Photo By Lance Cpl. David Getz | U.S. Marine Corps Cpl. Jayden Watson, a future operations noncommissioned officer,...... read more read more
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MARINE CORPS AIR STATION IWAKUNI, Japan – “Your story is not about the beginning, your story is about the whole picture, people will keep reading even after hearing all the bad stuff that you've done.” This is what a U.S. Marine Corps recruiter told Jayden Watson upon meeting him at a crossroads in his life when he was not sure if he would live or die on any given day in the winter of 2018. Looking back at his history, Watson believed if he didn't join the Marine Corps, he would have ended up dead within a year. He was 17 years old when the recruiter approached him and he had gone through many adversities growing up, but despite that, he managed to turn his life around.
Watson, a Baltimore, Maryland native, grew up facing many threats to his success and well-being. No matter where he went during his upbringing, he was surrounded by bad influences. From a young age, he was exposed to poverty, drugs, and homicides. His father — although caring deeply for Watson — spent a lot of time in jail, and his mother could not provide a stable lifestyle for him and his three siblings.
“A lot of things came about growing up in Baltimore,” Watson said. “You lived the kind of things you see in movies, and personally, it affected me a lot.”
It was not just family, however, that were largely absent in Watson’s life. The friends he grew up with also left the picture.
“That year alone, everybody I grew up with died,” Watson said of 2019. “That summer, one of my best friends was shot right in front of me and people said, ‘it shouldn't bother you because it's normal,’ but losing him made me see life differently.”
Watson knew he had to leave his home because there wasn't a future for him if he stayed. One day, during a trip to the mall, he met a Marine Corps recruiter who understood what life was like living in the city and asked if he was interested in changing his trajectory. Watson shared his personal story about providing for his family, and living in Baltimore.
Not long after meeting with the recruiter, tragedy struck again when he and a friend walked out of a gas station. His friend was shot. In mere moments, his friend went from being by his side to being in his arms struggling to breathe. A few moments later, he died in Watson’s arms. Watson described this to be a breaking point, and it solidified his decision to join the Marine Corps.
Watson enlisted in the Marine Corps in March 2019. Although he wasn't surrounded by what plagued his life back home, he now faced the challenges of adapting to life as a Marine.
“The biggest obstacle I had to go through was realizing that not everybody is in your corner,” Watson said. “Not everyone means well, and cares about your story; some people just want you to get the job done.”
Watson tried to adapt to his new work environment but often found himself at odds with his coworkers. This lack of personal connection led to physical altercations, pushing him to the point of almost being separated from the very organization that took him in.
Watson found himself in a dark place upon his non-judicial punishment (NJP), and the possibility of being administratively separated.
“When I was going through that stuff, there were very few people who stuck around and kept mentoring me,”
“If you know my story, you know I was supposed to be separated from the Marine Corps a long time ago,” Watson said. “I was doing the wrong things and it took a lot of pull from the right people to vouch for me, and say ‘You know what? We're not gonna kick him out.’”
To his fortune, there were still leaders who saw his potential; he just needed a push in the right direction.
“But I got into a mindset where I was going to redeem myself because I wanted to prove I could do it.” Watson said
Watson wanted to be the driving force behind his recovery, but he knew he couldn’t do it alone until he recognized his flaws.
“Even now, when all this good stuff is happening,” Watson recalls, “People will say, ‘It's long overdue' and I say, ‘No, it's right on time because I wasn't ready back then.”
Despite all the hardships he has faced, Watson, now a future operations noncommissioned officer, with Marine Aircraft Group (MAG) 12, 1st Marine Aircraft Wing (MAW), chose a path in which he is able to provide for his siblings, and one in which he can be proud of.
“Just watch him. He still has a lot more growth in him,” said Staff Sgt. Carlos Morris, a command support Staff-NCO with Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni’s Installation Personnel Administration Center, and one of Watson’s mentors.
Watson has taken on collateral duties which include serving as a combat marksmanship coach, an accredited Lean Six Sigma instructor, and an adversity recovery mentor.
“I think back to what I could have been if I stayed in his home and I see where I am now,” Watson said. “and my failures show growth because you can't buy growth from anybody, you can only get growth if you work for it.”
| Date Taken: | 02.17.2023 |
| Date Posted: | 02.17.2023 04:58 |
| Story ID: | 438698 |
| Location: | IWAKUNI, YAMAGUCHI, JP |
| Web Views: | 385 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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