WTOC, Savannah, Georgia, news, weather and sports | Marine makes others look their best

Marine makes others look their best

By Jaime Dailey - bio | email

BEAUFORT, SC (WTOC) - Every year, close to 20,000 Marines graduate from boot camp on Parris Island. Master Sgt. Morayma Rodriguez is one of the unsung heroes, who makes sure the new marines look their best.

As the staff non-commissioned officer in charge of depot clothing, Rodriguez works behind the scenes at Parris Island, making sure all recruits are dressed properly from head to toe.

"We make sure all recruits before they graduate, leave here with a full set of uniform items," said Rodriguez. "It may seem like a small task but it is not. It requires four different appointments, bringing in the recruits, issuing them items from cammies to dress blues."

While clothing 20,000 Marines a year is a big task, she takes pride in making sure the process is efficient.

"What I enjoy most about the job is the challenge to ensure the appointments run smoothly that we're giving that time back to the drill instructors so we don't keep the recruits any longer than we have to," said Rodriguez.

But she says she couldn't do it without her fellow Marines.

"I have a crew of 34 Marines and about 18 civilian Marines who help this process and make my job very easy," said Rodriguez.

Besides what she does at the clothing depot, she goes beyond the call of duty to help others on base in other ways.

"She is the sexual assult advocate for headquarters and service batallion which she provides confidential support for victims of sexual assult and she also currently an advocate for the child development center on Parris Island," said Staff Sgt. Paulette Lora.

All she does, doesn't go unnoticed. MSgt Rodriquez recently won the National Latina Symposium Distiguished Service Award.

For her 19 years of service to the Marine Corps, we at WTOC Salute Master Sgt. Rodriquez.