Photo By Cpl. Mark Watola | Gunnery Sgt. Ralston Everett, Aircraft Rescue and Firefighting trucks chief, brings in...... read more read more
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On every Marine Corps air station there are Aircraft Rescue and Firefighting Marines, who provide peace of mind for pilots and air crew. They can save Marines’ lives in an aircraft incident and take care of other first responder needs.
Of the ARFF Marines, there are a select few who look after the trucks and equipment.
Gunnery Sgt. Ralston Everett, ARFF trucks chief, is one of these ARFF Marines who keeps the trucks operationally ready.
Everett is set apart from others, having a ‘sixth sense’ when it comes to looking after ARFF vehicles.
"The sixth sense is that I somehow have the ability to just walk up and find stuff that has been unknown to them for weeks," said Everett. "I’ll just show up, and it’s like I sense it. I tell them it’s not a special ability. It’s just something that I’ve learned to hone over the years."
Like any Marine, Everett’s attention to detail was put to the test as a junior Marine through field day inspections and uniform inspections.
"In my earlier Marine Corps life, (private first class) growing up, you have to have this sixth sense about stuff or you’ll be paying for it," said Everett. "It starts to sink in when someone walks up and just immediately fails you. (The sixth sense) is more like an increased sense of attention to detail. That’s why I find stuff."
But Everett’s heightened sense of awareness didn’t start as a junior Marine. It began with his upbringing in Jamaica.
"It started with my mom," said Everett. "I swear my mom was the Nazi of all things clean and order. It had to be done right, and I actually lived through this whole ‘white glove inspection.’ I lived that life before the Marine Corps."
The saying, "do it right the first time, or do it again" held true to Everett’s upbringing, and continued in his Marine Corps career.
"My mom would tell us to go clean the furniture, and when we’re done she would actually come by and drag her finger on it," said Everett. "If there was dust on it or if her finger left any trails in it we cleaned again. So it’s that attention to detail that was instilled in me by my mom from an early age and it just continued and increased in the Marine Corps."
Everett moved to New York at the age of 21 and enlisted in the Marine Corps April 21, 1998. He signed with an open contract and became a part of ARFF.
Having been part of ARFF his entire career, Everett has gained more responsibilities in his military occupational specialty. Currently he is the trucks chief.
"I have to identify and prioritize what needs work and get that into the shop and ensure that it comes timely turn around," said Everett. "When it’s done I still have to inspect it again to make sure that the fix is done properly, and then I turn it over to the Marines. I don’t just want to hand it over to the Marines and it just breaks again or someone gets injured."
As any good Marine does, Everett looks after the wellbeing of his Marines in addition to vehicle maintenance.
"He actually looks out for everyone before himself," said Sgt. Alexander Eannottie, ARFF trucks noncommissioned officer. "When they say that SNCOs have an open-door policy, he has one. If I had a problem, I could go to him. He’d stop what he was doing and listen to what I would have to say. He’s a good person to talk to."
Everett serves as role model for his Marines, and he is driven to put forth his full effort at any task he pursues.
"Just do the best you can while you can, that’s basically what drives me," said Everett. "Just do the best you can and try to inspire others because the junior Marines need inspiration."
| Date Taken: | 04.07.2016 |
| Date Posted: | 04.11.2016 15:46 |
| Story ID: | 195059 |
| Location: | NC, US |
| Web Views: | 82 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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