National Hispanic Heritage Month Profile – Meet Spc. Natalie Cuella

Photo By Master Sgt. Salli Sablan | Pictured from left to right are Hispanic Soldiers: Sgt. Sergio Duran, Pvt. 1st Class Juan Villanueva, Spc. Adrian Hanson, and Spc. Natalie Cuellar. All are wheeled vehicle mechanics, working in support of state wildfires. Each year the country observes National Hispanic Heritage Month September 15 – October 15. This brings an opportunity to appreciate the histories, cultures, and contributions of American citizens whose ancestors came from Spain, Mexico, the Caribbean and Central and South America.  

SACRAMENTO, CA, UNITED STATES

09.30.2021

Story by Master Sgt. Salli Sablan 

California National Guard Primary   

SACRAMENTO, Calif. – Three and a half years ago, Spc. Natalie Cuellar’s first job out of high school was and continues to be a 91B, wheeled vehicle mechanic with Cal Guard’s Sacramento-based 270th Military Police Company, 49th Military Police Brigade. She is the only family member to join the military and identifies as Hispanic with family from Riverside, California.

Each year the country observes National Hispanic Heritage Month September 15 – October 15. This brings an opportunity to appreciate the histories, cultures and contributions of American citizens whose ancestors came from Spain, Mexico, the Caribbean and Central and South America.

Cuellar is a full-time communications major studying at California State University, Stanislaus. Her civilian goal is to become a college level academic advisor while her military goal is to become an officer after college graduation.

Even though Cuellar has not been a Soldier for a long period, in the recent past, she has been activated a total of five times in support of state emergencies. She’s been on two civil support and three wildfire missions.

California’s current state emergencies like the Dixie and Caldor fires keep Cuellar’s team busy as a vehicle mechanic. These Soldiers ensure all wheeled vehicles, like fuelers, remain operable with frequent inspections. The detailed list includes servicing, repairing, replacing, adjusting and testing their systems, subsystems and all components. Vehicles are critical to many missions.

“I've always wanted to join the military and serve my country,” said Cuellar. “I wanted to see if I could be one of the 1% [of the U.S. population] who enlists.”

Her greatest challenge is to ensure she is always mission ready, and finds helping others rewarding. “Seeing what I’m made of tests me, and practicing balancing responsibilities is also a reward,” she said.

When asked about cultural diversity of the military, she said, “It’s good that we make the Army more diverse, and I like how there are more than 150 MOSs (military occupation specialties) that people can choose.
Since I’m in a smaller maintenance section, we're all pretty close. Everyone is just part of the team where gender or nationality are not an issue."

• Date Taken: 09.30.2021
• Date Posted: 10.04.2021 13:51
• Story ID: 406473
• Location: SACRAMENTO, CA, US