U.S. Marine Corps; E-4
Iowa Lions Eye Bank
As a high school senior of barely 100 pounds, Jessica Bramow admits that she wasn’t what you’d typically picture when you think of a U.S. Marine! However, she had an older sister who enlisted in the Marines and encouraged her to do the same.
Jessica was skeptical at first and went to college at Missouri Southern State College for about a year. It didn’t seem like the right fit for her, and her boyfriend at the time was a Marine reservist, and his sister was a Marine recruiter. Her boyfriend’s sister did her job and convinced Jessica to join the Marines, following in her own sister’s footsteps.
Jessica went to Basic Training at Parris Island in South Carolina, where all female Marines report. She describes the experience as, “A huge culture shock. I wasn’t used to being yelled at or living with 50 other women in barracks. It was shocking to say the least – but also amazing. I was in great shape, learned about different weapons, marksmanship, hand to hand combat and repelling. It was an insane experience.”
From Basic Training she was “handed” her job in Aircraft Rescue Fire Fighting (Crash Fire Rescue). She had scored high enough on her placement tests to choose her field, and she wanted to work in air field services, specifically, an Air Traffic Controller. She didn’t get it, but she thinks that in hindsight this was a blessing. But when she was first assigned, she wondered how she could be a firefighter at only 100 pounds!
She was sent to Memphis, TN for two months of firefighting training where she learned to put out fires, handle high pressure hoses, and drive the fire truck. From there she was stationed in Okinawa Japan, at Fatima Air Base. She says, “It was a great job. I loved the culture, made great friends, and really got to explore.” While in Asia, she also deployed to South Korea for a month.
As a Marine and a firefighter, she was one of very few women in her role. Growing up with all sisters, this was a very different experience for Jessica. Like a lot of women in the military, she faced some level of discrimination. “We really had great camaraderie,” she says, “And I do not feel like I was treated poorly, it was just not equally. I don’t feel like I got the same opportunities that the men did.”
After a year in Japan, Jessica was eager to get home. At the time there were no cell phones or laptops, and it was hard to communicate with friends and family, and very expensive to call home.
She finished out her time in the Marines Corps at El Toro Air Station near Irvine, CA. Jessica got married and was expecting her first child just as Desert Storm was starting up. After the birth of her son, she thought it best to move on to civilian life rather than risk being deployed during war time.
Following a brief stint in Houston, she moved to Iowa City, Iowa and tried to find a firefighting job but could not find a position. She took a secretarial position at the University of Iowa, College of Pharmacy. While working full-time, she also went to school full-time to and became a Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer and entered the IT world.
She missed military life, and the people, so she entered the Iowa National Guard and trained as a Medic. She also transferred to the Ophthalmology Department at the University of Iowa and worked there for 20 years in IT systems.
Two years ago, she moved to the Iowa Lions Eye Bank analyzing data for the eye bank. Although Jessica had been surrounded by Ophthalmology for decades, she was “floored” to learn the full impact of the eye bank and how many people they help. She says, “Seeing all the people the eye bank actually helps is mind-blowing. It makes me really happy knowing how much we help people. They’re amazing people to work with.”
Jessica credits the military with making her a “perfectionist, and a stickler for details.” She recommends military service, and is proud of the fact that joined the Marines. Her daughter is getting close to graduation, and Jessica is encouraging her to serve as well.