Strong Women, Strong Marines

the

SHUTTLE

USS Enterprise (CVN 65) - Saturday, May 21, 2011

Photo by Cpl. Courtney White

Saturday, May 21, 2011

the SHUTTLE

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Enterprise News

The Few, The Proud, the female Marines of Big ‘E’

By Cpl Courtney White USS Enterprise Public Affairs

USS ENTERPRISE, At sea – Being a female in the Marine Corps can be challenging in an already challenging environment. The bond of sisterhood between these Marines is incredibly strong in a force that prides itself in strength.

With just one Marine Corps squadron embarked aboard the deployed aircraft carrier USS Enterprise (CVN 65), Marines are a small minority of the 4,400 crew. Being one of just nine female Marines on board makes them the minority of minorities, and they rely on one another for support and understanding.

Sgt. Victoria Slingerland, the senior enlisted female Marine on board and a Marine Fighter Attack Squadron (VMFA) 251 avionics technician, has fostered the bond of sisterhood with her fellow female Marines since embarking on the aircraft carrier USS Enterprise (CVN 65).

She’s a mentor to every Marine she meets.

From the work ups to the deployment, Slingerland makes herself available as a female role model for other female Marines to look up to. She tries to make each female in the squadron feel like part of her family.

Slingerland has been in the Marine Corps for seven years. After boot camp, Marine Combat Training, and her military occupational specialty schools, Slingerland was stationed at Marine Corps Air Station, Beaufort. Since then she has been deployed to Iraq twice and spent a year in Kuwait before deploying in Enterprise.

She realized that she wanted to become a Marine after attending her brother’s graduation from boot camp.

“I saw how perfectly in step and pristine the Marines looked,” said

Photo by Cpl. Courtney White

Sgt. Victoria Singerland, the senior enlisted female Marine aboard USS Enterprise (CVN 65) and a Marine Fighter Attack Squadron (VMFA) 251 avionics technican, work on the electronics console inside an F/A-18C Hornet.

Slingerland. “That is what I wanted to become.”

While a part of the VMFA-251 Avionics shop, Slingerland is a communication navigation technician, a Thunderbolt final checker, and a mentor to junior Marines.

She stays motivated during her fourth deployment by remembering that she is here to support the Marines on the ground, that the deployment won’t last forever and that she wants her family to have the same freedom and rights that she has as an American.

While off ship, Slingerland enjoys outdoor activities such as driving down a back road listening to country music with the windows down, fishing, cooking, working on her car and working out.

She is widely known in her squadron to introduce herself to new female Marines and make sure they know she is happy they are a part of the squadron. She lets them know that she is here for them.

“Sergeant Slingerland was the

first person to greet me with a smile and literally say ‘welcome to the squadron’ when I first came to VMFA-251,” said Lance Cpl. Katie Konicki, a VMFA-251 seat technician.

“Since I first met her she has been the perfect role model for the junior female Marines to look up to. She carries herself in a way that we should all strive to carry ourselves.

She takes care of us and pushes us to become something more.”

After work, Slingerland is usually found in berthing communicating with other females and asking them how they are doing. She tries to be someone that others will feel comfortable talking to.

“Sgt. Slingerland is the easiest person for me to talk to because she doesn’t just agree with me to make me feel better,” Konicki stated. “She gives me both sides of the story.”

While aboard Big ‘E’, Slingerland is constantly walking through the ship sharing high fives and hellos to brightening others’ days.

For Easter she even put together a

bag of treats and placed one on each of the female’s racks.

“Sgt. Slingerland and I have worked together for almost five years now, and I can honestly say that there has never been a dull moment when I’m around her,” said Norris.

“She has a vibrant personality, and she is always smiling about something. Even when times aren’t the greatest, she always finds a way to look at the brighter side of things which in turn makes everything seem a little easier.”

The advice Slingerland gives her Marines is to not base their opinion of the Marine Corps or of deployments off of one experience.

She explains to them the different experiences that she has had in her career.

While just a small minority, the female Marines on board have formed an incredibly strong sisterhood. They are the few and the proud, perhaps the fewest and proudest the Marine Corps has to offer.

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the SHUTTLE

Saturday, May 21, 2011

Sailors of the Day Airman

Aviation Machinist’s Mate Airman

Jon-Erik Jordan- Houston, Texas

Amengel C. Agarma- San Diego, California

AN Jordan, a spotting dolly driver for the V-3 division of Enterprise’s Air Department, joined the Navy to “earn the money to pursue a college degree and see the world.” Jordan says the most rewarding aspect of his job is “seeing things I wouldn’t have imagined if I hadn’t joined the Navy” and his family’s pride in him for his service. Jordan aspires to earn both his surface and air warfare pins and later on to become “part of a Fortune 500 company.” In his spare time, Jordan likes to read books and workout in the gym.

ADAN Agarma, a plane captain for Electronic Attack Squadron (VAQ) 137, joined the Navy one year and five months ago to “see the world”. Agarma says the most rewarding aspect of her job is knowing that “every time I put on my uniform, I know I am part of a team that saves people’s lives.” Agarma is working hard to make third class petty officer and earn her air warfare pin. She plans on earning her bachelor’s degree in the future. In her spare time, Agarma likes to go shopping and hang out with her friends.

Photos by MCSN Jared M. King

FUN ZONE!

Answers can be found on Big ‘E’ Net at S:\Public\MEDIA\GM\Crossword and Sudoku answers

Down 1 Pops’ partners 2 Century plant 3 Occupation 4 Minute amount 5 Wild duck 6 Fossil resin 7 Supporting vote 8 Poe’s ___ Lee 9 Decisive one 10 Histrionic 11 Lehmann or Lenya 12 Composer Bruckner 13 Crystal gazer 18 Despise 22 Start of a cheer 24 U.S. Army medal 25 That bunch 26 Be peripatetic 27 Ablutionary vessel 28 Dissatisfied person 32 California wine valley 33 Glimpse 34 Afternoon gatherings 38 Berlin and Stone 39 Dupe 40 Turn loose 41 Rawls or Reed 42 One of the Windward Islands 43 Performed again 46 Jai alai basket 47 Biblical land of riches 48 Malay Archipelago island 49 Abrade 51 Era 52 Holly 53 Primitive plant 54 Good soil 57 Pi follower

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21 Red Baron, e.g.

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61 Components 62 Circle dance 63 Course concluder