Faces of the Maple: Ensign Makenna Martin

Photo By Petty Officer 2nd Class Jose Hernandez | Ensign Makenna Martin, originally from Fort Worth, Texas, stands for a photo aboard USCGC Maple (WLB 207) in the Atlantic Ocean on June 14, 2021. Martin recently participated in Exercise Argus, the Danish Joint Arctic Command's annual joint large-scale Exercise Argus in Southern Greenland. (U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 3rd Class Jose Hernandez)  

ATLANTIC OCEAN

06.24.2021

Story by Petty Officer 3rd Class Jose Hernandez 

U.S. Coast Guard Atlantic Area

Ensign Makenna Martin, originally from Fort Worth, Texas, graduated from the Coast Guard Academy on May 20, 2020. She is now a junior officer aboard the USCGC Maple (WLB 207).

“Initially, it was an opportunity for me to go to college for free, and I could continue to play volleyball,” Martin said. “I didn’t know what the Coast Guard was. Before I applied, I did a summer program, and I learned more about the different missions they do. As I went through the Academy, I learned to love it, especially being able to help people, not taking lives and still being able to serve my country.”

Martin reported to Maple on June 8, 2020. She recently participated in Exercise Argus, the Danish Joint Arctic Command's annual joint large-scale Exercise Argus in Southern Greenland. Deployed forces demonstrated U.S. Coast Guard capabilities to build partner capacity and expertise in search and rescue, incident management, and marine environmental response. These efforts solidify key strategic relationships while achieving mutual Danish, Greenlandic, and U.S. goals in the North American Atlantic Arctic and Northwest Atlantic Ocean.


“It’s been pretty crazy, to say the least, but I honestly wouldn’t have it any other way because I’ve learned so much,” she said. “I’ve experienced a lot of things that a lot of people will not be able to experience. I’ve also been able to learn from so many different people like having four different commanding officers, it was hard to get used to after the initial change, but each CO brought something new and different to learn from.”

There are roughly 50 crew members aboard the Maple, both enlisted and officers from all over the country. The crew makeup regularly changes with new members joining the crew and others transferring out.

“Our crew is unique. We have some characters aboard, outgoing people,” she said. “They make it fun. Everyone has such different backgrounds. On this trip, I have stood watch with different people and have been able to learn more about them. It’s crazy how differently everyone grew up, but we are all here. I think we are so much closer because of everything we have gone through together.”

In a short time, Martin has traveled to several different parts of the world thanks to her Coast Guard career.

“Never would I have thought I would be going to Greenland. Seeing places I never thought I would is becoming a theme in my Coast Guard career -- Greenland, Portugal, Bermuda.”

Martin plans to attend graduate school and potentially make the Coast Guard a full 20-year career.

• Date Taken: 06.24.2021
• Date Posted: 07.19.2021 13:17
• Story ID: 401191
• Location: ATLANTIC OCEAN
• Hometown: ATLANTIC BEACH, NC, US
• Hometown: FORT WORTH, TX, US