ST. LOUIS -- Daryl J. Scales always had the dream of becoming a Marine. His thoughts were confirmed when he saw an average man, slay a lava monster in the popular 90’s recruiting commercial.
After graduating from University of Missouri with a degree in history and a minor in African-American studies, Scales decided to pursue becoming a Marine officer.
“It’s about unassuming individuals doing something heroic,” said Scales, a second lieutenant in the Marine Corps. “The uniform says something about you, what you’ve accomplished and what people before you have accomplished.”
As a Phi Beta Sigma alumni, Scales has always had a respect for diversity and has always shown a strong interest in giving back to his local community.
According to their website, the fraternity is dedicated to instilling selflessness and dedication into the hearts of its members in hopes they will use those resources to give back and improve their local community.
Marines strive for unity at all times to accomplish common goals and to positively affect their surrounding environment, Scales said.
Around the globe, from the Pacific to the Middle East, Marines of all ethnicities are engaged in combat operations, humanitarian and disaster relief assistance and local-community based activities, which to Scales shows willingness to help anybody, in any clime or place.
“I still actively participate with Phi Beta Sigma one Saturday a month,” Scales said. “It kind of prepared me for the Marine Corps, especially with selflessness, and helped me become technically sound and tactically proficient.”
It’s for neither college credit nor community service hours for a graduate program that Scales gives back to his community. He does it because he genuinely enjoys helping those in need.
“At any moment, we could lose everything we have,” Scales said. “In a time of need, I’d want someone to help me out, so why should I avoid helping other people in those situations?”
That concept is evident in the Marine Corps and on the battlefield; when things get tough, every Marine know he can turn to the Marine on their left and right regardless of race or ethnicity. Everyone is out there together on the same six to nine mile hikes, Scales said.
By going out and being involved in helping the community, he influenced his cousin to join the Marine Corps, Scales said.
“He saw me doing great things and then becoming part of something bigger, and he shared the same interest,” he said.
The Marine Corps will continue to adapt to meet the needs of the nation, Scales said. We will remain diverse, and we will continue to remind Marines of the importance of giving back to the community, no matter how miniscule it may seem.
“The Marine Corps is kind of like a melting pot of different people, and that’s why I think it’s so successful,” Scales said. “It changes the thought process and it allows you to view the problem from different angles, I think that’s what constantly keeps us ‘The Force in Readiness’.”