Adam Luckwaldt

As a former Sergeant of Marines, Adam quite predictably claims to be a jack-of-all-trades, but of particular note he has over three years' experience as a military career counselor.

Adam joined the Marine Corps Reserve in 2001 and has served a total of 10 years on both active and reserve duty, including two overseas tours in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom.

From 2008 to 2011, Sergeant Luckwaldt was the Career Planner for 6th Communication Battalion in Brooklyn, New York. During his tenure he provided personalized career counseling to hundreds of active and reserve Marines, and contributed to recruiting and public affairs efforts in the Greater New York Area.

In prior tours he has served variously as an electronics technician, administrative clerk, prison guard, and amateur baker du jour of the finest Marine Corps Birthday Cake ever assembled from scavenged field rations.

His military decorations include the Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal, Combat Action Ribbon, and the Iraq Campaign Medal.

In his new civilian life, Adam works at the Manhattan VA Medical Center through the GI Bill Work-Study Program where, among other duties, he helps the NY Department of Labor's Veteran Outreach Counselor teach weekly classes in resume writing and job seeking skills to unemployed veterans.

Adam is a graduate on the President's Honor Roll from the Marine Corps Sergeant's Course at Quantico, VA and the Career Retention Specialist Course at Recruiters School, Marine Corps Recruit Depot San Diego, CA.

While in the Marine Reserve, he studied psychology at the State University of New York at Stony Brook. He is currently pursuing a bachelor's degree in nursing at Long Island University's Brooklyn Campus.

When I was helping young Marines choose their career paths, I always kept in mind this lesson from Recruiters School: Seek the need behind the need. In other words, dig deeper. What do you hope to get out of a career in the military? Money? Pride? Escapism? I hope you'll find that my articles and blog posts give you ample material to help you explore your own "need behind the need" and arrive at the best decision for your future, whether you're on the brink of joining the service or currently in uniform.