Honoring Our Heroes

Sergeant Major J. R. Jimenez: Age 63

Sergeant Major (Sgt Maj) J. R. Jimenez served 22 years in the U. S. Marine Corps. His Military

Occupational Specialty (MOS) was Field Artillery. Marines in this field have different areas of responsibility and expertise. Field Artillery includes the following duties: firing battery, weapons systems, field artillery operations which involves moving, operating, and maintaining equipment that requires targets and observation and liaison which includes checking and analyzing combat plans, communicating advice, and operating information.

He earned six of his promotions meritoriously. He received the following medals, awards, decorations, and ribbons: Navy and Marine Corp

Commendation Medal with five stars, Secretary of Transportation commendation for Achievement which he earned this twice, Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal with three stars, the Marine Corps Good Conduct Medal with six stars, Sea Service Deployment Medal with three stars, Recruiting Ribbon, the National Defense Service Medal, Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal, Navy Unit Commendation, Meritorious Mast four times, Certificate of Appreciation twice and Letter of appreciation nine times.

Sgt Maj Jimenez was born July 18,1961 to his parents, Ralph and Helen Jimenez, at Los Angeles, CA, where he was reared. Having participated in basketball and football while in high school, he graduated from Valley Christian Heritage High School at El Centro, CA, in 1979. He then worked as a teacher’s aide there for one year until he volunteered for military service in the U.S. Marine Corps in June 1980.

Sgt Maj Jimenez completed 13 weeks of Basic Training at the Marine Corps Recruiting Depot MCRD in San Diego, CA. His first MOS was Field Artillery, and his first duty station was Twentynine Palms, CA, for 2.5 years. While stationed in Twentynine Palms, he was promoted through the ranks to Sergeant, E-5. Next, he served as a drill instructor at the MCRD at San Diego, CA, for 2.5 years, and he was promoted to Staff Sergeant. Sgt Major Jimenez then went to Camp LeJeune, NC, where he was assigned to an artillery unit. While stationed there, the unit was deployed for six months to Okinawa. While in Okinawa, the unit was deployed to Korea for a few months.

Sgt Maj Jimenez then reported to AOCS, Aviation Officer Candidate School at Naval Air Station, Pensacola, FL, where he would now be the drill instructor for the Naval Cadets. If the Naval Cadets completed AOCS, they then moved on to their Pilot training. After two years on the drill field, the Gulf war broke out, and Sgt Major Jimenez was needed back in his primary MOS, Artillery.

Sgt Major Jiminez reported to Camp Pendleton, CA, serving in Artillery for five years. Within the month of his reporting to Camp Pendleton, his unit was deployed for a six-month cruise to the Somalia region. They helped to evacuate the last U.S citizens in Somalia. During his time at Camp Pendleton, he was promoted to the rank of Gunnery Sergeant (E-7) meritoriously and later was promoted to rank of First Sergeant, E-8. His next duty station brought him to Montgomery, AL, to serve at the Naval Reserve Center training reservists for the Marine Corps. While stationed here, he was promoted to the rank of Sergeant Major. After this, his duty station was Recruiting Station, Springfield, MA, as the Recruiting Sgt Major. After a year in Springfield, he returned to Montgomery, AL, as the recruiting Sgt Major. He supervised 65 Marine Corps recruiters in AL, FL, MS and GA. Sgt Major Jimenez retired from military service June 30, 2002.

After his military retirement, Sgt Maj Jimenez worked with CINTAS Corporation, an American corporation, headquartered at Mason, Ohio, which provides a range of products and services to businesses including uniforms, mats, mops, cleaning supplies, restroom supplies, first aid and safety products, fire extinguisher testing and safety courses. He first worked for three months as a route driver, and then he worked as a service manager for nineteen trucks for five months. JR was then promoted to Plant Manager and managed CINTAS plants at Tuscaloosa, AL, and Mobile, AL. He worked seven years with this company. Next, he worked with Med Line Industries, a medical supply company, in Prattville, AL as a supervisor for one year. Then JR and his wife worked together and became a management team for Holiday Retirement where they managed Senior Living Communities in Chattanooga, TN, Jackson, MS, Montgomery, AL and Macon, GA.

The opportunity came for JR and his wife to open new communities for a company called Resort Lifestyle Communities. Their first community was Cahaba Ridge in Vestavia Hills, AL. Once the community was 100 percent occupied, they moved on to open Red Hills Village in Tallahassee, FL. The next community to open was Okatie Pines, in Okatie, S.C. and their final community was Greenway Square in Indian Land, S.C. Currently J.R. is Director of Sales and Marketing at The Crossings at Eastchase which is a full-service senior living community in Montgomery, AL.

Sgt Maj Jimenez and his wife, Tammie, have been married 44 years, and they have three sons and ten grandchildren. Two of their three sons served in the U.S. Marine Corps. They attend church and are members of Coosada Baptist Church in Coosada, AL. He enjoys playing golf, cruising with his wife, wood working and housing reconstruction.

Sgt Maj Jimenez’s conclusions about what serving in the U.S. Marine Corps means to him are: “It taught me a lot. It taught me camaraderie, teamwork and leadership and not just in the military. It also taught me how to collaborate with people and how to get things done.” J.R. would like people to remember him as a commonsense individual who enjoyed life and most importantly as a Christian man. Because of his religious beliefs, he strives to be humble.