Military Presence on Campus

Staff+Sergeant+Cruz+is+the+head+recruiter+of+Recruiting+sub+station+Mission+Viejo+for+the+Marine+Corps.+Photo+by+Dalton+Flores

Staff Sergeant Cruz is the head recruiter of Recruiting sub station Mission Viejo for the Marine Corps. Photo by Dalton Flores

At San Juan Hills, we have the privilege of having all 4 branches of our military on campus. Earning the title of being apart of the U.S. Military is not something you can buy, inherit, or be given. It must be earned.

The Marine Corps recruiter for San Juan Hills, Staff Sergeant Sandoval, comes every week at lunch to talk to students. Every Thursday the Marine Corps Recruiting office of Mission Viejo holds an afternoon workout at 3:30. All aspiring Marines are welcome, just contact Staff Sergeant Sandoval for more details. The Marine Corps recruit training is the hardest of all the branches. The brotherhood of Marines is based on being deadly and brutal. That being said, do not expect anything to just be given to you at any point in the military, you earn everything.

Private First Class Harrison Flores enlisted in the Marine Corps and graduated last year with the 2016 class. Flores enlisted two days after his 18th birthday. He has finished boot camp and has just finished Marine Combat Training (MCT) which took several weeks. He is now in Pensacola Florida where he is studying his Military Occupational School (MOS) where he will study his job, Aviation Ordnance.

The Army offers many jobs too. Some leading aspects and characteristics of the Army are: Service to our Country, Occupational and Career Enhancement, Leadership, Diversity, Income, Excitement, and Respect. The Army also offers the Future Soldier Training Program (FSTP) but it is only for candidates who have qualified and already enlisted.

Sergeant Flores insists that anyone thinking about enlisting in the military come and talk to him. There’s no harm and just talking to a recruiter, and students are highly encouraged to speak with the soldiers who are often on campus in the upper quad at lunch.

It is also important to pursue careers that also have a civilian division, so once you are out of the Army, you can have a civilian career, such as administration, legal and law enforcement, IT and technology, Medical and emergencies, and more. The U.S. Army can offer all of that. A senior at San Juan Hills enlisted only a couple of weeks ago, you could too. Nicholas Gonzalez enlisted and fully committed to the U.S. Army.

Another branch you could enlist into is the Navy. The Navy offers the opportunity to branch out from one job to another. Yes, after two years into one job you can transfer to another, but an engineer could easily walk up to another sailors work space and get qualified for that position. And you don’t have to switch your job.

Every first Tuesday of the month, aspiring sailors can meet up to plan workouts, and for short term and long term goals physically and mentally. Sergeant Fagamutu insists that students do not hesitate to talk to a recruiter, there’s nothing to be afraid of, it’s just a talk.

The Air Force is the only branch of the military to offer a junior college, called the Community college of the Air Force. All the training you go under at the college is college accredited, the Air Force pays for it, and they pay you while you are doing it.

Sergeant Scoggins is the San Juan Hills Air Force recruiter. There are no weekly workouts for people enlisting in the Air Force, but there is a Dep Commanders Call once a month, which provides workouts for qualified and waiting applicants. Feel free to reach out to Sergeant Scoggins and any of the recruiters.