Photo By Pfc. Brendan King | Cpl. David Perez, an air traffic controller with Headquarters & Headquarters Squadron,...... read more read more
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YUMA, Ariz. - Cpl. David Perez, an air traffic controller attached to Headquarters & Headquarters Squadron, received the Marine Corps Installations West Noncommissioned Officer of the Quarter Award in front of friends and fellow Marines.
It takes relentless effort and dedication to be successful in a military work place. One Marine noncommissioned officer went above and beyond that, and was recognized aboard Marine Corps Air Station Yuma, Ariz., Thursday, June 4.
Cpl. David Perez, an air traffic controller attached to Headquarters & Headquarters Squadron, received the Marine Corps Installations West Noncommissioned Officer of the Quarter Award in front of friends and fellow Marines.
“It’s an individual award but there were so many people behind it,” said Perez a native of Phoenix. “There are so many people I want to thank, especially my family, but I would not have won this had it not been for the Marines I work with that kept pushing me to do more, whether they were above or below me.”
To be considered for NCO of the Quarter, a Marine must be a sergeant or corporal, must not have any courts-martial, and must earn first class Physical Fitness Test and Combat Fitness Test scores. The Marine must stand in front of a board of senior Marines. He or she is then quizzed by the panel of seasoned staff noncommissioned officers on Marine Corps knowledge, ability to maintain professional bearing and uniform presentation.
“It’s high a stress situation for the two days you are being closely evaluated,” said Perez. “Once you get a feel of everything, it’s one of the better feelings I’ve had in the Marines. You know you’re being looked at as one of the best out of your peers and that’s a great feeling.”
Perez outperformed a field of other highly competitive selected Marines.
For Perez, having also just earned the title of instructor in the Marine Corps Martial Arts Program was just one piece of what set him apart from the rest of the pack. “I’ve had this planed out since July, I saw that right after corporals course there would be a MCMAP Instructors course, then there would be a board and I told my higher ups I was ready to do all three,” said Perez. “I believe one of the main things that has helped me early in my career is just to keep thinking three steps ahead and looking at the bigger picture.”
Perez if far from accomplishing his goals; for his part, he is already eyeing the NCO of the Year board and is hoping to put his name on any future meritorious sergeant boards.
“I’m confident I can win any board out there. If I don’t, it will just motivate me to better myself as a person or as a Marine,” said Perez. “This meant a lot to me and my family. In many ways, what I do is for them.”
| Date Taken: | 06.09.2015 |
| Date Posted: | 06.09.2015 17:13 |
| Story ID: | 166012 |
| Location: | YUMA, ARIZONA, US |
| Hometown: | PHOENIX, ARIZONA, US |
| Web Views: | 417 |
| Downloads: | 1 |
This work, MCAS Yuma Marine becomes NCO of the Quarter for MCI-West, by PFC Brendan King, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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