Photo By Airman Megan Cusmano | U.S. Air Force Senior Airman Teresa Riles-Martinez, 4th Operational Support Squadron...... read more read more
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Most individuals stay within their comfort zone. They avoid taking risks or hesitate to chase after their dreams. Senior Airman Teresa Riles-Martinez, aircrew flight equipment journeyman, is quite the opposite and enjoys confronting her fears head on. The military has been a huge part in helping her face the unknown along with giving her the skills to live life freely.
Teresa oversees the training program for her unit, managing new trainees all while breaking down and inspecting life-saving equipment such as parachutes, helmets, oxygen masks, and survival kits.
“We’ll open all the kits up, get everything we need out, and then we'll start breaking down our parachutes,” she shared. “We’ll go through our inspection process, and sometimes we need to exchange explosives. After we do that, we will pack it all back up.” Teresa explained while training a new Airman to understand the process of packing a parachute.
To be a fully fit Airman, it’s incredibly important to work hard in your career field and on individual growth. She is always finding ways to improve her physical and mental health. One of the ways she works on her physical health is by working out.
“Me and my wife are pretty avid gym-goers,” she said, “We go to the gym on base and work out for about two hours during the week, while on the weekends, we take long walks.”
The military gives her unique benefits, allowing her to travel. She utilizes her leave to experience different cultures and visit countries all over the world. She has been able to travel to nearly 20 countries and has plans for trips this coming year.
“Traveling is my hobby, I don’t need to be rich, but I definitely want to stay comfortable so I can travel wherever I want to,” Teresa explained.
Teresa has a huge passion for traveling which plays a role in improving her overall well-being and morale. Working on her mental and physical health brings her a sense of freedom and personal growth.
Teresa was introduced to the military lifestyle at an early age, growing up constantly on the move with her family.
“With my father serving in the United States Marine Corps, I was forced to quickly adapt to the military way of life, frequent relocations, constant goodbyes and an ever-changing environment. I never had a single place to call home. Home was wherever my family was stationed.”
In 2015, Martinez met her spouse, who soon after joined the Army. Their lives were constantly changing, immersed in the military lifestyle. When Martinez’s spouse received orders to Germany, Martinez wasn’t scared, instead she embraced the adventure. Packing up her life and moving overseas away from loved ones felt surprisingly easy. Her spouse served in the military from 2016 to 2019. In the spring of 2019, she separated. Since then, they have returned to the United States and no longer had ties to the military.
“We moved to California, which had nothing to do with the military,” she shared. “We needed to figure something out. I could join, but I was on the fence about it. When COVID happened, I thought, ‘No, we need to leave.’ I had to pay for medication at the pharmacy and was denied military discounts. I needed to get back in, and that’s when I decided to join the military.”
Teresa joined the Air Force in August of 2020 so she can support her spouse. She has now spent the last four years in the military, taking action just like her father did.
Teresa explains that her choice to join the military was eye-opening because she understood why her father was gone so much and what it truly meant to provide for a family. She doesn’t regret anything and firmly believes that “life will be what it is.” Everything that has happened so far has played a huge part in her resiliency. She wouldn’t change a thing and is grateful for how her life has unfolded.
Teresa is strong, confident, determined, focused and disciplined about what’s ahead. She holds the Air Force’s core values to a high standard. She has integrity, serves her fellow airmen before herself by leading their training, and gives 100% to every task assigned to her.
“I have been part of the military my entire life,” she states. “That’s why this is easy for me. I find comfort in being part of the military.”
Military life is challenging, but for Senior Airman Martinez, it became an unexpected source of comfort. The Air Force has transformed her, teaching her that true freedom comes from letting go of things she can't control. By doing so, she has learned to live without constant worry and fully embrace the unknown. She found peace, proving that trust and resilience can lead to endless possibilities.
| Date Taken: | 09.12.2024 |
| Date Posted: | 03.07.2025 15:26 |
| Story ID: | 492272 |
| Location: | NORTH CAROLINA, US |
| Web Views: | 30 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Transforming through the Unknown, by AB Megan Cusmano, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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