Deployed service members send videos home

22 Nov 2011 | Sgt. Elyssa Quesada 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit

Deployed service members aboard USS Makin Island began recording personal “Stories from the Sea” videos here Nov. 22, keeping connected to families back home.

Parents read books to their children and others recorded general messages for loved ones.

Sgt. Donald Hughes, deployed for the first time, recorded a story for his 2-year-old daughter Berlin.

“I thought it was an excellent idea. Not only can (my family) see me while I’m gone, but they get a little sense of what ship life is like,” said Hughes, 24, who hails from Missoula, Mont. “It’s another way of communicating. I love my family and I miss them.”

More than 50 service members signed up in the program’s first four days, and the 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit chaplain and project coordinator Lt. Cmdr. Jon Conroe said he hopes to see more participation while the unit is underway, especially before the holidays.

“Not only is it a morale builder, but it gives the children (of deployed service members) the ability to see and hear their parent …,” said the unit’s religious programs specialist Petty Officer 1st Class Hatondra D. Willis.

Hughes serves as the logistics noncommissioned officer in charge for the 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit’s command element. The unit embarked USS Makin Island, USS New Orleans and USS Pearl Harbor in San Diego Nov. 14, beginning a seven-month deployment to the Western Pacific and Middle East regions.


More Media

Marine Corps News

Colonel Caleb Hyatt
Commanding Officer

Colonel Caleb Hyatt is a native of Tamarac, Florida. He was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant following graduation with merit from the United States Naval Academy in May 2001. Colonel Hyatt’s command positions include Guns Platoon Commander, Battery S, 5th Battalion, 10th Marines; Headquarters Battery Commander, 5th Battalion, 11th Marines; Battery R Commander, 5th Battalion, 11th Marines; and Commanding Officer, 2d Battalion, 11th Marines. Colonel Hyatt has deployed in support of Operations IRAQI FREEDOM and ENDURING FREEDOM with artillery, light armored reconnaissance, and logistics units. Colonel Hyatt holds a BS in Computer Science, MA in Management, MMAS in Theater Operations, and an MS in National Security Strategy. Colonel Hyatt is also a 2023 distinguished graduate from the National War College.

Read Biography

Lieutenant Col. Steven M. Sprigg
Executive Officer

LtCol Sprigg was born in Parkersburg, WV. LtCol Sprigg enlisted in the United States Marine Corps in September 2004 and recruit training at Marine Corps Recruit Depot, Parris Island, SC. LtCol Sprigg was selected for the Enlisted Commissioning Program and commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in March 2008. He was designated a Naval Aviator in February 2011 and reported to HMLAT-303 for training as an AH-1W pilot. LtCol Sprigg is currently serving as the Executive Officer for the 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit in Camp Pendleton, California.

Read Biography

Sergeant Major Geronimo Guzman
Sergeant Major

Sergeant Major Guzman enlisted in the Marine Corps in November of 1998. He attended recruit training aboard Marine Corps Recruit Depot, San Diego, California. In April of 1999, Private First Class Guzman transferred to the Material Readiness Battalion, 3rd Force Service Support Group, Okinawa, Japan. In July of 2005, Sergeant Guzman reported to Drill Instructor School, Marine Corps Recruit Depot, San Diego, California. In May of 2011, Staff Sergeant Guzman reported to the Officers Candidate School, Quantico, Virginia. In November of 2019, Sergeant Major Guzman was promoted to his current rank and reported to Recruiting Station Sacramento. In July 2022, Sergeant Major Guzman reported to 1st Maintenance Battalion, where he previously served as the Battalion Sergeant Major.

Read Biography