Photo By Cpl. Michael McHale | Corporal Saul Huerta-Magdaleno poses for a portrait aboard Camp Barrett, Quantico,...... read more read more
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The Marine Corps prides itself on its strides toward diversity with nearly 16% of all enlisted personnel being Hispanic.
Every year the Marine Corps acknowledges the contributions made by its Hispanic and Latino service members, observing their culture and heritage from Sept. 15 to Oct. 15.
Corporal Saul Huerta-Magdaleno embodies this year's theme of "Shaping the Bright Future of America."
Huerta is a Hispanic-American who was born and raised in Mexico before moving to the United States as a 16 year old in 2011.
Huerta joined the Corps on April 21, 2014, in Chicago where he lived since his travel from Mexico.
"Ever since I was little, I always told myself that if I ever joined the military, I was going to join the best of the best," Huerta said. "The Marine Corps is the best of the best."
Huerta currently serves as an artillery cannoneer and instructor at The Basic School (TBS) on Camp Barrett, Quantico, Virginia, and coaches newly commissioned officers on firing howitzers during field training.
"He is always one of the first to volunteer for any task that comes up," said Cpl. Joseph Eisman, a fellow artillery cannoneer and instructor at TBS. "Each day he strives for the best and pushes his body to the limit to accomplish his goals whether they be in his personal life or within the Marine Corps."
Coming from a large family of businessmen, doctors, engineers and pharmacists, Huerta credits his accomplishments to their example.
"I was raised with great values," Huerta said. "They taught me well; they taught me what to do to become a successful man."
Huerta currently attends school full time and studies software engineering and hopes to add a minor in cyber security. His grades reflect his hard work that he puts into school and he utilizes his time on and off duty to network so he is ready when he transitions out of the service.
"I've been talking to Cisco," Huerta said. "They have a program for cyber security, networking and software engineering that I'll be starting in October. Once I graduate, they said they'd offer me a job [after the Marine Corps], which will give me the opportunity to go to school and finish my degree while I'm working for them full time."
Huerta says his successes can be attributed to his family and the Marine Corps. His dedication to the United States, job proficiency and furthered education displays how he is striving to shape a bright future for himself and America.
"I'd say what defines Huerta the best is a quote by Winston Churchill," said Eisman. "'If you're going through Hell, keep going.' Cpl. Huerta is the epitome of this, a dedicated and strong-willed Marine."
| Date Taken: | 09.15.2017 |
| Date Posted: | 09.15.2017 16:52 |
| Story ID: | 248481 |
| Location: | QUANTICO, VIRGINIA, US |
| Web Views: | 108 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Marine Instructor Shapes a Bright Future, by Cpl Michael McHale, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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