Laura Moore's values instilled through her service with the Marines

It has been nearly three decades since members Laura Moore and Marc Gonzalez served their country in the military. But the lessons learned from their service are still serving them well as classified staff.

Moore, a training specialist with Santa Ana Chapter 41, served in the Marine Corps from 1991 to 1996.

As a classified employee for nearly 25 years, Moore has only ever had two employers her whole life: the Marine Corps and the school district. She immediately applied what she learned as a first announcer, essentially human resources for the Marines, to her first job as a career guidance technician. She would help students create resumes, apply for jobs and take assessment tests to see where they would be best suited.

“So it was kind of neat to be able to transition those skills, especially because I was in clerical already in the Marine Corps,” she said.

Additionally, she found herself leaps and bounds above her coworkers when it came to using technology. A few months after starting, the school district incorporated the Microsoft Office Suite, including Word, and she was the only one who knew how to use it. This allowed her to help get everyone up to speed.

She is currently in her seventh position with the district and has received six promotions; all of which she attributes to her military experience.

Sacrifices an everyday component

In terms of seeing the bigger picture, Moore says there were three main takeaways from her time in the service: loyalty, strong work ethic and courage. Another major theme is service above self.

“I’m not just talking about those who give the ultimate sacrifice in losing their life during wartime. But the daily sacrifices of not being there for your family, having to deploy, missing on birthdays, on big events,” she said.

Her husband has deployed to Iraq twice, Afghanistan twice and served overseas for a whole year.

“Definitely, I think to serve, I would describe it means sacrifice,” she said. “You’re going to sacrifice a lot of your time and your life and your family to be a part of something that’s bigger.”

She added that the other attribute most military men and women have is grit.

“It’s instilled in you. So I think when things can be difficult for other people and they want to give up, I think that’s when military folks rise to the occasion,” Moore said.

Key takeaways shape her career as a classified employee

Moore says those attributes have helped her serve in a career as a classified employee.

Just like in the Marines, as an active member for the past eight years now, Moore said she has found new sense of camaraderie with her fellow brothers and sisters that keeps her going through challenges that come her way.

“So I felt like that was really missing from my life and I missed it and I really truly have found it,” she said. “It really brought that feeling of unity and being a part of something bigger than yourself back into my life and I’ve really, really enjoyed that.”

Being in the Marines, she served with people from all walks of life. One of her best friends from boot camp was from Guam, another was from the Virgin Islands and there were others from the East Coast and Midwest.

“In the Marine Corps, there’s a saying: ‘There is no color, there is no race, we’re all green,’” she said. “I think that has really helped me in my life overall. … I’m not intimidated to talk to people or get to know them, I think for that same reason, because I served with people of different nationalities, different heritages, different places in the U.S.”

As an active member, she finds herself in the same boat, sharing experiences with others. Moore has served as interim Chapter President, Regional Rep, chair of the Communications Committee and a member trainer for the last six years.

“I’m always intrigued by other people and what they learned and how they live their life,” she said. “I think that’s one of the main reasons I love being a member trainer­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­—­because I get to have those experiences, very much like the experiences I had in the Marine Corps.”’