AT TAQADDUM, Iraq -- The Marine Corps has just found it’s newest, most senior enlisted position in the communications field here, Feb. 20.
Master Gunnery Sgt. Byron M. Bissessar, 1st Marine Logistics Group communications chief, is accepting the title of Command, Control, Communications and Computers Chief from Headquarters, Marine Corps.
This position was developed due to gaps within the ground forces and Headquarters in Washington, D. C., said Bissessar. They never had a communications chief to see what was taking place in the field firsthand.
Bissessar, of Washington, D. C., plans to serve the Marines that work for him through proper training, proper procurement of new equipment and contact in the field. He plans on being in the field with Marines as much as possible to learn about the effectiveness of gear they use.
Bissessar wants to do his best to fill the position while fulfilling the needs of his Marines.
“I need to make sure a standard is set,” Bissessar said about the new billet. “If I don’t do that, then it is a wasted position.”
CWO-3 Terence L. Whitlock, data chief, Headquarters Company, 1st MLG, has known Bissessar since July, 2005.
“I learned his true passion for the communications field when I deployed with him,” said Whitlock, a Biloxi, Miss. Native. “His years of experience in various units and his vision for the future of the communications field makes him the best man for the job.”
In order to be qualified for this position, a minimum of 25 years of service in the Corps was a must, according to Bissessar. After 27 years, Bissessar has served in various commands in the Marine Corps. From serving as a drill instructor at Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island, S. C., to a staff academy instructor in El Toro, Calif., to Iraq four times, he has accomplished much throughout his career.
“I knew everyone who was on the final list. Every one of them would have done well,” Bissessar said.
“I started from a basic radio operator, to being a Morse code data puncher, to a wireman,” Bissessar continued. He wanted to teach Marines what he had learned throughout his career, so he became an instructor at the Marine Corps Communications School at Camp Geiger, N. C.
Bissessar always recommended what was best and fair for the communications community as a whole, Whitlock said.
“What good am I if I don’t share my knowledge?” Bissessar said. “If I can’t continue to contribute to the Marine Corps, it is time for me to get out.”
“None of us make it to this level without some help,” Bissessar added. I was fortunate enough that I had a lot of help along the way.”
That help Bissessar received paid off. Now, he is on top of the communication field he so loves.