MARINE CORPS AIR STATION IWAKUNI, Japan -- Standing tall at a mighty 4 feet 11 “and three quarters, to be exact,” Lance Cpl. Shadel Mestre, a 19 year-old Puerto Rican from Jacksonville, Fla., is one of four female Marines in her shop as an aviation electronics technician with Marine All Weather Fighter Attack Squadron 242.
Since middle school, Mestre has known that she wanted to join the military. Living next to Naval Air Station Jacksonville her entire life, she always dreamed of working on jets.
“I used to see jets fly by every day,” said Mestre. “I thought I was going to join the Air Force but ended up changing my mind.”
Growing up, Mestre watched her mother go through the struggles of being a single mother and taking care of two children on her own, motivating her to want to make it on her own.
“The summer before 11th grade, my mom got sick,” said Mestre. “She ended up in the hospital and almost died.”
Two years later her mother was diagnosed with Neuromyelitis Optica, a disease in which a person’s own immune system attacks the optic nerves and spinal cord.
“If they didn’t treat it, she could’ve died or become paralyzed,” she said. “I knew that if anything happened to her I wanted my younger sister to be set, so that’s what kept me wanting to join the military.”
In August of 2008 Mestre left for recruit training. After graduating from her military occupational specialty school, she received orders for a two-year tour to Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni Japan.
Working as an aviation electronics technician, Mestre is responsible for leveling, inspecting, testing, maintaining, and repairing modules, cards, printed circuit boards and miniature and micro-miniature components of F/A-18 jets.
“Being a female in my job field is hard,” said Mestre. “You’ve got to work a lot harder to prove yourself and being my height you’ve got to reach to get to certain parts of the jet. I’m still getting used to it but I like it.”
“Being away from my family is probably the hardest part about being in Japan, but as far as training and my job I just have to adapt and overcome.”
As far as her off-time goes, she loves to dance.
“I’ve been dancing since I could walk,” Mestre said.
On weekends, she will likely be seen making the dance floor of the Landing Zone her stage as she dances the night away.
If not in the Marine Corps, Mestre said she would most likely be pursuing a career in dancing or fashion.
“That’s why everyone was so surprised when I said I was joining the Marine Corps,” Mestre said. “They were like ‘those girls get down and dirty.’”
But as of right now, Mestre plans on making the Corps a career.
“I’m not positive but if I do stay in, I’ll retire,” she said. “It’d be nice to be Master Guns Mestre someday.”