Photo By Staff Sgt. Jorge Rosales | Sgt. Jesse A. Shockley, a canvassing recruiter with Recruiting Substation Panama City,...... read more read more
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PANAMA CITY, Fla. – Growing up in Panama City Beach, Sgt. Jesse A. Shockley noticed that a lot of his friends joined the Army, Navy, and Air Force immediately after high school. Shockley graduated from J. R. Arnold High School in 2012, and became the first member of his family to graduate from high school. With this achievement under his belt, Shockley took off to speak to his local Navy recruiter.
Shockley was determined to break free of the path of mundane minimum wage paying jobs that many of his relatives had settled for. The Navy was it, he thought, until he decided to take a detour on his way to speak to the Navy recruiters. Shockley stopped by the Marine Corps recruiting office, which stood a few doors down from his original destination. This decision would alter the rest of his life.
“My senior year, when I was looking at starting my enlistment, I was thinking about the other branches besides the Marine Corps because I felt like I wasn’t good enough,” said Shockley. “The day I came to the recruiting offices, I had a spark of clarity, and realized that I would never achieve the level of success that I wanted to achieve if I always told myself that I wasn’t good enough. That day, I went to the Marine Corps and never looked back or doubted my choice.”
Shockley enlisted the same year under the primary military occupational specialty of 6123 T64 turboshaft engine intermediate repairer. The Marine Corps provided him with the skills and knowledge it took to be successful in his occupation.
“I love being able to troubleshoot an issue and being able to break down how the engine works as well as being able to be the pivotal point to ensure that the mission gets completed,” said Shockley.
After successful tours in Marine Corps Base Hawaii and Marine Corps Air Station New River, North Carolina, Shockley was slated for recruiting duty. In November of 2019, Shockley was stationed at the very same recruiting station that changed his life, Recruiting Substation Panama City.
“When I walk in to the RSS, it’s crazy to see the very same spot I stood when I first talked to my recruiter,” said Shockley. “I love being back in the community and being an ambassador for the Marine Corps.”
Shockley works out of Permanent Contact Station Fort Walton, Recruiting Substation Panama City and is one of 45 canvassing recruiters at Recruiting Station Montgomery. RS Montgomery is responsible for finding quality young men and women and preparing them for transformative training held at Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island, South Carolina.
“In a world of social media and the internet, our world is moving faster and faster,” said Shockley. “Your plan today can change tomorrow. That sure bet may slip through your fingers. The Marine Corps has been the vessel for the finest Americans achieving their goals and dreams for centuries but don’t let that opportunity slip through your fingers.
For more information about RSS Mobile or recruiting operations at RS Montgomery, please contact Cpl. Terry D. Haynes, the marketing and communication chief at terry.haynes@marines.usmc.mil.
| Date Taken: | 08.14.2020 |
| Date Posted: | 08.28.2020 17:04 |
| Story ID: | 376148 |
| Location: | PANAMA CITY, FL, US |
| Hometown: | PANAMA CITY, FL, US |
| Hometown: | PANAMA CITY BEACH, FL, US |
| Web Views: | 85 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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