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Airman All About Family, Service
by U.S. Air Force Airman 1st Class Madelyn Keech
November 21,
2022
Growing up in Guam, MC Garrette Dela Cruz
looked up to his uncles, who served in the U.S. Air Force.
Dela Cruz said he loved living in Guam, but wanted a chance to see
more of the world. After the birth of his daughter, he decided to
join the Air Force to provide financial stability for his family.
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U.S. Air Force Tech. Sgt. MC Garrette Dela Cruz, 86th Airlift Wing administrative executive non-commissioned officer in charge, stands next to the 86th AW headquarters building sign at Ramstein Air Base, Germany
on November 16, 2022. He looked up to his uncles, who served
in the U.S. Air Force. After the birth of his daughter, he
decided to join the Air Force to provide financial stability
for his family. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Madelyn Keech)
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He joined the Delayed Entry Program in 2007 and left for Basic
Military Training in 2008.
Now, Tech. Sgt. MC Garrette Dela
Cruz, 86th Airlift Wing administrative executive noncommissioned
officer in charge, has been in the Air Force for nearly 15 years and
said he would do it all over again.
“My family and I would
not have been able to see other places,” he said. “I don’t know what
I would be doing if I hadn’t joined. No regrets.”
Out of the
seven places Dela Cruz has been stationed, being able to experience
Daegu, South Korea, where he served as the postmaster, was his
favorite assignment.
A large part of why Dela Cruz loved
being in Korea was his family, one of his biggest motivators, who
were able to experience it with him after having command sponsorship
approved for his two-year tour.
Recently, Dela Cruz was
awarded Airlifter of the Month for his accomplishments not only
within his unit, but also for his involvement in the Kaiserslautern
Military Community. The team he works with also motivates him on a
daily basis.
“I am very grateful for my team,” he said.
“From the experiences I’ve had prior to this, I am also grateful to
be a big part of [Armed Forces Against Drunk Driving the Ramstein
Enlisted Summit].”
Dela Cruz is a task force leader for AADD.
The program coordinates volunteers to be designated drivers, getting
KMC service members home safely if they have been drinking on the
weekends.
He also played a large role in facilitating the
most recent Ramstein Enlisted Summit in October. The Enlisted Summit
was an all-day event focused on equipping enlisted Airmen with
resiliency tools, and empowering Airmen to become more confident
leaders.
“He is usually the first one to get here and the
last one to leave,” said Senior Airman Isaiah Zavala, 86th AW
commander’s executive admin, one of Dela Cruz’s troops. “Anytime
there is an opportunity to take something on, he is always the one
whose hand is up first. All of his hard work, and leadership, put
him in the spotlight.”
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