We were so blessed to have Mark Jemison as our guest speaker at this past Wednesday's regular rotary club breakfast meeting. Here is Mark's bio:
Mark has dedicated more than three decades to distinguished service in the United States Marine Corps as both a Marine officer and military attorney. A graduate of The Citadel and the University of Akron School of Law, he earned his commission through the Marine Corps Platoon Leaders Class program in 1993 and has since served in a series of increasingly significant leadership positions.
Throughout his career, Mark has served as a prosecutor, defense counsel, legal assistance attorney, Staff Judge Advocate, executive officer, Inspector General, and senior leader in Marine Forces Reserve. His operational experience includes deployments to Djibouti, Africa, where he served as Staff Judge Advocate for U.S. Marine Forces Central Command, and to Afghanistan in support of combat operations with I Marine Expeditionary Force.
In addition to his operational service, Mark is a graduate of the Air War College, where he earned a Master’s degree in Strategic Studies. He has held key assignments at Headquarters Marine Corps and Marine Forces Reserve, culminating in his current position as Branch Head for Reserve Affairs Manpower at Headquarters, U.S. Marine Corps, where he helps shape personnel policy and readiness for the Marine Corps Reserve.
His exemplary service has been recognized with some of the nation’s highest military decorations, including the Legion of Merit (with Gold Star), the Meritorious Service Medal (with Gold Star), the Bronze Star Medal, and the Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal (with two Gold Stars).
Mark shared his personal experiences while he was stationed in Afghanistan. He mentioned right away that homesickness was a constant battle. He also expressed how exceptional our young marines are and who performed extraordinary military operations under unimaginable stressful situations with such incredible skill and bravery. He went on to say that what makes our country so special and different is that we are governed by the rule of law……very different from Afghanistan.
Mark Jemison and President Jim Zeitz
