FORT STEWART, Ga. - Staff Sergeant Marquita Young, Aviation Operations Sergeant, 1st Heavy Brigade Combat Team, Third Infantry Division, has a storied history in the Army.
Not only is she the first female in her Family to enter military service, she's also the first to graduate high school.
"I've been in the Army for nine years," she said. "I joined the Army on the delayed entry program during 11th grade. I didn't want to wait until I graduated but [the Army] made me wait. I've wanted to join the Army since I was a little kid; my inspiration was my grandfather."
Unlike most basic training iterations, Staff Sgt. Young says she had it easy.
"Basic training was a blur because we had the best class ever. Everyone scored over 300 and we were all first-time goers for the physical training test and the training. I didn't realize how good that was."
From basic training she moved on to Korea, where her drive for physical and mental excellence continued.
"My first duty station was in Korea and I knocked out correspondence courses during any free time I had."
Staff Sergeant Young has received every promotion with an early waiver, a testament to her motivation in the Army. "My thing is to try and be just a little bit better than the person before me. I'm my own role model."
The mother of two was soon called upon to be a drill sergeant, and although some Soldiers may dislike the idea of being a drill sergeant, she saw it as a chance to mentor.
"Being a drill sergeant, it is very hard to get a group of Soldiers who are perfect," she said. "You have to be consistently hard on the recruits for them to understand the concept. I actually really cared about the recruits, but I had to act like I didn't like them."
Then she laughed.
"However, they knew that, and every time they had a problem they would come to me. This is what I get for being a nice drill sergeant. It was tiring, but getting to know the recruits and being an influence on their life instills pride within me."
The future looks nowhere but up within the military for Staff Sgt. Young.
"I want to be an officer or a sergeant major," she said confidently. "My philosophy is getting education no matter what you're going through. I've had babies, deployed, and been overseas and still managed to get an associates degree. But you have to make time for what you want."
As Black History Month celebrations begin in the United States, Staff Sgt. Young reflected on why such observances are important not only for the Army, but for everyone.
"Black History Month means pride, self-awareness, being knowledgeable about our history and accepting that black history is very important. I'm very appreciative that there is a month dedicated to celebrating our history. We do get to honor the most outstanding people within that month and regardless of it being black history month or not, we shouldn't forget them."
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