Photo By Sgt. Jack Adamyk | Major General Vincent Coglianese, Commander, Marine Corps Installations Command,...... read more read more
Marine of the Quarter Lance Cpl. Jessica Hernandez is no stranger to being recognized for her work ethic and knowledge of her military occupational specialty aboard Marine Corps Logistics Base Barstow, California.
Hernandez said her job as an administrative records clerk with S-1 means she is responsible for updating all of the paperwork after a Marine gets promoted. When somebody new arrives at MCLB, she takes care of their records and makes sure they get the proper pay and that they are assigned to quarters.
“I’m actually the person who has worked in S-1 the longest because I’ve been here almost two years,” Hernandez said.
Staff Sergeant Pedro Villa, the noncommissioned officer in charge of S-1, said he nominated Hernandez for the recognition because of her drive to be the best at anything she does.
“Lance Corporal Hernandez is basically doing the work of an NCO in her position,” Villa said. “She is the go-to person for any questions regarding military personnel records. Hernandez could run that section by herself.”
Hernandez was selected as Military Volunteer of the Year in April 2017 for her work with a Barstow-based foodbank, as a member of the Marine Corps Ball committee in 2017 and as a member of the executive council with the Single Marine Program. Hernandez also volunteered 117 hours of her time to work with the S.H.O.C.K. program, which shows at-risk youth an alternative to continuing down the wrong path.
“This past year I volunteered to be one of the judges at the Barstow Unified School District Science Fair,” Hernandez said. “I also work with the SMP, not just as treasurer but during fundraising events. I also volunteered to teach the students how to do military drill at Yermo Elementary School.”
The lance corporal said she had never considered joining any other branch of the military but the Marines.
“As the youngest of three children, my parents weren’t against the idea, but they weren’t fond of it, either,” Hernandez said. “To see their youngest go off into the military wasn’t exactly an ideal situation for them.”
The 20-year-old native of Houston joined the Marines two weeks after graduating from high school in June 2016 and attended boot camp at Parris Island, S.C.
“Boot camp was a lot of mental as well as physical stress,” Hernandez said. “I had to struggle to get used to it. It was something very new to me.”
Her combat training was completed at Camp Roy Geiger, N.C., and her MOS training took place at Camp Gilbert H. Johnson, also in North Carolina.
Hernandez said she arrived at MCLB Barstow in February 2017 and was surprised at its size, but she did not consider that to be a drawback.
“I 100 percent feel we have an amazing command,” she said. “I feel the command and higher-ups really look out for us.”
She plans to go the distance in the Corps. “Without a doubt, I want to go the full 20 years and make the Marine Corps a career. That’s always been my goal.”
“I also want to be stationed in Japan,” Hernandez said. “I want to go to a deployable base.”
The lance corporal has some advice for anyone on the fence about whether to join the Marine Corps.
“I consider it to be an honor to be a Marine,” she said. “If anyone doesn’t get motivation to join from thinking about the honor of the job, then they should go elsewhere. This is the few and the proud. Only a few are going to make it.”
| Date Taken: | 01.24.2019 |
| Date Posted: | 01.24.2019 18:03 |
| Story ID: | 308163 |
| Location: | MARINE CORPS LOGISTICS BASE BARSTOW, CA, US |
| Hometown: | HOUSTON, TX, US |
| Web Views: | 124 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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