Triangle, Virginia -- TRIANGLE, Virginia – As the temperature dipped below 20 degrees, a small, frigid formation of Marines stood in front of the National Museum of the Marine Corps. The cold wind was biting, but it wasn’t enough to stop them from attending the new chief warrant officer 2’s appointment ceremony.
Douglas McGlothlin was called to the front of the formation. His wife, Tiffany, and the executive officer of Recruiting Station Baltimore, Capt. Rineet Rajan, removed the gunnery sergeant chevrons from his collar – earned through 15 years of service – and replaced them with the bars of a warrant officer.
“I’m extremely humbled, said McGlothlin, a native of Waldorf, Maryland. “I definitely don’t take the responsibility lightly. It’s nerve racking. There’s a big relief that I reached a pivotal goal of mine, but at the same time, I understand the burden of responsibility and the weight that has just been placed on my shoulders.”
McGlothlin enlisted in the Marine Corps in 2000 and served as an aviation operations specialist, deploying overseas four times. He was selected for recruiting duty in 2009 and was stationed at Recruiting Station Baltimore. After successfully completing his first tour of recruiting duty with several commendations, he was designated as a career recruiter and served as the operations chief for RS Baltimore.
In the Marine Corps, a warrant officer will usually fulfill the duties of a commissioned officer, but with added technical expertise and practical experience. An enlisted Marine is able to apply for the warrant officer program after serving for eight years and achieving the rank of sergeant.
For McGlothlin, the choice to become a warrant officer came down to two factors: challenge and impact.
“There’s more of a challenge, and part of being a Marine is to take on challenges and to make the biggest impact,” said McGlothlin. “Whether I stay in for five years or for another 15 years, I only have so long to make an impact, and I feel that as a chief warrant officer, I’ll be able to make a greater impact on Marines.”
McGlothlin chose Capt. Rajan to conduct his appointment ceremony because he considers him one of his mentors. Rajan had previously worked with McGlothlin as the operations officer for RS Baltimore and was able to prepare him for his next assignment as the operations officer at Recruiting Station Chicago.
“As my operations officer, he taught me a lot about the job I’m going to do, but really about being an officer, what it is to be an officer, what it means…how to handle yourself professionally,” said McGlothlin. “There really couldn’t have been a better person to have conducted my appointment.”
Rajan feels McGlothlin will excel as the operations officer at RS Chicago.
“He is a passionate Marine who genuinely cares about all Marines,” said Rajan, a native of Silver Spring, Maryland. “He is a quick learner, a great teacher and an extremely competent Marine. His ability to solve complex problems and communicate effectively sets him apart from his peers.”