By Spc. Debrah A.Robertson
Desert Voice Staff Writer
CAMP ARIFIJAN, Kuwait - With a smile on her face and a task at hand, Navy Petty Officer 2nd Class Guytana Giuliano, serves her country proudly everyday here at Kuwait.
As a military police officer with Navy Law and Order here at Camp Arifjan, Giuliano works to keep our military community and Department of Defense at Arifjan and Kuwait Naval Base.
"We make sure everyone is safe," said Giuliano, not just Navy personnel. "When there's a suspicious package, we secure a perimeter around it and use dogs or the robot (that examines Improvised Explosive Devices) to check it out. Then the (Explosive Ordinance Detachment) blows it up."
Giuliano said she feels lucky to be here in Kuwait. She feels fortunate to be close to the action in Iraq.
"It's bittersweet to be so close (to Iraq) but not there," she said. "It makes me pray harder everyday for people in Iraq and Afghanistan."
She extended her stay in the Navy so that she could come to Kuwait.
"I was supposed to get out in June, but how often do you get to experience another country or culture like this?" she asked. "I joined to serve my country. This is the adventure of a lifetime."
"I didn't always want to serve (in the military). I didn't think I would be able to make it through the training," she said, "but if I hadn't joined I wouldn't have experienced half the things I have or met the people I've met."
When Giuliano went through two weeks of Individual Augmentee Training in July at Fort Jackson, she got more of the adventure she's been seeking since her enlistment in 1998.
"I had the most motivating drill instructors," she said of her U.S. Army drill sergeants during the course. "I just thought about all the things I could tell my family I was able to do. They would be so proud of me."
In fact, Giuliano was so happy to be there that her drill sergeants recognized her for her motivation, and she received the "Alpha Animal Award."
"It's nice to be recognized for being happy," she responded. "They said they never saw anyone smile so much. It was an honor."
"She's always smiling, all the time," said Petty Officer 1st Class Manuel Marrero of the Navy Law and Order unit.
Giuliano said she is inspired by what she does everyday.
"I know I'm doing something that a large number of the population doesn't do," she said of her military service. "I appreciate the opportunities the military gives me, and as a reservist it makes me appreciate being a civilian as well."
Her family is very proud of her, said Giuliano, and she's looks forward to sharing the adventures she's had here in Kuwait with them.
"My mom is nervous because she's not sure what it's like here, but for the most part they're all proud," she said with a smile. "My brothers have all my old uniforms. They think I'm cool."
She's doing it for her 15 and 16-year-old brothers, she said. They motivate her.
Although Giuliano is still deciding whether or not to reenlist, she said life would be boring if she wasn't doing this.
"The best part of being in the Navy is all the people you meet along the way," she said of all the servicemembers and civilians she meets while on the job.
"The guys get along so well," she said of her unit. "They're amazing people. They'll take care of you, especially being here away from your family."
"She's everyone's little sis," said Petty Officer 2nd Class Steven Martinez, a fellow military police officer with Navy Law and Order.
"She's a good partner," Marrero added.
"Everyone fights to ride with her," said Martinez. "She's always motivated. She is willing to help her partner out, anywhere, anytime."
"Don't stop smiling," is Giuliano's motto. "There's no reason not to smile."
Because the experiences you have make life better, she added.