 Lance Corporal Taylor Atkins has been a Marine for a year and a half and has already taken advantage of leadership opportunities. The 20-year-old rifleman is serving a seven-month deployment to Marja, Afghanistan, and has picked up many roles in his squad. He says having a wide range of experience is preparing him to become a leader. I mean, I'm ready to take on responsibility, and I try to do my best when given that. Platoon Commander First Lieutenant Brian Anderson says the efforts of the Marines under his command never go unnoticed. It's just demonstrating that ability that you want to lead and you want that extra responsibility. That goes a long way. Just as the Marines here are ready to transfer security responsibilities to Afghan forces, senior Marines are also ready to pass leadership responsibilities to their junior Marines. Reporting from Marja, Afghanistan, I'm Marine Sergeant Michael C. Fuentes.