Being All They Can Be
PMA staff help coronavirus effort while keeping day jobs — at night
The U.S. Army has had a slogan: “We do more before 9 a.m. than most people do all day.”
To say four staff members at Porterville Military Academy have taken that concept to another level would be an understatement. All four have answered the call to help out with the effort in dealing with the coronavirus pandemic — all while keeping their day jobs. That is they’re keeping their day jobs at night.
Sgt. Zak Lara, Specialist Norma Osorio, Staff Sgt. Alexis Sanchez and Specialist Enrique Perez are literally working day and night. During the day they’ve taken on coronavirus response duties. Then at night they return to their day jobs, fulfilling their duties at Porterville Miiltary Academy.
“They’ve been working with us during the evenings,” said Captain David Archer, PMA’S Commandant of Cadets, about the four fulfilling their duties at the school.
About what they’re doing to assist in the effort to deal with the coronavirus pandemic, PMA principal Doug Ihmels said “they’re getting the work done that needs to be done. It shows how important it is to have thise different organizations to respond when something like this happens.
“We’re proud of them and concerned about them. They’re off doing important work. They’re putting themselves in harm’s way.”
Lara is serving in the California State Guard right now while Sanchez, Osorio and Perez are all serving in the Army National Guard.
The staff members are already used to wearing a lot of hats. Lara for example serves as a TAC-NCO as a Tac-nco/mastertrainer/asb Advisor at PMA. He’s working in public affairs in Southern California for the California State Guard. Lara also served in the U.S. Marines.
During the evenings, Archer said Lara continues to work with his students.
So does Sanchez, who’s with the Aviation National Guard Unit out of Fresno. During the evenings, Sanchez is fulfilling his duties as a Charlie
Co. TAC-NCO at the school, working with his students and grading papers.
During the day he works as a crew chief on helicopters being used to provide supplies all over the state. “It sounds like he’s right on the frontlines,” Ihmels said.
Osorio is a logistics specialist at the school and also a logistics specialist working with the distribution of food in the Santa Rosa area. She’s with the 349th Quarter Master Company in Vallejo.
On Monday, Archer said Osorio spent four hours reviewing the school’s budget with him when she wasn’t fulfilling her National Guard duty.
Perez is with the
Porterville National Guard and is also working with the logistical assistance efforts that are going on all over the state.
Perez is the Administrative NCO at PMA and he has continued in his duties at the school which includes assisting Archer.