marine Corps.

Now an infantry officer, Capt Cuomo leads his Marines by this same example. He’s served in many capacities—deploying to Iraq, teaching at The Basic School, and now preparing to lead a company on deployment in Afghanistan.

For Cuomo, service is a calling, not a job. Serving with Marines is rewarding every day.

Marines. The Few. The Proud.

Capt Scott Cuomo
Infantry Officer

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Marines. The Few. The Proud.

Capt Scott Cuomo Infantry Officer

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Capt Scott Cuomo
Infantry Officer