By Yessica Ramos
CWO2, USMC
Yessica’s daughter Young Marine’s Graduation.
(L-R) Anylina Ramos, Aurianna Ramos, and Yessica Ramos.
Kadeena, AFB Okinawa, Japan, 2019.
K
Latina Letters From the Front
Iam a proud Latina with Ecuadorian origins. I am
a Utilities Chief Warrant Officer in the Marine
Corps. As a young child, I always had an
interest in joining the military. I would always dress
up like GI Joe and carry a kitchen utensil or anything
that could resemble a weapon on my “war” belt. My
mother, being a single parent, putting herself through
school, and becoming a citizen, had a lot on her
plate.
As the oldest of three, I helped my mom with
establishing an organized structure. I used to watch
a lot of war movies, such as “Pearl Harbor” and “The
Patriot” and felt the same every time, wishing that
one day I can be a part of the military to make a
difference in the world.
I am from North Bergen, NJ which is minutes
away from the Lincoln Tunnel to go into Manhattan,
NY. I was in high school when 9/11 occurred. Even
though I had earned a full scholarship for soccer to
attend NJIT, all I could think about was joining the
military to help. Initially, because of how 9/11
happened, I wanted to become a pilot to keep
enemies away. However, during my first semester, a
Marine recruiter spoke to me about the Marine Corps
and everything it had to offer. The only issue was
being 17 and needing my mother’s signature. After
begging her and hearing from the recruiter what my
future could be, she saw that this was something I
had always dreamed of. It has been 17 years and I
can say I still thank my mother for signing the papers.
Just like everything in life, I had ups and downs.
Drill Instructor School Graduation. (Sgt. Ramos).
Parris Island, South Carolina, 2009.
Once I joined in 2003, I started making
my bucket list in boot camp from deploying to
becoming a Drill Instructor, and ultimately
transitioning into an Officer. I have made so many
sacrifices along the way. There is absolutely no way
I would have been able to do any of it without the
support of my family. In 2004, I deployed to OIF I and
made me dream a reality by walking around with a
full combat load during a real war. It was very hard
work, but really gave me a sense of purpose of why
I joined.
Unfortunately, in 2007, I had to leave my
10-month-old daughter with my mother in order to
deploy to Iraq again to support OIF II. Upon my return,
2019 Marine Corps Ball.
(L-R) Anylina Ramos, Aurianna Ramos,
and Yessica Ramos.
Camp Butler, Okinawa, Japan, 2019.
Reenlistment Ceremony.
(L-R) CWO2 Ramos
and 1st Lt Williams.
Okinawa, Japan, 2019.
I was accepted to attend Drill Instructor School. I
spent less than a year with her, dropped her off
again, and couldn’t have her until almost three years
later. Once I was able to have her again, we moved
to CA where I volunteered to deploy to OEF in
Afghanistan.
I was then accepted to teach at the Marine
Corps Engineer Schoolhouse and was accepted to
become a Warrant Officer. I have had the honor and
privilege of meeting endless extraordinary people,
especially Latinos, and the opportunity to continue
positively influencing change (COVID-19). LS
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