My name is Jennifer Ramirez and I am from San Antonio, TX and am of Colombian-Mexican descent. I come from a very small family of three, which consists of my mother, Rosario and my twin sister, Johanna, the rest of my family lives in Bogota, Colombia. Since high school I always knew that I wanted to serve my country and make a difference but didn’t really know which way to go. I joined the JROTC in high school which taught me a lot of the basic knowledge of drill and some rules and regulations that helped me transition into the military life with ease. I was also involved in track and cross country which taught me discipline and how to motivate myself and keep going no matter how tired I was.

In 2002, my junior year of high school, I met my recruiter for the Marines and I knew right then and there that I wanted to be a Marine. I wanted to be part of the elite, America’s 911 force, and I dedicated myself to ensure that I would be in mental and physical condition by the time I graduated to go to the Marine Corps recruit training in Parris Island, SC. It was not easy, even before joining, I had people tell me on numerous occasions that I wouldn’t make it and did not have what it takes to be a Marine, that it was a place for men. That motivated me even more and I knew that I could prove everyone wrong. I was determined to graduate and not come home without earning the title of a U.S. Marine. On July 10, 2003, just two days after graduating high school, while all my friends enjoyed their summer vacations, I went to boot camp and forever changed my life.

After several years, I look back and reflect and there isn’t one thing that I would change about my life as a Marine. I have served with Marine Light Attach Helicopter (HMLA) – 267 in Camp Pendleton, CA, as an administrative clerk and was responsible for managing the pay for over 400 Marines in our unit, ensuring all awards and certificates were entered into Marines record books, and producing travel orders and reimbursing all Marines for any expenses made while on official orders, facilitating the Government Travel Charge Card Program for the unit. I have also trained for Combined Arms Exercise (CAX) in MCB 29 Palms, CA, for a possible deployment to Iraq which subsequently changed to a deployment with the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU) out of Okinawa, Japan. On December 2005, we traveled the long trip to Okinawa, Japan and from there, we served with the Navy, on an amphibious assault ship, the USS Essex and went to several ports to include, Guam, Korea, Thailand, and the Philippines and served on a Humanitarian mission for the mudslide that occurred in February 2006 and received the Humanitarian Service Medal. After 8 months of serving with the 31st MEU, I returned to Camp Pendleton, and then received orders and reported for duty at Henderson Hall, Arlington, VA for duty at the Pentagon. I worked for the Office of the Director Marine Corps Staff for over three and a half years and was responsible for coordinating special events involving Senior White House Officials, Congressional representatives, Active/Retired General Officers, among many other tasks within HQMC.

The Marine Corps has enabled me to aspire for bigger and better things, to never accept defeat and all this I would not have been able to accomplish without the guidance of my mother who always made sure I was heading in the right direction. She taught me to always believe in myself, work hard and if there is a will, there is a way. The hardest part of being in the military is that I have missed out on birthdays, graduations, and lost touch with friends that I grew up with, and other significant events. Even so, being able to say that I have served my country, as a Marine, is one of the greatest accomplishments I have done in my life.