Cape Girardeau native receives Marine award

For maintaining his leadership and ability to multitask while keeping his cool, former Cape Girardeau resident Capt. Ernest Todd Nordman recently was awarded the 2013 1st Lt. Travis Manion Memorial Marine Corps Officer Logistician of the Year Award.

Nordman, who has been a Marine since 2005, received the recognition Feb. 27 at the Ground Logistics Awards Dinner at the Crystal Gateway Marriott in Arlington, Va., from the Gen. James F. Amos, commandant of the U.S. Marine Corps and a member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. On hand were Nordman's wife, Malia, and his parents, Judy and Ernie of Cape Girardeau.

He served in Iraq and Afghanistan, but it was during the past year in Afghanistan that Nordman distinguished himself from his peers as a logistics officer and leader of Marines, according to information provided by his father.

From May 2013 to January of this year, Nordman served as II Marine Expeditionary Force Headquarters Group logistics officer and headquarters company commander. In this job, he was responsible for the movement of personnel and equipment throughout the battle stage.

"We are in charge of maintenance, transportation, supply, embarkation -- movement of personnel by ship or plane, ammo, all those things are functions of logistics," Nordman said in a telephone interview from his home in Sneads Ferry, N.C.

The soldier's job is to "take the war to whoever we are fighting," move forward, close in and destroy the enemy, he said. "They can't do that without us maintaining his equipment," Nordman said. "It's very much a partnership between them and us. ..."

Nordman now is logistics officer for the 2nd Air Naval Gun Fire Liaison Company, which provides terminal guidance of any ordnance dropped by U.S. or coalition forces.

Nordman said he was ecstatic to be put in for the honor, which cites his work in Afghanistan, by his commanding officer. Nordman said he knew he was working hard for his CO and the 52 people under him were doing great things, but he wondered if his boss felt the same way. The award was proof.

And receiving it from Amos was a bonus that Nordman deemed "pretty cool."

He said the deployment in Afghanistan was "long and it was hard and ... there's no days off."

A short day, Nordman said, would be 12 hours, but most would run 14 to 16 hours. When he came home, Nordman was excited to see his family, but "absolutely exhausted."

" ... I know someone appreciated all the effort, appreciated the fact that me and my men put our heart, our soul, into working and supporting officers throughout the battle space. That was noteworthy," Nordman said. "Nobody gets the award without the guys underneath them doing great things ... I appreciate the fact that everybody's efforts were [rewarded]."

A Cape Girardeau Central High School and Southeast Missouri State University graduate, Nordman was in his late 20s and unhappy in his advertising job before joining the Marines. Nordman said his brother-in-law Joe Narsh, a former Marine married to Nordman's sister, Rachael, was a big influence on his decision.

Narsh told Nordman he could go to Officer Candidate School and emerge an officer since he has a college degree. After finishing OCS, Nordman was commissioned as a 2nd lieutenant in August 2005, went to The Basic School in September of that year, and then to logistics officer course at Camp Lejeune, N.C.

His parents, especially his mother, weren't thrilled at first, but now they think their son made the right choice. Along with Rachael, the Nordman's have another daughter, Gretchen McMillen, and eight grandchildren.

"He's kind of a late bloomer, really," Ernie Nordman said. "This has been a great move for him. He is the epitome of a marine. He really is. He looks like one, he acts like one, he talks like one, and he is. I couldn't be prouder of him."

Along with furthering his education, absorbing Marine values and meeting "very bright" officers and enlisted people, 37-year-old Nordman said one of the benefits of the corps is the mentoring members receive.

"Sometimes the best conversations you have are those you don't enjoy very much. ... You don't want to have that conversation again, so you correct the problem and learn from it," Nordman said.

Nordman's personal decorations include the Joint Service Commendation Medal, Joint Service Achievement Medal, Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal and the Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal.

rcampbell@semissourian.com

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