CLA Kordel Moore Returns to MMA After 13-Month Deployment

Missouri Military Academy CLA SGT Kordel Moore has returned to the Academy after a 13-month deployment. In October 2022, SGT Moore was activated to assist with a DOD-approved mission to address issues on the southwest border in Operation Guardian Support (OGS). SGT Moore's tasks supported the mission of the Department of Homeland Security and Customs and Border Patrol. He was also tasked as the 2nd platoon liaison, where he worked with local entities (such as food banks and ranches) to manage administrative and support issues.

"During this time, I learned that people who cared about me (platoon leader, squad leader, teammates) would not let me fail and would push me to succeed," SGT Moore says. "I learned that a good leader will push their troops to better themselves in more ways than one."

SGT Moore is happy to be back at the Academy. As a CLA, he has the responsibility of mentoring, coaching, teaching and being a role model for cadets.

"I believe the most important part of my job is to make sure these cadets graduate from MMA and become great leaders," he says. "To me, MMA is not entirely a school, but a brotherhood that starts from the day cadets attend the Passing Through Ceremony to when they grow as an individual who learns discipline, respect and self-care."

As a CLA, SGT Moore's main goal is to help cadets learn life skills they wouldn't learn at a regular school, such as discipline, leadership and resiliency. After his recent deployment, he also wants to help cadets understand the importance of leaping into the unknown.

"Jumping into new opportunities can help you grow as a person," he says. "When I volunteered to jump on OGS, I expected to either get sent home early or to come back without anything changing. Since I `ventured into the unknown,' I was able to grow and get a lot more opportunities, such as promoting and attending the Basic Leadership Course at Fort Bliss, Texas."

Throughout the Fort Bliss mission, SGT Moore earned awards for promotion points that boosted him to his next promotion, lost 40 pounds and became healthier.

"As a cadet, or a young man with less life experience, a lot of opportunities will come to you that you won't know what the outcome will be," he says. "I implore you to take on those opportunities as I did. You will learn valuable life experiences that you can use later in your life."

During his deployment, SGT Moore grew by learning his limits and managing the expectations set in front of him. Through his experiences, he says cadets can learn how to manage what they have in front of them daily at the Academy.

"After the Academy, whether cadets go into the service or the workforce, task and time management is an essential skill that can always be improved and is something a lot of employers will notice quickly," he says.

SGT Moore says the most significant lessons he learned during his deployment were patience, listening and understanding. His biggest piece of life advice for cadets?

"Don't be afraid to take on new roles and learn," he says. "This will help you build skills you can use in the future."

SGT Moore is the son of Michael Moore of Holliday, and the late Kathleen Moore.