Veronica Abosi

I was born and raised in Ghana, and came to the United States in 1999 after finishing high school. I decided to join the Marines right away because I knew that the Marine Corps would challenge me physically, mentally, and intellectually.

Three months after I arrived in the U.S., I was at boot camp in Parris Island, South Carolina with other female Marine recruits. I had chosen supply and logistics as my career field because I always liked math and wanted to work with numbers. I was first in my class and received a meritorious promotion to lance corporal.

My first assignment as a Supply Administrative Clerk was at Camp Lejeune in North Carolina. I worked in the warehouse issuing gear, ordering gear, keeping track of base property, and doing property accounting. I learned a lot on the job because I was given so much responsibility. I was in charge of 20 accounts and met regularly with officers to do inventory. I was a government credit card holder so I could make purchase recommendations and do direct procurements. In addition, I was the administrator for the computer system that we used for our supply jobs.

After two and a half years in North Carolina, I was transferred to Okinawa, Japan, in 2003. I was in charge of authorizing units to issue gear and Small Arms Protection Insert (SAPI) plates to the Marines going to Iraq. During my time in Japan, I was deployed to the Philippines for Balikatan, a counterterrorism training exercise involving both U.S. and Philippine troops. I supported this operation behind the scenes as the disbursement clerk in charge of the money needed to pay for expenses such as fuel, food, and contractor payments.

I moved back to the States and am now stationed at the Marine Corps Recruiting Command in Quantico, VA. I am responsible for submitting all purchase requests for the command and I research and secure the best vendors to support our needs. My next duty assignment will be at Parris Island as a drill instructor, training recruits. I look forward to the challenge and improving my leadership skills. After drill instructor duty, I might submit to become an officer.

I’ve been a Marine for six years now. I’ve taken advantage of the education benefits and I am in my third year of college studying computer information systems. My overall goal is to continue off-duty education until I earn my Masters in network security or a related field. My upbringing in Ghana taught me to respect my elders, so the kind of discipline and dedication that the Marines instill in people comes naturally to me.