I used to watch war movies instead of cartoons when I was a kid,â€Â the California native said. “When I was 7 years old, I saw a Marine color guard for the first time. They all looked so proud in their uniforms. Since then, my dream has always been to be a Marine.â€ÂHe planned to enlist after high school, he said, but life threw him a curve ball. At 18, with a child on the way, Aguilar decided being a father was more important than following his dream. But five years later, his family rewarded him for his dedication by bringing the Corps to him. “It was my wife who called the recruiter,â€Â he said. “At the time, I didn’t know they accepted anyone who wasn’t 18. I honestly thought I was too old to join. But my wife pushed me to follow my dream, and I signed up to be an infantryman.â€Â But the infantry was full at the time, and there was a nine-month wait before it would open again. Aguilar had to find an alternative. His recruiter suggested motor transportation, and Aguilar seized the opportunity to become a Marine. In January 2005, he shipped to basic training in San Diego, and then he attended Marine combat training. But once he arrived at his motor transportation school, Aguilar said, he was disappointed. “I thought I was going to be rolling around in … Humvees with .50 [caliber machine guns],â€Â he said. “When I found out I was going to be driving [5-ton trucks], I was not too happy.â€Â But Aguilar never forgot why he joined; he wanted to fight for his country. He graduated from his school and finally received the break he’d been waiting for. He was assigned to Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center at Twentynine Palms, Calif. “They assigned me to 1st Tank Battalion,â€Â he said. “It was a combat unit. I automatically took a lot of pride in that. It was what I joined for. I was overjoyed my dream was coming true.â€Â Aguilar deployed to Iraq in 2007, but in the interim, he said, he needed to challenge himself. During a time when many Marines weren’t interested in the Marine Corps Martial Arts Program, Aguilar took it upon himself to become a martial arts instructor in 2006. “I have a saying: ‘Do something challenging at least once a year,’â€Â he said. “In 2005, that was boot camp. I deployed to Iraq in 2007. So in 2006, I saw that the battalion only had one [martial arts] instructor. So I chose to become one myself. It challenged me to be physically fit. I became more confident, and I trained dozens of Marines. I loved it.â€Â During his time in Iraq, Aguilar and his platoon conducted dozens of combat missions, and the young Marine and earned a reputation for being trustworthy and dependable. His reputation followed him back to Twentynine Palms. In October 2008, Aguilar was promoted to his current rank and was made a convoy leader for an exercise. Challenged with a position typically reserved for staff noncommissioned officers and senior sergeants, Aguilar proved his worth by conducting the 30-day exercise with zero incidents while in charge of more than 80 Marines. Two months later, he was transferred to Hawaii and assigned to Headquarters and Service Battalion, Marine Forces Pacific, to work as the dispatching and licensing noncommissioned officer in charge. Aguilar said he realized he was being sent to a nondeployable unit, but that he took the assignment to give back to those who gave up so much for his dream. “I look at it as a little payback to my family,â€Â Aguilar said. “They gave up a lot so I could be a Marine. They put up with me being gone for training, a combat tour, exercises, you name it. I got to bring them out to Hawaii for everything they’ve done for me.â€Â Despite his “desk job,â€Â Aguilar is far from complacent. He mentors his Marines, is active in their lives and continues to serve as a martial arts instructor. “He’s a stellar sergeant of Marines,â€Â said Cpl. James Moore, a motor transportation Marine. “I’ve been in for almost five and a half years. I’ve seen my fair share of sergeants who just go through the motions, but I know that I can take a problem to Sergeant Aguilar and guarantee that it gets done.â€Â. Moore recalled an example of Aguilar’s leadership. “I had to go on emergency leave once, and I couldn’t find the number to the Red Cross,â€Â he said. “Five seconds after I told him, he had the number for me. That’s the kind of sergeant he is.â€Â. Aguilar’s dependability has been noticed throughout the command. In addition to his job and the time he puts in as an instructor, the command has given him additional duties reserved for only the most mature and dependable Marines: suicide prevention instructor trainer and Mentors in Violence Prevention instructor.. “He’s an extremely dependable sergeant,â€Â said Marine Corps Staff Sgt. Trinity A. Lizalde, battalion embark chief. “It’s just Aguilar. If you work with him, you know things are going to get done. He’s exactly what a sergeant of Marines should be.â€Â. Aguilar and his family are scheduled to leave Hawaii in December. He hopes to become a drill instructor.. “The next couple of years aren’t going to be a vacation,â€Â he said. “But it’s time I give back to the Marine Corps for what it’s given me.â€Â Sept. 23, 2010: By Marine Corps Cpl. Juan D. Alfonso- Marine Forces Pacific

A combat injury in July 2008 ended Verton's career as a soldier, but not his desire to serve his country. As a process improvement specialist here, he's able to help employees save time and money by streamlining business practices that have a direct effect on the warfighter.Verton grew up in the small town of Lake Ariel, Pa. Following high school, he earned a degree in psychology and took a job working with autistic children. But Sept. 11, 2001, changed everything. Even before he went to speak to an Army recruiter, he said, he knew he was going to join the ranks of the 82nd Airborne Division as an infantry soldier. He served in Iraq from 2005 to 2006 and in Afghanistan from 2007 to 2008. While there, he said, he used and depended on equipment repaired by depot employees. "Serving with my brothers in arms has brought more pride to me than nearly anything else in my life,â€Â Verton said. “I truly was able to serve with America's heroes. Working here makes it feel as though I'm serving with my brother, who is deployed to Afghanistan, and my unit, which is also deployed." Verton works with a team of specialists who support the communications systems directorate, which repairs combat radios and other equipment he used while deployed. "His ability and insight as a former customer and now as a challenge solver enables him to express new concepts and ideas that lead to positive outcomes for our employees and to the organization," said Tony Rubin, chief of the communications security division. Verton helps to return equipment in a timely and cost-effective manner to warfighters in the field. "The soldiers depend on Tobyhanna -- I depended on Tobyhanna -- to provide quality, working equipment and get it to us in a timely manner," Verton said. Tobyhanna Army Depot is the Defense Department's largest center for the repair, overhaul and fabrication of a wide variety of electronics systems and components, from tactical field radios to the ground terminals for the defense satellite communications network. Tobyhanna's missions support all branches of the armed forces. Sept. 22, 2010: By Mary Ostroski- Tobyhanna Army Depot

But Meinhold didn't stop there in his efforts to help L.J.The boy was suffering from erythroblastic leukemia, which is very rare in children. But in addition, his bicycle had been stolen. Riding his bike had been one of L.J.’s favorite activities before his cancer had rendered him unable to play outdoors. Meinhold, who is assigned to the 9th Airlift Squadron here, posted the child’s story on Facebook and raised enough money to add to his own contribution to get a new bike that L.J. could ride when he gets better. But an ordinary bike wouldn't do. Meinhold contacted Frank Russo, 436th Force Support Squadron community activity center director, to see if he could get the bicycle signed by a few NASCAR drivers. Russo arranged to ship the bike to Richmond, Va., to be signed by NASCAR drivers Jimmy Johnson and Denny Hamlin. Also included with the bike were the photos of the drivers who signed it. "Kids are resilient, but having something to look forward to when they get better helps," Meinhold said. "This is the fifth time I've run into a story like this, and I really couldn't get it done without Mr. Russo. The first time I spoke with him, I didn't have a clue how to get these things done." Getting the bike to and from Richmond was no small endeavor. It had to be taken apart for shipment and reassembled so it would be ready for the drivers to sign. "Whatever Sergeant Meinhold asks me to do, I get it done," Russo said. "I have a lot of respect for Sergeant Meinhold. He not only works his job and takes care of his family, but he also takes the time to help out those who need his help with the bone marrow drives. You can't say no to a guy who puts that much effort into helping others. "This entire project has been Air Force all the way," Russo added. "I would love to see Dover Air Force Base help be a part of this great humanitarian story." The leukemia L.J. suffers from causes his body's immune system to destroy all the cells it can find. It cannot differentiate between noncancer cells and cancer cells, Meinhold said. Meinhold said he’s happy to do anything he can to help. "It makes living with what they are going through a little easier,” he said. “L.J. is definitely in for a long fight. He's gone through chemotherapy and radiation treatments, and they caught it pretty early. However, most children who have this form of leukemia rarely make it to adulthood. "Right now, our hope is to find L.J. a matching donor,” Meinhold continued, “and also get the word out about being a bone marrow donor to those who might have the wrong information. There are two drives that I am working with: the Department of Defense program, and a civilian program. I highly encourage all [Defense Department] card holders to register when the next drive starts." Sept. 17, 2010: By Air Force Airman 1st Class Matthew Hubby 436th Airlift Wing

 

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Air Force Staff Sgt. Duriel Howard, the squadron’s standardization and evaluations noncommissioned officer, is proving he is as much an asset to his Brazilian jiu-jitsu group as he is to the squadron. Howard is responsible for certifying every airman in the squadron on their duty tasks, whether they’re patrolmen, desk sergeants, entry controllers or others. A Brazilian jiu-jitsu teammate and fellow squadron member said this means Howard must be a highly trained and valued member of the squadron. "In order to be a stan-eval NCO, you have to be the tip of the spear, and he is," said Air Force Staff Sgt. Ryan Troester, a military working dog handler. After only three months on the Brazilian jiu-jitsu team, the 32-year-old Austin, Texas, native has proven his dedication isn't limited to his duty performance. Howard recently claimed two gold medals at the fifth annual De La Riva Brazilian Jiu-jitsu Cup in South Korea’s capital of Seoul, one in his weight class and the other for the absolute division, involving all the weight classes combined. "It felt good to win the medals," Howard said. "But it's all thanks to my group. I absolutely couldn't have done this myself. I had no experience, but the entire team helped me achieve this." Being a part of the group and winning the medals also will help the 10-year Air Force veteran reach his ultimate goal: to be an Ultimate Fighting Championship fighter. "To be a UFC fighter, I need to learn martial arts, so this is one step to doing that," said Howard, a two-stripe white belt martial artist. Although he's achieved so much so quickly, he acknowledged, he still has a way to go. Martial arts experience takes a person through five belt colors as they progress - white to blue to purple to brown to black. Howard said he plans to continue practicing and reaching for his goal long after he leaves here in six months. But in the meantime, in addition to aiming for a personal goal, Howard said, he is developing himself as an airman and a security forces member, and also is remaining fit to fight. "What I am learning I can apply at work," Howard said. "If I'm in a bad situation, I can apply what I've learned and take someone down with only as much force as necessary." Brazilian jiu-jitsu is designed so that even the weakest person can have the same chances in a fight, said Troester, a purple-belt martial artist who started the Brazilian jiu-jitsu group here. "Using leverage and technique, even the weakest person can win," he said. "It may not always be the biggest and strongest person." Troester, a martial artist for more than two years, said he started the local group to help his fellow security forces airmen develop their skills and because of the intensity of the workout. "This training helps us for our job - the security forces career field has the most possibility for being in an altercation, so it gives us good self-defense to fall back on," he said. "But it's also a great workout.” Brazilian jiu-jitsu is the only physical training he does, he added, and he scored a 95 on his last fitness test. Howard agreed the hobby provides significant value. "I'd like to see more people join our group, because it's a great workout and a great way to relieve stress," he said. The group practices off base with a local gym's team. When they aren't hard at work, Howard said, they enjoy spending time hanging out with the members of the gym's team. "[It] gets me away from my daily grind and keeps me fit and focused," he said. "The group works together and practices so we all get better." Tomkiewicz, a one-stripe white belt martial artist, joked that he wasn't sure about Howard needing the practice. "He's a great member of the team - a hard worker and a team player. … But he squashes me," he said. Sept. 13, 2010: By Air Force Staff Sgt. Amanda Savannah- 8th Fighter Wing

 

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