CAMP LEJEUNE, N.C. -- Growing up on a farm is not an easy task. Early mornings and late evenings make farmers some of the most meticulous and dedicated working Americans in the country.
For Pfc. Emma Marie Wott, an embarkation specialist with Combat Logistics Regiment 27, 2nd Marine Logistics Group, dairy farming was a way of life in her hometown of Fremont, Ohio.
“Work all day, work all night,” Wott said. “Growing up on a dairy farm meant you worked 24 hours non-stop sometimes. You eventually grow into it.”
The work ethic and maturity Wott developed on the farm pushed her to excel at every step in her career thus far. Enlisting in the Corps at the fresh age of 17, Wott went to basic training aboard Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island, S.C., where she became company iron woman and earned a meritorious promotion in the process.
“I was extremely nervous, given I was only 17,” Wott explained. “It was the happiest and proudest day of my life when I [earned] that [eagle, globe and anchor]. All the hard work paid off.
“I may have been the youngest, but my drill instructors told me I was more mature than girls in my platoon who were over 24. I'll always remember to keep that kind of attitude. Boot camp helps you grow and prepares you for life, and if I could, I think I would go back.”
She’s been in for less than a year, but her noncommissioned officer praises her for her dedication.
“She’s one of the most mature and hardest workers we have in the shop,” said Cpl. Claudia Ontiveras, an embarkation specialist with CLR-27. “If it wasn’t for her rank, you couldn’t tell she was one of our newer Marines.”
Wott is already looking ahead to her future in the Marine Corps despite her short time in service.
“I hope to make the Marine Corps a long-term career, perhaps become a drill instructor,” Wott said. “My main goal is to make a lateral move in military occupational specialties and start a career in the Criminal Investigations Division of the Marine Corps. I've always wanted to work crime scenes and solve cases.”
Whether embarkation, the drill field or criminal investigations, the future is bright for this young Marine, who hails from the dairy farms of Ohio, if she keeps up the hard work and maturity she’s been commended for in her short stint thus far.