CAMP KINSER, OKINAWA, JAPAN, 06.11.2021, Photos by Lance Cpl. Courtney Robertson

This Article first appeared in the Okinawa Marine, written by LCDR Kristian Carlson. Picture taken at Camp Foster. LTJG Kristian Carlson stands alongside MCIPAC Major General Peter Talleri while Captain Brenda Bradley-Davila shares words of commendation to the MCIPAC Religious Ministry Team.

Have you participated in a pass and review ceremony?  Marching toward the review stand the platoon commander calls out “EYES”… “RIGHT!”   Those in the column to the far right keep head in place and gaze forward, while the rest pivot their heads 45 degrees to the right and look to the reviewing officer, as the unit marches by.

In boot camp, I quickly learned the value of my eyes.  The senior chief yelled:  “EARS!”  I responded:  “OPEN!”  They demanded: “EYES!”  My unit thundered: “SNAP!”

Training our eyes is a tough task.  I believe it’s why the Marine Corps trains its warriors in their proper use from the get-go.

Eyes tell a lot about a person.  Are they wide? Someone is excited with wonder—or afraid with uncertainty.  Do they sparkle? Love or joy is in the air.  Are they downcast?  Someone is sad.  Dark and brooding?  There is anger or vengefulness.

Your eyes can be powerful instruments in your unit, in your home, and toward determining your future.

Caring eyes tell subordinates that they matter.  Attentive eyes signal to superiors respect.  When other warning signs are absent, watchful eyes notice that a fellow battle buddy’s eyes aren’t their normal self. That close attention could save a life.

In your home, and around town, your guarded eyes can tell your husband that he is the only one for you.  Gentle eyes communicate love to your kids, but lazy eyes neglect relationships and waste life glued to a screen.

As you consider your future, eyes matter there too.  Vision is about what you see yourself becoming.  If you have strong eyes in this way, you can see yourself in remarkable roles of influence.  You see yourself, your family and your nation becoming so much more.  That vision then becomes marching orders for a new reality which you work to bring to life.

Look at your unit, your home, and your future this week. Have you trained your eyes RIGHT? Consider how to make them SNAP to your unit, to your family, and to seeing your future filled with purpose. 

Blog Author: LCDR Kristian Carlson is a Navy Chaplain. He has served alongside Marines, Sailors, Soldiers, & Special Forces, and has completed three deployments. In 2020, the Navy sent him to Duke University’s Divinity School to earn a specialized Master’s Degree, ThM, in Pastoral Care, where he focused his studies on challenges facing Active Duty personnel, Veterans and their families. His specific areas of interest include care for persons with Complex Trauma, strategies for healing from PTSD, Moral Injury, & mild TBI. A key personal mission of his is to leverage the strengths of faith-based Veteran Service Organizations as strategic partners to chaplains, the VA, and the DoD in their ongoing resiliency & suicide prevention initiatives. He is married to his Chilean sweetheart, Damaris. They have two young children, who are the delight of their hearts.

This article was written for “Okinawa Marine” a weekly publication that shared the latest USMC happenings on the Island. It was a link to families and the local community sharing upcoming events, resources and cultural insights.