Photo By Staff Sgt. Earnest J. Barnes | Lance Cpl. Leepoleon Jackson, an administration clerk for the Administration and...... read more read more
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CAMP LEATHERNECK, Helmand province, Afghanistan – Different experiences in life shape people’s perspectives and impact their decisions. One Virginia Beach, Va., native’s deployment to Afghanistan and a mother’s insight not only changed his perspective on the Marine Corps, but has altered the course of his life as well.
Lance Cpl. Leepoleon Jackson, an administration clerk for the Administration and Manpower Section, 2nd Marine Division (Forward), is working toward a promising future, thanks to the lessons his mother tried to teach him as a child and his experiences in the Marine Corps.
Jackson grew up in a single-parent home with a mother who would not tolerate negative influences in his life. He said he wasn’t a bad kid for the most part, but he hung out with the wrong crowd. His mother had all she could take and decided Jackson needed more discipline in his life.
“When I was 16 or 17, my mom put me in this military program for at-risk youth,” said Jackson, who is 21 years old. “It is basically like a five-month ‘boot camp.’ I really liked the discipline the (instructors) had. I was a big fan of the uniforms and the whole military persona. I took a lot from the experience.”
The program, called the Commonwealth Challenge, was created to intervene in the lives of at-risk youth by providing the values, skills, education, and self-discipline needed to produce responsible, productive citizens, and to do so in a highly disciplined atmosphere, according to the program’s website.
Jackson went back to high school after he graduated from the program and enrolled in the Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps, since he enjoyed the military lifestyle so much. Jackson knew after his time in the Commonwealth Challenge and JROTC he was going to join the military.
“I’m all about challenges,” said Jackson, a 2007 graduate of Green Run High School. “Out of all the other branches, I felt the Marine Corps would be the most challenging, so I thought it would be the best for me.”
He joined the Marine Corps Jan. 12, 2009, and attended the Personnel Administration School at Camp Johnson, N.C., before checking into his first duty station.
Jackson worked at the Installation Personnel Administration Center on Camp Lejeune, N.C., where he updated service members’ record books and assisted them with temporary additional duty orders and travel records. For Jackson, the same day-in-day-out routine was very repetitive, and he wanted a new challenge. He saw an opportunity to mix up his day-to-day routine and jumped on it, volunteering to deploy with 2nd Marine Division (Forward) for a 12–month tour to Afghanistan.
“What I like most about being a Marine is the title, but at the IPAC there were times I just felt like a normal person, getting up everyday to work a job,” said Jackson. “Coming to 2nd Marine Division (Forward) has really changed my outlook on the Marine Corps. It is not just black and white; there are shades of red and blue there too.”
Jackson currently works in the operation and manpower section of the division’s administration office. His main responsibilities include ensuring the tracking and accountability of all personnel in 2nd Marine Division (Fwd), which heads Task Force Leatherneck, the ground combat element of Regional Command (Southwest).
“Lance Cpl. Jackson is crucial to ensuring the 10,000 plus personnel of Task Force Leatherneck are properly accounted for on a daily basis,” said Sgt. Adriana Soliz Ponce, noncommissioned officer in charge of the operations and manpower section. “He has personally produced more than 60 personnel reports that were submitted for presentation to the chief of staff and commanding general.”
Soliz Ponce, a Lowell, Mass., native, added the reports Jackson produces provide all other sections with critical information needed to accomplish daily tasks by being able to easily locate any Marine within the division for personnel casualty reports, Red Cross messages, emergency leave, and combat and administrative replacements.
“Compared to what I was doing in (Camp Lejeune), I like (my job) a lot. It’s different; I’m always up for new things,” said Jackson. “Too much of one thing is never a good thing. I’m always up for learning something new. I learn something new every day.”
He said he plans to take back his experiences he has had in Afghanistan when he goes back to the Installation Personnel Administration Center and teach others all that he has learned.
“Being over here and seeing a different way of viewing things, meeting different people, … it has really opened my eyes to different things, and I think it is going to carry over,” said Jackson.
Jackson added he is going to try to motivate others who may feel like they are in a rut as he once felt. He reverts back to a lesson his mother taught him as a young man. “It is not as bad as you think it is; everything is what you make it,” said Jackson.
Jackson, who was formerly planning to get out of the Marine Corps, now plans to re-enlist and has submitted a package for the Marine Security Guard program, in which he could be selected to guard U.S. embassies around the world, now that his deployment is nearing an end. Jackson said the reason he wants join the MSG program is so he can see another side of the Marine Corps and take advantage of the opportunity to travel and live in foreign countries.
“He has matured a lot, and because he constantly seeks self improvement, his work ethic, attention to detail, and proficiency surpasses that of his peers,” said Soliz Ponce. “Since day one, he has always put forth his best effort, given 100 percent of himself in every assigned task, and it has reflected in his work.”
The maturity Jackson has gained on his deployment has him looking back on all those things his mother said to him growing up. He now understands the wisdom she was trying to pass on to him throughout his life.
“I take a lot from her, and I thank her for everything she did. My mom used to always tell me whatever I do in life, make sure I am happy about what I’m doing,” said Jackson. “If it wasn’t for all the things she did, I wouldn’t be the person I am today, and I am happy with who I am.”
Editor’s Note: Second Marine Division (Forward) heads Task Force Leatherneck. The task force serves as the ground combat element of Regional Command (Southwest) and works in partnership with the Afghan National Security Force and the Government of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan to conduct counterinsurgency operations. The unit is dedicated to securing the Afghan people, defeating insurgent forces, and enabling ANSF assumption of security responsibilities within its area of operations in order to support the expansion of stability, development and legitimate governance.
| Date Taken: | 11.05.2011 |
| Date Posted: | 11.05.2011 06:22 |
| Story ID: | 79606 |
| Location: | CAMP LEATHERNECK, AF |
| Web Views: | 292 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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