Brody shares his earliest memories of the meat market, his influential role models, and the invaluable lessons learned from his time in the Marine Corps. Discover the unique challenges and rewards of balancing military service with family traditions.

Sergeant Major Brody J. Bourgeois is a native of Thibodaux, LA and enlisted in the United States Marine Corps on 23 June 2003. He completed recruit training at Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island, SC and then reported to Main Battle Tank Repairer/Technician school in Fort Knox, KY. While there, he was promoted to Private First Class and then meritoriously promoted to Lance Corporal upon graduation as the class leader and the Honor Graduate, obtaining the 2146 MOS (Tank Mechanic). In February 2004, Lance Corporal Bourgeois reported to General Support Maintenance (GSM) Company, 2d Maintenance Battalion, Camp Lejeune, NC as a tank mechanic; and was meritoriously promoted to Corporal in September that same year. Corporal Bourgeois then deployed to Al Taqaddum, Iraq with GSM Detachment, Combat Logistics Regiment 25, 2d Force Service Support Group Forward in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom from February to September 2005. While deployed, Corporal Bourgeois served as the Noncommissioned Officer in Charge (NCOIC) of the Tool Room and Pre-Expendables Bin for the Detachment. Upon his return, he was assigned as the Tool Room NCOIC for GSM Company, 2d Maintenance Bn. In February 2006, he was meritoriously promoted to Sergeant and assigned as Platoon Sergeant for Engines Platoon, GSM Company until June 2007, when he received an honorable discharge from the Active Component and transferred to the Inactive Ready Reserve (IRR). In July 2009, Sergeant Bourgeois transferred to the Selected Marine Corps Reserve, reporting to 4th Marine Aircraft Wing (MAW), Marine Forces Reserve in New Orleans, LA for on-the-job training in the G1 Headquarters (HQ) as an Administrative Clerk with intent to conduct a lateral move. In June 2010, he was promoted to Staff Sergeant and the following year, Staff Sergeant Bourgeois reported to the Intermediate Administrative Specialist Course on Camp Johnson, NC and graduated in July 2011 as a distinguished graduate of class 5-11 with the 0151 MOS (Administrative Specialist). Upon graduation, Staff Sergeant Bourgeois returned to the G1, 4th MAW HQ as the Personnel Chief and Assistant Administrative Chief. In June 2015, he was promoted to Gunnery Sergeant and held multiple assignments as the Command Deck SNCOIC, Administrative Chief, and Company Gunnery Sergeant for 4th MAW HQ until he was selected and frocked to the rank of First Sergeant in April 2018. In May 2018, First Sergeant Bourgeois reported to Headquarters and Service (H&S) Company, Intelligence Support Battalion (ISB), Force Headquarters Group in Mobile, AL as the Company First Sergeant. This Company was later designated as Battlespace Surveillance Company with the realignment of ISB.

In May 2021, First Sergeant Bourgeois was transferred to H&S Company, 1st Battalion, 23d Marines in Houston, TX as the Company First Sergeant, and in August that same year, he was selected to attend the Air Force Senior Noncommissioned Officer Academy at Maxwell Air Force Base in Montgomery, AL and graduated as a “Top 4” Distinguished Graduate of class 21G. In March 2023, he was selected for promotion to Sergeant Major and frocked on 23 April 2023.

On 21 May 2023, Sergeant Major Bourgeois assumed the duties of his current billet as Squadron Sergeant Major of Marine Wing Support Squadron-473, Marine Aircraft Group-41, at Marine Corps Air Station, Miramar, CA. Sergeant Major Bourgeois' personal awards include the Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal and Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal with gold star in lieu of second award. Sergeant Major Bourgeois works as a butcher of a 4th generation, family-owned Meat Market in Schriever, LA that has been in operation since 1891. Additionally, he holds an Associate of Applied Sciences Degree from Delgado Community College and works as a Physical Therapist Assistant throughout the Terrebonne and Lafourche Parish areas of South Louisiana with a focus on home health and inpatient rehabilitation care.

USMC

In this episode, Shane sits down with Brandon Naquin, the general manager of Spahr's in Downtown Thibodaux, Louisiana. Brandon, a third-generation Bourgeois customer and a graduate of the Chef John Folse Culinary Institute at Nicholls State University, shares his passion for cooking, insights into culinary school, and the importance of customer service in the restaurant industry.

Listen in as Brandon recounts his early memories of Bourgeois Meat Market, discusses the challenges and joys of managing a historic restaurant, and reveals his favorite family recipes. This conversation is a treasure trove of wisdom for future generations in any industry, emphasizing the importance of preserving heritage, building relationships, and mastering one's craft.

Join us as we sit down with Mr. Francis Hebert, who just celebrated his 96th birthday. Born in 1928 in Southwest Louisiana, Francis has lived a life that reads like an epic novel.

His book titled: "Brother Crow and Me" is a memoir of Francis A. Hebert who was born during the Great Depression era and who gives readers a look back at simpler, but harder times. He recounts his own adventures from boyhood, living in the swamps of SW Louisiana, making his way early, hopping freight trains across country, through soldiering with the U.S. Army Air Force, doing construction work, owning a trucking business, and inventing mechanical devices.

Brother Crow and Me