As National Hispanic Heritage Month is set to end this coming Thursday, the 149th Fighter Wing wanted to recognize one of its own, Senior Airman Raimundo Martinez. This recognition month is observed every year from Sept. 15 - Oct. 15.
The celebration starts in the middle of the month because the 15th marks the independence days of five Latin American countries: Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua with Mexico, Chile, and Belize following shortly thereafter. Today, thousands of Hispanic-American service members throughout the world are protecting our nation and its freedoms.
Senior Airman Raimundo Martinez is one example among many.
Martinez was born in Houston but raised in San Antonio. He enlisted into the Air Force Feb. 5, 2016, after attending San Antonio College for a brief time. He arrived at the 149th Fighter Wing as an F-16 crew chief in March of 2018.
Martinez joined the Air Force to gain a greater sense of purpose and to take on more responsibility.
“I’m a first-generation college student in my family, and I don’t think I would have been able to finish school without my position at the 149th and all of the benefits of the Air Force,” Martinez said. “Being an airman instilled discipline within me to finish college while I also was maintaining a full-time aircraft maintenance position here."
In addition to his military experience, Martinez holds a bachelor’s degree in aviation maintenance technology.
“The most rewarding part of my military career field is feeling as if I have a sense of accomplishment every day I go to work because when there is a sophisticated problem with the aircraft, and I am able to solve it by troubleshooting, I know that I impacted the readiness of the mission, and there is pride in that.”
When reflecting on being recognized during this monthly observance, Martinez expressed gratitude.
“Where I come from, it could have been very easy for me to become a negative statistic, but I think my grandfather’s influence had a stabilizing effect on me,” Martinez said. “He is one of the reasons why I am where I am today. He was a former Vietnam veteran and used a healthy mixture of being both loving and stern with me that really helped shape who I am. It feels good to now be able to have that influence on others.”
| Date Taken: | 10.09.2020 |
| Date Posted: | 10.20.2020 21:47 |
| Photo ID: | 6396703 |
| VIRIN: | 201009-Z-UK039-0001 |
| Resolution: | 1288x1610 |
| Size: | 253.11 KB |
| Location: | SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS, US |
| Web Views: | 42 |
| Downloads: | 3 |
This work, 149th Fighter Wing recognizes Maintenance Gunfighter for National Hispanic Heritage Month, by Mindy Bloem, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
