Service member spotlight: honor, privilege Published Oct. 25, 2013 By Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst Public Affairs Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst Public Affairs JOINT BASE MCGUIRE-DIX-LAKEHURST, N.J. -- Spc. Jacquiline Cana, 244th Aviation Brigade Headquarters Company aviation operations specialist, is the joint base's featured service member of the week. Cana calls Atlantic City, N.J., home. Q: Why did you join the military? A: I represent the first generation of my family, who are originally from the Philippines, to be born as an American citizen. I feel personally indebted to the United States, which offers its diverse constituents the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. Every Soldier represents the nations' sacrifices of past, present and future. It is simply an honor and a privilege to be a part of that. Q: What is your job and what is its impact on the mission? A: I am an aviation operations specialist and am currently mobilized in support of the Defense Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear and Explosive Response Force. Upon deployment to an incident, I work with air defense and airspace management cell systems in order to facilitate communications between military and civilian sectors. I also provide support for the processing of individual orders for personnel throughout the brigade, to include its headquarters and its four battalions. This helps to ensure that the brigade maintains the required manpower in order to successfully complete its mission. Q: Do you have any past or current family members in the military? A: While I did have relatives who fought in the Philippine Army, alongside American Soldiers, I became the first member of my family in the United States Army when I joined in 2010 at age seventeen. My brother, who is exactly a year younger than me, followed in my footsteps by enlisting in the Army himself exactly a year after me. Q: Who most inspires you? A: My mother has inspired me the most undoubtedly. Her starting point was that of a life of absolute poverty, where strokes of luck entailed having food to eat and a means to get to school having been born in the Philippines. She worked very hard, defied those conditions, never gave up and always focused on her goal of being a nurse. She has since earned her bachelor's degree, become a U.S. citizen and has given my brother and me immense privilege that she was not born with herself. She is living proof of the power of positive and proactive thinking, persistence, dedication and caring. Q: What is one thing you'd like your fellow service members to take away or understand about the military? A: Each service member brings unique experiences, lessons, and skills to the table. Adding goal-driven teamwork to this inherent diversity makes our shared mission become possible. Taking pride in your hard work inevitably produces success no matter what job you have, what branch you provide service with or what rank you currently are. So, no matter what it looks like, be proud of and maintain your piece of the puzzle.