Photo By Maj. Amanda Hammond | BM3 Bianca Valenzuela and her crew conduct anti-terrorism missions around Guantanamo...... read more read more
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GUANTANAMO BAY, Cuba - Petty Officer 3rd Class Bianca Valenzuela is the only woman in the Waterside Security Detachment of Port Security Unit 312, and she said she likes it that way. Valenzuela has been the only woman in the unit for the last four years, and she said she feels like, “one of the guys.”
Petty Officer 2nd Class Erik Guy, also assigned to the Waterside Security Detachment, agreed.
“You kind of don’t even think of her as a girl,” Guy said. “She’s just Valenzuela. She’s actually scarier than some of the guys.”
And that’s not a bad thing. As a boatswain’s mate assigned to waterside security, Valenzuela and her crew are the first line of defense when it comes to protecting Guantanamo Bay.
“Since this place is so high security, we are just making sure no foreign vessel enters,” Valenzuela said.
Valenzuela and the rest of her crew constantly patrol the waters in and around Guantanamo Bay watching vigilantly for threats to port security. They have to be tough because they have to be ready to engage potential enemies at a moment’s notice.
“The guys will say stuff like, ‘Hey, you’re a female! Get up there and flex those muscles and show them how it’s done!’” Valenzuela said.
Valenzuela says most of the people in her unit have been together for at least three or four years, and the group has formed extremely close bonds. After spending so much time together she’s used to the teasing.
“I have a great group. They play the big brother part really well, and they have a lot of great knowledge to share,” Valenzuela said.
This is Valenzuela’s first deployment, and she said the training she received at home made it a good mission.
“I love it here,” Valenzuela said. “The training we do at home is pretty close to what we do here. We don’t want to use deadly force, warnings usually work. But that’s why we train and drill.”
With only a few months left in the unit’s rotation, Valenzuela has a new goal; make coxswain before the end of her tour. In order to do that, Valenzuela has a tough road of preparation and studying ahead of her, but according to Valenzuela’s supervisor, Petty Officer 1st Class Steven Harvey, she’s got what it takes.
“She holds her own for sure,” Harvey said. “She made engineer and tactical crewman very quickly. When she went to BM school she came back a team player and a hard charger. If she keeps plugging away like she’s been doing, she’ll definitely make it by the end of the year.”
Guy agreed.
“She’s determined,” Guy said. “She also has really good boat handling skill. She’s got a great sense of how the boat handles.”
If she succeeds at making coxswain, Valenzuela will be setting the example for future members of the Waterside Security Detachment of both genders.
“I joined the Coastguard because I wanted to serve my country, and I needed to jump start my life,” Valenzuela said. “It’s the best decision I ever made. I really feel like one of the guys!”
| Date Taken: | 11.11.2014 |
| Date Posted: | 11.13.2014 13:37 |
| Story ID: | 147721 |
| Location: | CU |
| Web Views: | 132 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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