Photo By Lance Cpl. Alexander Canal | U.S. Marine Corps Master Sgt. Jeremiah Benjamin, left, a native of Nacogdoches, Texas...... read more read more
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MARINE CORPS BASE CAMP LEJEUNE, N.C - A rather unassuming Marine arrives at his office and is exchanging greeting with his leadership and subordinates as he has every morning for nearly two decades. This Marine will soon end his part of a legacy of service spanning three generations.
U.S. Marine Corps Master Sgt. Jeremiah Benjamin, a signals intelligence and electronic warfare chief with Headquarters Battalion, 2d Marine Division, looks forward to finding new opportunities and challenges starting the next chapter of his life outside the Corps. Benjamin, a native of Nacogdoches, Texas, followed in the footsteps of his father and grandfather when he enlisted in the Marine Corps.
"I was in college at the time struggling with burnout as a full-time student while working part-time and doing club roller hockey for the university," said Benjamin. "I would wake up the next day so burned out and ask myself, what happened yesterday?"
Benjamin's father and grandfather both retired after dedicating more than 20 years to the Marine Corps. He would begin a new journey as a Marine enlisting at 22 years old. Most Marines tend to join before the age of 20; Benjamin, however, had a few years of life experience.
"I was talking with my dad, and he actually suggested going into the Marines," said Benjamin. "He said if you do not know what direction you are going in life or you do not know what you are doing, it is a really good opportunity to gain some purpose and direction over the next four to five years."
His father wanted him to consider his options, and Benjamin knew he needed to change his life.
"From my dad's side, it was always just support for the decision," said Benjamin. "He did 23 years [in the Marine Corps], and he understood that you can set yourself up for success by doing a whole career."
Benjamin served as a peer mentor to his fellow Marines, helping guide them through a deployment to Anbar Province, Iraq, according to Stephen Forcrum, a prior signals intelligence analyst Marine who served with Benjamin from 2004 to 2008. Benjamin was serving with the 1st Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion at Camp Pendleton, California, when he was nearing the end of his second enlistment.
"That third contract was like 'yep we are doing this,'" said Benjamin. "We are sticking this out all the way."
Benjamin shifted toward the future after making the Marine Corps his career. He would begin to attempt to help other Marines transform, his legacy leaving behind capable and lethal junior Marines. Benjamin strived to impact and mold his subordinates.
"We have a job to do and a mission to accomplish," said Benjamin. "Everything else is how we execute that mission, how we take care of the individuals and the consideration for those individuals.”
Benjamin and the Marines of his section focus on gathering strategic and tactical intelligence, listening to radio and other broadcasts to provide commanders insight into enemy actions and positions. This field includes occupations such as: signals intelligence analysts, cryptanalysts, signals intelligence/electronic warfare, and radio reconnaissance.
"Having senior Marines like Master Sgt. Benjamin is important," said Cpl. Taylor Conway, a Marine Air Ground Task Force planning specialist with Headquarters Battalion, 2d Marine Division, who serves alongside Benjamin.
“Leaders, who teach younger noncommissioned officers and staff noncommissioned officers that [they cannot] expect hard work without giving [subordinates] some reason or some goal. It is so important for them to know where the Marine Corps is going."
First meeting Benjamin at a chili cook-off more than two years ago, Taylor's first interaction with him was part of a conversation with another Marine about human rights and mental health. That first impression would prove to be a lasting and influential one.
"Master Sgt. Benjamin is one of those people that make you want to reenlist," said Taylor. "He makes you want to keep doing the job."
Benjamin has a couch in his office that Marines often use to vent or work through their problems at work and in their personal lives. He makes his Marines' mental and emotional wellbeing his mission to ensure his team can complete their assigned mission.
“I think there is an incredible balance between accomplishing the mission and ensuring that we do not treat our Marines simply as an expendable commodity," said Benjamin. "That is what I hope I have left with my Marines, whether other leaders agree with me or not."
Benjamin began his journey into retirement with the lasting impact of his accomplishments and rapport with his colleagues preceding him, on Nov. 8, 2024. He is looking forward to spending his free time with his wife and two sons, enjoying life much the way he did during his downtime in the Marine Corps, filled with adventure and taking on new challenges.
| Date Taken: | 11.13.2024 |
| Date Posted: | 11.14.2024 09:44 |
| Story ID: | 485216 |
| Location: | CAMP LEJEUNE, NORTH CAROLINA, US |
| Hometown: | NACOGDOCHES, TEXAS, US |
| Web Views: | 514 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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