Meet our MEF: Lance Cpl Zachary A. Cronn

OKINAWA, JAPAN

06.24.2021

Photo by Lance Cpl. Stephanie Varela 

III Marine Expeditionary Force   

U.S. Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Zachary A. Cronn, accounting noncommissioned officer-in-charge, G-8, III Marine Expeditionary Force, poses for a photo on Okinawa, Japan, June 23, 2021. His duties include identifying and fixing financial errors in III MEF units and supporting fiscal requirements for III MEF operations and exercises. III MEF requires complex financial transactions to purchase equipment and pay contractors at locations throughout the Indo-Pacific. Cronn is originally from Jackson, Miss., but grew up in Jacksonville, Fla. He joined the Marine Corps on June 10, 2019.

“I was working at a little known establishment called McDonald’s. It wasn’t a good environment, and some bad stuff happened. I was working to pay for college, but I quickly realized that maybe college wasn’t for me. I decided that I needed to look for a way to be able to support a family down the line and have a steady paycheck. I didn’t want to have to worry about if I am going to be able to turn my lights on or where my next meal was coming from. That’s when I found the Marine Corps. I enlisted shortly after, and I left for boot camp. Today, I am working as the accounting NCOIC. I primarily deal with the errors in the system from different units spending money. We want to be as accurate as possible in our budget so the MEF can spend what it needs and in turn, keep rolling. That is why my military occupational specialty is so important. Without money and the accounting of it, the Marine Corps wouldn’t be able to operate and execute the mission.”
(U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Stephanie Varela)

• Date Taken: 06.24.2021
• Date Posted: 06.27.2021 19:14
• Photo ID: 6710994
• VIRIN: 210624-M-JL820-1001
• Resolution: 4465x2758
• Size: 4.96 MB
• Location: OKINAWA, JP
• Hometown: JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA, US