“I took the billboard as God’s sign for me to go to that recruitment office,” Martinez explained.
Within the month, Martinez had met with a recruiter, passed the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery (ASVAB) and shipped out to boot camp.
“Growing up, I’d always respected the military in general.” Martinez recalled, “The way people in the military wear the uniform… you can tell it means a lot to them.”
Little did Martinez know that his skill, authenticity, and dedicated service would come to mean a lot to the crews he sustained, and that making a difference would prove to be more than a slogan on a billboard. For a Culinary Specialist, it’s the daily bill of fare.
Martinez was born in the City of Iriga, Philippines. In 2014, at the age of 21, he immigrated to Texas with his family, where they have lived ever since. When his sister joined the U.S. Army in the summer of 2019, she and Martinez decided that he would enlist in the U.S. Navy and together they would encourage their younger siblings to join the U.S. Air Force and the U.S. Marine Corps.
“It was our 2020 sibling goal,” Martinez explained. “We really wanted to serve our nation and make ranks.”
Spurred on by the recruitment billboard, Martinez put the plan into action and followed his passion for cooking to the rate of CS. In doing so, he carries on a family tradition of service passed down by his parents, both of whom work in a hospital, and one day (Martinez hopes) to be continued by his younger siblings. Unfortunately, due to the constraints of a global pandemic, Martinez’s family was unable to attend his graduation from boot camp.
Despite the challenges of the COVID-19 environment, Martinez continued to excel, earning leadership awards in “A” School and learning the skills to become an effective CS. Additionally, Martinez was quick to recognize the feelings of dejection and disconnection many around him faced during the pandemic. As a CS, Martinez knew better than most what it took to sustain others. Going beyond the galley, he spread a sense of true connection among a crew with very limited surface contact.
“My shipmates describe me as a motivator because I always try to make people laugh and I encourage them to push themselves and be the best.” Martinez said, “For me, morale means working to be the best, together and individually, to support our nation’s mission and be ready to face any adversity.”
Additionally, Martinez used social media and community outreach to inspire others and share his experience as an openly gay Sailor.
“I made it to where I am by being who I am,” stated Martinez. He encourages others to do the same.
Aboard his first command, USS ESSEX (LHD 2), Martinez became a proud cabinet member of GLASS (Gay, Lesbian and Supportive Sailors), an organization formed to provide education, mentorship, and support to the Navy LGBTQ+ community. Now continuing his sea tour aboard USS OKANE (DDG 77), Martinez remains involved in his community, adapting to the needs of his new galley and dedicating himself to his crew and his craft.
“I can say, being good at your job makes a lot of difference. Especially being a CS in a small ship. If you put out a delicious and amazing meal, others will talk about it in the mess deck. They’ll know your name,” Martinez stated plainly. “The CS prepares breakfast for the crew every morning and cleans up at the end of each day. Because of this, we’re the first group of people in the ship, and the last.”
Martinez especially enjoys preparing for special events and official visits, embracing the opportunity to develop further knowledge and hospitality skills and hoping one day to take those skills to the next level.
“I want to be a certified chef and get an order to work for the White House.” Martinez shared, “I want to say before I leave the Armed Forces that I was a cook in the White House.”
Looking to his future career in the Navy, Martinez hopes to pass on his knowledge and passion as a CS to the next generation of Sailors.
“I want to teach in a school to prepare new graduates for what they can expect once they go to the fleet and how to survive their first deployments,” Martinez declared. “I want to improve the knowledge that the Navy and the CS rate can offer.”
From 2019 to his current deployment and onward, Martinez’s goal remains the same. He wants to make a difference; leaving the people and places he serves better than when he found them. As CS in the US Navy, every day from breakfast to dinner, morning to night, he does just that.
Naval Supply Systems Command (NAVSUP) provides operational and financial policy guidance for Navy chefs to efficiently and confidently execute the food service mission. Navy Supply Officers along with senior enlisted CSs assigned to ships and ashore galleys across the fleet manage the careers of CSs. NAVSUP is a stakeholder, sponsor and key player in the overall training process.
NAVSUP is headquartered in Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania, and employs a diverse, worldwide workforce of more than 25,000 military and civilian personnel. NAVSUP and the Navy Supply Corps conduct and enable supply chain, acquisition, operational logistics and Sailor & family care activities with our mission partners to generate readiness and sustain naval forces worldwide to prevent and decisively win wars.
Learn more at www.navsup.navy.mil , www.facebook.com/navsup and https://twitter.com/navsup.
