Photo By Staff Sgt. Nathanael Carberry | Captain Monica Meese is a KC-130J and Gulfstream 550 pilot who is featured in Marine...... read more read more
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MARINE CORPS BASE QUANTICO, Va. – Monica Meese was inspired at a young age to be a pilot.
“My mother even still has a picture I drew when I was seven years old,” she said, with a chuckle.
At that age military service was not a thought in her mind. After all, her family had no military background.
She pioneered that route when she left her childhood home in Irvine, Calif., and attended the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis, Md. This is where she made the decision to commission as a United States Marine. She went on to obtain her flight wings at Corpus Christi, Texas, and deployed twice to Afghanistan and once to support Operation Tomodachi in Japan as a KC-130J pilot.
Today, 28-year-old Capt. Monica Meese has a unique opportunity as a female Hispanic Marine.
She accepted an offer to be one of two featured Marines in the Marine Corps Recruiting Command’s newest diversity advertising campaign while attending Expeditionary Warfare School at Marine Corps Base Quantico, Va. The campaign, titled Fighting with Purpose (FWP), will be launched Nov. 8.
FWP will activate via television, print, digital and mobile media outlets with the intent to attract potential African American and Hispanic American officer candidates. It showcases Marine officers such as Meese in order to highlight the idea of service as it applies to helping those in need, both globally and in their local communities.
Following the launch, a video feature of Meese will appear on the “Community Impact” page at Marines.com/Impact.
Meese, whose full page print ad will appear in Vibe, ESPN Magazine, Diversity Careers, Sports Illustrated and other publications, said she joined the campaign to help change commonly accepted perceptions about the Corps.
“Often, when people think of Marines, they think of males,” she said. “I want people to realize that within the Marine Corps there are important and rewarding opportunities to serve, regardless of background or gender. I hope the campaign helps shape the Marine Corps to represent our diverse nation.”
Meese, who now calls Casa Grande, Ariz., her home, said she hopes the ad is an inspiration for young people and a driving force in realizing their goals and lifelong dreams.
She is currently assigned to Fleet Logistics Support Squadron 1, located at Joint Base Andrews, Md., where she pilots a Gulfstream 550. She provides transportation to the Secretary of the Navy, the Commandant of the Marine Corps, and other senior Navy Department personnel.
| Date Taken: | 11.05.2012 |
| Date Posted: | 11.08.2012 16:45 |
| Story ID: | 97510 |
| Location: | AL, US |
| Web Views: | 236 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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