Life at Cherry Point!

Well...I have been here since October and I guess I am no longer the "New Guy" in my shop.  Although there is still so much to learn, know, and do I often times still feel like the new guy.  As I posted earlier (way earlier) I have been moved for the time being to Satellite platoon.  I have not formally been trained to use the equipment (which is basically a variety of satellites varying in size used for network connectivity) so I am still trying to get a grasp of how things work. 

I am the "assistant hazmat/safety NCO (Non Commissioned Officer)" for my shop so there was a lot of things to get straitened out and put together to get things where they should be.  It is still a work in progress.  Overall it's not a hard billet but there are a few minor things that I think could be made better. 

Since my last posting I have taken three driving courses.  I am now licesed to drive a Humvee, a Sevon Ton, and a bus.  It took 2 1/2 weeks to get my humvee license with a first time instructor and the expierence was not plesant at all.  Things could have been a lot better organized and quite frankley there was a lot of time wasted.  But as all things it did end.  After the humvee course I went back to my shop for one week.  I then returned back to Wing Driver School to learn to drive a bus.  It was only a week long course and was rather easy and much better organized so it was no where near as painful as the humvee course.  The next week was the start of my Seven Ton training which is a huge vehicle with tires almost as tall as I am.  The turning radius makes it a little more difficult to drive but in the end I got my license and passed all the requirments. 

This past weekend I also volunteered to help with the Boy Scouts Jamboree in Kinston, NC.  It was an all day event on a huge field with several booths and activities for them to do.  We were there to help with two of the activities they had.  One was an obstacle course and the other was a circut course testing the scouts in various subjects including scout knowledge, first aid, knot tying, ect.  It was a very long day waking up at 0530 and making it back to my room at 2030. 

After leaving the Jamboree me and a few fellow Marines went to a restruraunt to eat.  As we were finishing our dessert the couple sitting next to us rose to leave.  Before leaving the wife (I'm assuming they were married), somehow figured out we were Marines (do we stick out that much...really?) thanked us for our service to our country.  Never really knowing what to say we all said thank you (for the recognition I guess) and you're welcome.  As we were getting ready to leave our server informed us that the couple had left $80 towards our bill which pretty much took care of it.  It was a surprise and really unexpected to us all.  I understand why people are so kind and generous at times but considering how little I have actually done in my Marine Corps career I wonder how deserving I really am.  There's a lot to said by a title such as Marine and I guess that alone prompts people to act in generousity as this nice couple did.  Yet, another reminder that as we live with the various titles befitting who we are... we have a lot to live up to!

One Year Later

It has been exactly one year since I joined the United States Marine Corps. On this day last year I was in the processing phase of recruit training at the Marine Corps Recruit Depot, San Diego. I remember the fear of uncertainty as I began that journey. The biggest fear in any new situation seems to be that of uncertainty.

Many of the friends that I went to school with are now being deployed to Afghanistan. People that I work with have left for Afghanistan and more are on their way. I am not wondering if I will go but rather when I will go. I know that the day is coming; if it were today I would gladly accept my orders and begin preparation to go. Yet, that fear of uncertainty would no doubt be there. In friends that I have talked to I have detected a hint of uneasiness as well.

On the flip side, I have talked to a few people who have come back from Iraq. They enjoyed it and have often stated that they wouldn't mind going back. I'm sure there were times when things were tough, but overall the experience was good for them.

Many times in life we let fear hold us back and rob us of experiences that although are tough for awhile, ultimately mold and shape us into better people. We have nothing to fear at all if we know we are in God's will. The uncertainty that we feel is not a feeling that God is familiar with. Though we have no control over what may come our way, we can rest in knowing that there is One who is in control of it all.

Quite frankly the job is a little mundane and the hours are long. But there is a truth that I am experiencing and developing in my life. That of a self sacrificing love for others. As I work with my fellow Marines and those who are above me and I learn of them, grow with them, and labor with them. I on more then one occasion have found myself thinking as I interact with these people, "I would die for them." Not in a way of pride or arrogance and not in the plural sense of the Marine Corps as a whole, but rather the individual Marine. In my young life I have not been in a profession or job where that thought would ever enter one's mind. You don't normally have to think of dieing for your Co-worker selling life insurance. You don't envision an attack at the counter of Geek Squad as you troubleshoot computers. But in this line of work, although minute, the chances of being placed in those situations is real.

I love what I do and I love the people that I work with. I hope that this next coming year will bring new experiences that I can embrace without that fear of uncertainty, but rather a dependence on the One in control of it all. I also hope that the lessons that I am being taught continue and that I recognize God's hand in them all.

To all reading,
Good Day!

MCAS Cherry Point, NC

Well the journey to becoming a fleet Marine has ended. Every Marine with a non-infantry MOS (Military Occupational Speciality) must complete three things in order to be a fleet marine. Bootcamp, MCT (Marine Combat Training), and MOS School. It was not very long ago when I was borded a plane and then a bus to begin the journey of becoming a United States Marine. A lot has happened since then and everything that I have been taught and trained to do has culminated into me being stationed in Cherry Point, North Carolina.

After leaving Twenty-nine Palms, CA I was able to go home for less then a week. It was a good time being home even if it was just for awhile. I picked up some things, packed up my SUV and drove two days to North Carolina. While the drive was long it was a very scenic drive. The hills and the leaves changing provided a nice atmosphere compared to the blandness that was in Twentynine Palms.

I arrived at MCAS (Marine Corps Air Station), at 11:15pm on Oct. 7. I checked in at the TEQ or Temporary Enlisted Quarters, bought McDonalds, and called home letting them know I had arrived safe. I ate my food and went to bed. The next day would be early and long...and uncomfortable. I had to keep my Service Alphas on until about 1500 that day so I could report to the Sgt. Major and First Sargent. On top of that the AC where my shop was had just broke.

I was given a list of places that I needed to stop by and check in at. To this day, I have yet to finish it, but the majority of it has been compleated. I am with a communication/data squadron and enjoy the shop and people that I will be working with, though it will take a while to get completly comfortable with what I will be doing as there is much that I still need to learn.

The base here is really nice apart from the constant sounds of jets and planes taking off. Things are somwhat spread out so I am fortunate to have my vehicle here.

I miss the people that were in my class in Twentynine Palms and I wish them all the best. There are a few from my class that are here as well, yet we are in separate shops and I don't see any of them very often.

The Marine Corps birthday is on November 10, and this year we will be celebrating it on November 4th. There is a ceremony that takes place as well, and not to long after arriving I found out I would be in that ceremony. I am not sure what exactly I will be doing but I will find out this coming week when practice starts.

I don't have any pictures of the base yet but I'll try and post some soon. My address has changed as well and if you wish to write feel free!

PFC Cuestas, Joseph
MWCS-28 Data
PSC Box 8071
Cherry Point, NC 28533-8071