Photo Information

Corporal Dehorta, asmall arms repair technician, Combat Logistics Battalion 15, Combat Logistics Regiment 17, 1st Marine Logistics Group, takes apart a weapon to ensure that each piece functions properly aboard Camp Pendleton, Calif., Nov. 13, 2013. As a lance corporal, he was the Marine of the Quarter and the Marine of the year. Now he is the Noncommissioned Officer of the Quarter.

Photo by Lance Cpl. Keenan Zelazoski

CLB-15 NCO of the quarter: success is a habit

20 Nov 2013 | Lance Cpl. Keenan Zelazoski 1st Marine Logistics Group

CAMP PENDLETON, Calif. - Corporal Gerardo Dehorta checked into Combat Logistics Battalion 15, Combat Logistics Regiment 17, 1st Marine Logistics Group, only three months ago. He was recently awarded the title of Noncommissioned Officer of the Quarter.

When the 24-year-old arrived, the armory was in disarray. He accounted for all the equipment. Cleaning more than 300 weapons, he ensured each one functions properly, and secured his role as lead armorer for the battalion.

“Anything that has to happen concerning the armory, and I mean anything at all, is handled by him. That in itself, is a big responsibility,” said Sgt. Ryan Stites, ordinance maintenance chief, CLB-15, CLR-17, 1st MLG, who selected Dehorta to compete for NCO of the quarter.

In addition to his job, Dehorta consistently seeks self-improvement.

“I am the first person in my family to graduate high school and the first person in my family to join the military,” said Dehorta, a Homestead, Fla., native. “I joined the Marines, seeking adventure with hopes of traveling and seeing the world. Last year I was deployed to Afghanistan, just like I wanted.”

Having already achieved one of his goals, Dehorta decided he would like to stay in the Marine Corps as long as possible.

“Being a basic Marine is vital to having a good career in the military, so it is important to me that I stay on top of my physical fitness, [training] and periods of instruction,” said Dehorta, who is quick to correct Marines when they are not living up to the standards the Marine Corps has set.

Dehorta also demonstrates selfless leadership through mentorship and taking a hands-on approach in caring for his Marines.

“I hurt my knee pretty bad a couple of months ago,” said Lance Cpl. Thomas Oles, an electro-optics ordnance technician with CLB- 15. “Cpl. Dehorta has gone out of his way to give me rides to and from physical therapy. He also gave me some workouts I can do to help my leg get better.”

Caring for your brothers and sisters in uniform is crucial as well, according to Oles.

“I’ll eventually be a corporal, too,” said Oles, a Sulphur Springs, Texas, native. “I’ve learned that taking care of your Marines greatly boosts the morale of a unit, and I have seen it first hand with Cpl. Dehorta.”

From high school on through his military career, Dehorta has made success a habit, having been recognized as NCO of the Quarter as well as Marine of the Quarter and Marine of the Year as a lance corporal.

1st Marine Logistics Group