CAMP LEMONNIER, Djibouti – The Sailors and Marines of the Joint Personnel Center assigned to Combined Joint Task Force-Horn of Africa are no strangers to paperwork.
Every two weeks, the office conducts mass in-processing briefings, to ensure incoming Sailors, and the folders full of paperwork they deploy with, are squared away.
Petty Officer 2nd Class Michael Roseborough, a personnel specialist with the JPC, spends these briefings sifting through piles of paperwork and answering dozens of questions about entitlements, allotments and pay timelines.
Roseborough said he doesn’t mind; he admits that he likes being able to give people peace of mind at the beginning of their deployment.
“If you’re not getting paid, and you’re worried about home, you can’t focus on your job,” said Roseborough. “We like to start people off on the right foot when they arrive and hopefully make the deployment process a little less stressful. It gives them a peace of mind, so they can do their job here.”
Petty Officer 1st Class Juan Ramirez, a personnel specialist with the JPC, supervises the section, and notes the varied missions his team performs has a wide reach.
“Whether dealing with pay, entitlements or a Sailor trying to go home for rest and recuperation leave, it’s our office that handles it,” Ramirez said. “It’s motivating because we’re able to make an impact on every individual who comes through here. We’re just a little piece of the whole puzzle, but we try to do our best.”
The JPC’s organization and dedication doesn’t go unnoticed.
U.S. Navy Cmdr. Nick Fialka, incoming future operations director, Combined Joint Task Force-Horn of Africa, recently participated in the mass in-processing brief, and remarked on the ease with which the team handled both questions and processes.
“This is one of the most seamless in-processing briefs I’ve been through,” said Fialka.
