ARABIAN SEA (January 19, 2019) – Behind every piece of Marine Corps equipment is a repairman ready to maintain and repair it to ensure it stays in the fight. Without our technicians, mechanics and repairmen we would be without our vital tools when we need them most.
U.S. Marine Corps Sgt. Antonio Martinez of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania is currently deployed as a 2841 ground radio repairman attached to Battalion Landing Team 3/1, 13th Marine Expeditionary Unit. His primary job is to be the technical expert and to troubleshoot the radio equipment so that the Battalion Landing Team is ready for any mission.
Martinez is one of five ground radio repairmen in the battalion landing team of more than 1200 Marines and Sailors. This is his first deployment in the Marine Corps.
“I know it's my duty to serve,” he said. “The job we are doing here is important for our Nation's defense, and the enemy doesn’t take any days off.”
Martinez joined the Marine Corps because he saw it as a good platform to sharpen his leadership skills and work ethic. He plans to become a police officer when his current contract ends so that he can use the skills he gained in the Marine Corps in the civilian sector.
"Communications maintenance requires a lot of hours dedicated to troubleshooting, physical labor and mental labor,” Martinez said. “However, the fulfillment you get when your shop enables the entire battalion to complete its mission is unbeatable."
The Essex Amphibious Ready Group and 13th MEU are deployed to the U.S. 5th Fleet area of operations in support of naval operations to ensure maritime stability and security in the Central Region, connecting the Mediterranean and the Pacific through the western Indian Ocean and three strategic choke points.
(U.S. Marine Corps story by Sgt. Victoria Decker/Released)