What I’ve Learned: Sheldon Brown

Twentynine Palms -- Lance corporal, administration clerk, Installation Personnel Administration Center, Headquarters Battalion

Hometown: Plainfield, N.J.

>My family is originally from Jamaica. They moved to the U.S. before I was born. We enjoy cooking on a grill and bringing the family together. Being together as a family is very important to us.

>I am very close with my brothers. I’m the youngest of five so I looked up to my older brothers. We used to do all sorts of things together like playing sports and video games. We loved to play “Sonic the Hedgehog.”

>I actually didn’t meet my oldest brother until just before I went to boot camp. He was born in Jamaica, unlike me. It was a good experience to be able to meet and get to know another sibling.

>I’m the first member of my family to join the military. I wanted to challenge myself and continue to improve myself for as long as I can. The Marine Corps gave me the challenge I was looking for.

>I enjoy being active and staying fit. Going to the gym to lift weights helps ease my mind and keeps me competitive in other aspects of life.

>Being fit is something that is completely determined by what I want. I choose how far I want to run, how much I’m going to lift and how high I want to jump. It takes determination to keep going with it but in the end it is completely worth it.

>I also go swimming whenever I have time. As much as it is a workout, it is also therapeutic for your joints. After swimming, I feel very relaxed and inspired to push myself harder to get better.

>When I’m not working out, I like to play basketball with Marines at the barracks. I have tried out many different sports but basketball is the most fun for me.

>It’s great to challenge myself by putting my skills to the test. Basketball allows me to put everything I have out on the court and still work together as a team to accomplish a goal. It has been a sport I have enjoyed since childhood and I plan to continue playing for a long time.

>Learning is very important to me because it helps me grow as a person. People grow the most individually by learning and I want to continue growing for as long as I can.

>We learn every day and I want to make the most of it while I can so I can pass it to others and help them grow as well.

>To me, reading is like a work out for the brain. It does not matter what I read, I still enjoy it. Some of my favorite books I’ve read growing up have been “Holes” and the “Hunger Games” series.

>What gets me to like books so much is reading about the main characters’ determination and drive to get through any challenges they face throughout the story.

>These types of characters show the determination that I want to have in my life. I want to say that no matter the situation I get myself in I will get out and keep moving through life.

>The Marine Corps has given me another family to be a part of. I enjoy the foundations it has given me. I want to make a career out of the Corps. I don’t really know if I’ll stay an admin clerk, but I know that I want to make the most of the time I have as a Marine.