Indelible impressions - Airman's Notebook

Airman, July, 2003 by Scott Wagers

I first met Chief Master Sgt. Norman Marous shortly after Sept. 11, 2001. He and two other chiefs from Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif., volunteered to field a question-and-answer session with me and 24 other master sergeant-selectees attending a senior noncommissioned officer enhancement course. I remember the three chiefs entering the room when all eyes immediately went to Marous, who was clad in full service dress uniform as if he were briefly stopping by to share his thoughts before continuing on to a much more formal occasion.

Taking a seat at the center of the room, his large and colorful ribbon rack reflected a lengthy, diverse and highly awarded military career. Enhancing the impression made by his sharp appearance was his powerfully distinctive baritone voice, used to articulate Intelligent and well thought out responses to questions thrown his way.

As a room full of career noncommissioned officers, we found him genuinely sincere, tirelessly devoted and unabashedly patriotic. He had such a profound impact on me that I was ready to find the nearest recruiter and sign up all over again. At the end of the session, he was bum-rushed by several 17-year master sergeants, like groupies at a rock concert, eager to paw one of his business cards and hear his perspectives on other topics.

A year later, I asked him about telling his story.

I wanted it to focus on his evolving career, yet also provide a glimpse of a proud and passionate noncommissioned officer. It took six months to cover this story; however, the accumulative time that I logged while in Marous' physical presence was probably less than 48 hours. Due to a restructure of Marous' work center and its subsequent relocation, it took me five months to gain access to his office at Camp San Luis Obispo -- 60 miles away from my office at Vandenberg. During that delay, I focused on his sometimes difficult-to-forecast community and volunteer activities.

Extracting the highlights from a lengthy 41-year career required numerous breakfasts, lunches and dinners together. The chief is a great storyteller and admittedly possesses a photographic memory. His ability to recite the smallest and most seemingly insignificant information is truly remarkable. The challenge in putting this story together was in sifting through hours of taped conversations and written notes to boil down the essence of a broad and fulfilling career.

I am hard-pressed to recall anyone who possesses the same level of passion, commitment and boundless energy as this man.

During our last late-evening interview over dinner at the Enlisted Club, the chief excused himself from our table -- in mid-sentence -- to engage two young airmen at a nearby table in a jovial discussion.

Assuming that he was conducting unfinished business, I asked him how he'd come to know the two airmen. He replied, "By simply walking up and introducing myself just then."

Sensing my confusion, the chief continued, "It's important for young airmen to know that a chief master sergeant is paying attention to and caring for their wellbeing. Plus, I just left an indelible impression on those two young airmen."

Shaking my head while dictating his quote, I chided myself for expecting anything less and conceded that the indelible impression had been left on me as well.