Photo By Senior Airman Camren Ray | U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Enya Martinez, a public health specialist, assigned to the...... read more read more
Subscribe
Every year the Ohio National Guard’s 180th Fighter Wing recognizes and awards outstanding Airmen for their exemplary leadership, job performance, individual accomplishments and service to their community. Throughout the year, the winners of these awards show how they represent what it means to serve as an Airman.
Staff Sgt. Enya Martinez embodies all the principals of what it means to be Airman of the Year.
Martinez, a public health specialist assigned to the 180th Fighter Wing Medical Group, originally enlisted in the Iowa Air National Guard as a public health specialist and later transferred to the Public Health office at the 180th Fighter Wing in Swanton, Ohio for the opportunity of school and to be back in her home state.
“Anytime I’ve had the chance to work with or speak with Martinez, it’s genuinely been a pleasure,” said Chief Master Sgt. Ashley Young, the Medical Group Senior Enlisted Leader. “She’s thoughtful, creative, and an excellent communicator—whether she’s working with peers or speaking up in a room full of leadership, she is confident and has a positive energy that makes people want to listen and get things done.”
Her role is vital in safeguarding the well-being of Airmen. Martinez conducts inspections around the base to verify the dining facility is up to code, inspecting temperature of certain foods to limit foodborne illnesses, cleanliness of cooking equipment and dining ware, educating expecting parents on health and safety procedures, monitoring workplace hazards and highlighting potential health risks while deployed or even in the surrounding community.
“When I catch (an issue), it feels good because food illness is serious,” said Martinez. “Just making sure the general health of the base is in good shape, feels great.”
Her duties also include maternity counseling. When a female member of the unit is expecting, they contact Martinez to meet and discuss the correct health and safety procedures at work. She also provides them with resources to help with their pregnancy and checks with them monthly to make sure that everything is going well. Martinez also played a role in providing lactation rooms for mothers in various locations around the base and guaranteeing that the rooms are clean and available for mothers to use.
“We might have personal conversations (about pregnancy), and it’s nice to be in that position,” said Martinez. “We are in a male dominated field, so it's nice for these mothers to have someone to talk to, even if we can’t completely relate to their experience.”
With all these responsibilities, Martinez’ favorite program the Public Health office manages is the entomology program, where she serves as the primary program manager. The program consists of public health specialists setting traps and collecting mosquitoes, ticks and other insects, freezing them and sending them to a testing center to see if any of the insects in the area carry a disease that may cause harm to the general health of members who work on the base.
Outside of her military career, Martinez continues to have a passion for serving the communities she works in. As a marketing manager at a piercing shop, she has coordinated two events to raise money for different organizations, donating proceeds to organizations like Center of Hope, where they provide a variety of services to community members who are limited in their access to receive these resources otherwise. She also organized an event where a percentage of piercings went to cancer research during Breast Cancer Awareness Month.
Martinez has also dedicated a lot of her time volunteering for different organizations she feels passionate about. She has spent over 130 hours volunteering for the Central Ohio Sexual Assault Education Alliance and the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) programs. She meets with members of these programs and shares their stories to raise awareness for these programs and what they provide for people and the community.
Her passion for excellence not only reflects in her careers, she also brought that excellence into the classroom. Martinez graduated magna cum laude from The Ohio State University with a bachelor's degree in strategic communication maintaining over a 3.8 grade point average in May 2025, all while balancing military life and volunteer efforts.
“Martinez has shown that she is a well-rounded Airman that strives for excellence in all areas,” said Master Sgt. Angela Delgado, the Public Health Super Intendent. “She has stepped up when faced with challenges and leaned into situations even if she did not feel comfortable at the time.”
| Date Taken: | 09.06.2025 |
| Date Posted: | 09.07.2025 13:25 |
| Story ID: | 547428 |
| Location: | SWANTON, OHIO, US |
| Web Views: | 44 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Public Health Fuels Air Power, by SrA Camren Ray, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
Air National Guard
Public Health
