JACKSONVILLE, N.C. -- A station captain with Crash Fire Rescue 751, Expeditionary Firefighting and Rescue (EFR), Headquarters and Headquarters Squadron (H&HS), on Marine Corps Air Station (MCAS) New River, Sgt. Amiel Roxas is this month’s MCAS New River Go-Getter.
“When we first moved to America from the Philippines in 2006 it was tough. There were five of us: my mother, father and two brothers,” Roxas said with pride. “My mother was a nurse and she applied to come here to pursue a better life for us.”
After 10 years of living in the U.S. and learning from his parent’s hard work and determination, Roxas was ready to embark on his own journey of chasing the American dream. In February 2016 Roxas decided he was ready to talk to a military recruiter. Now, as an excited poolee, he signed his first military contract to work in airfield services.
“At the end of high school, I decided that I didn’t want to go to college, so I looked toward the military,” Roxas said. “I saw the military as the perfect opportunity to give back and learn how to be independent.”
Roxas began his Marine Corps career at Marine Corps Air Facility (MCAF) Quantico where he worked his way up from being a beginner turret man to a lead firefighter before being assigned to Marine Wing Support Squadron-272, a new parent command, at MCAS New River on Jan. 10, 2023.
“I used my time at MCAF Quantico to learn as much as I could and to build a good foundation for my career,” Roxas explained. “When I got to my new unit here at New River, they immediately put me into a platoon sergeant spot. It was like learning a whole new MOS (Military Occupational Specialty).”
After tackling the position of platoon sergeant with his new unit, Roxas moved into his new billet as the station captain with Crash Fire Rescue 751.
“It’s funny to think that the top two most stressful jobs in the U.S. are being in the military and being a firefighter,” Roxas chuckled. “Originally, I wanted a different job coming into the Marine Corps, but it’s all worked out and I love this job.”
“Even when he is overwhelmed by a stressful situation, he’s one of those people that you can depend on in whatever scenario you’re in,” said Gunnery Sgt. Olivia Gonzalez, training chief with EFR, H&HS. “He has such a positive personality that it rubs off on other people and brings up the mood. I think that’s a really important factor for a leader.”
As Roxas’ End of Active Service approaches, he plans to transition to the Marine Corps Reserves. He’s received nothing but optimism and excitement from his peers and leaders as they look forward to potentially working with him again in the future.
“I’m really excited because he’s still going to be in our community,” said Gonzalez. “He’s done a lot for us and we really appreciate him for that. Although we’re sad to lose him from active duty, we’re glad to keep him as a reservist.”