Senior Naval Science Instructor

Bio

Master Gunnery Sergeant Willis is a native of Valdosta, Georgia where he attended the Valwood School. MGySgt Willis joined the United States Marine Corps in June of 1986 and attended Recruit Training at Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island, South Carolina where he was the third Battalion "Hotel" Company Honor Grade and High PFTer. He then went on to graduate from Field Radio Operator school in Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center 29 Palms, CA. His first assignment was with Marine Wing Support Squadron 171 at Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni, Japan as a communication Operators and later went to Marine Air Control Group 28 Cherry Point N.C. where after two consecutive months of being Marine of the Month and Marine of the Quater he was meritoriously promoted to Corporal. In 1990 MGySgt Willis reenlisted in the Marine Corps and laterally transferred into the Aviation Maintenance Administration Occupational Field. In 1990 then Corporal Willis was deployed to Desert Sheild/Desert Storm. In 1994 MGySgt Willis received orders to Marine Corps Recruit Depot San Diego, CA. to attend Recruiters School where he was later assigned to Sixth Marine Corps District Parris Island, S.C. Recruiting Station (RS) Orlando, Florida, Recruiting Substation (RSS) St. Petersburg, Florida as a recruiter. In 1996 MGySgt Willis was assigned as the Staff-Noncommissioned Officer in charge of RSS St Petersburg where they received the District High Honors. MGySgt was also awarded Recruiter of the Year for RS Orlando along with several months as the Recruiter of the Month. He also trained 10 recruiters whilst NCOIC. Through the rest of MGySgt Willis' career, he was stationed at Okinawa, Japan; Pensacola, Florida; Kaneohe Bay, Hawaii; New River, North Carolina; and Norfolk, Virginia as well as deploying to Iraq and Afghanistan in 2008. MGySgt retired in 2016 in Naval Station Norfolk where he afterward trained to become an NJROTC Instructor and moved back to Jacksonville, Florida. In 2017 MGySgt Willis started the NJROTC program at Oakleaf High School where he plans to stay and grow the program for the foreseeable future.