Jill Ellen Neely

Hummm, that sounds rather profound. I have never had to write about myself, other than short biographies so this is quite a challenge. When asked where I am from, I claim the Midwest for their values, and the west coast for it's innovative ideas , and laid back attitude.

I was born in Freeport, IL on Dec 13, 1958. We lived in Pecatonica until about the middle of the third grade for me.  I really don't remember much of those years, but I have returned to Illinois many times, and it seems to come back, even though a much smaller version.  Funny how things seem so big when you are a kid.  Grandpa Pete and Grandma Esther Andrews moved to Oregon quite soon after we did. It was always nice to go to Grandma and Grandpa's house on Sunday afternoon for popcorn and ice-cream.

When I was a junior in high school, I was chosen to be a participant in the American Field Service program, and spent 1975 in Argentina. What an experience to live with a family whose culture is so different, yet so much the same!  I knew little Spanish when I left Jefferson, and my Argentinean family was the same with English. We used a lot of sign language, but the first words I learned were "Donde esta el bano?"  This experience  definitely helped to shape my life as an adult.

After high school in 1976, I attended University of Oregon in Eugene, for one term. It  was definitely not the right time in my life for college. I worked briefly but decided that I wanted to be a Marine like my brother, Matt.  I went to boot camp on 5 May 1981, a day you don't tend to forget.

We soon became a whole family of Marines. Lois went to boot camp about a year after I did.

My first duty station was Marine Corps Air Station, Kaneohe Bay, HI. It was wonderful, I would really love to go back. Matt was also stationed there at the same time, so we got Mom to come visit, and had a nice vacation. Lois came to visit me also, some time later and ended up staying for a few months.

In May of 1985, my initial four year commitment was up. I went back to Oregon to work at the Secretary of State's office to work in the Accounting Dept. About a year later, missing some of the things about the Marine Corps, I decided to join the active Reserve unit in Salem. The writ was the 6th engineers, what a change from accountant to bridge builder. After about a year of this and after meeting some really good people, I decided to apply for the Full­Time-Support (FTS) program.  In April 1987, I returned full time at the rank of Sergeant (E-5) to become a Disbursing clerk in Kansas City, MO at the home of the Finance Center for the Marine Corps.

I did a lot of exciting and out-of-the-ordinary things that enhanced my career while I was here. One thing that I have finally learned is that the person you work for can either make you miserable, or be a mentor to you. In Kansas City  I was very fortunate to have the later,  Major Mark Kocourek helped me grow, and gave me the room to do it.

I was promoted to Staff Sergeant (E-6) in December 1988. One thing that went hand in hand with this particular promotion was a school seat in one of the Professional Military Schools in Quantico, VA. I was on my way for 8 weeks in April 1989. I got a couple more college classes under my belt, while I was in Missouri also, but that degree seemed intangible at this point.

The FTS program was continually threatened with being phased out. Knowing this, and thoroughly enjoying my job as a Marine, I applied to return to full-time active duty. I wanted to be an auditor this time though, as it seemed to be the only job in the Marine Corps that had an equivalent in the civilian world. Just in case I need to get a "real" job one of these days. My application was accepted, and I was on my way to Camp Pendleton, CA. I became a Financial Auditor. The auditor field in the Marine Corps is very competitive for everything: promotions, awards, etc. In order to stay competitive, the first thing that you had to do was to complete your Bachelor's degree. Next comes Masters degrees and professional certifications.

I met my husband while working at Camp Pendleton, he was also an auditor. Dexter Brumley and I were married on 11 December 1993 in Las Vegas, as this was not the first marriage for either of us.  Dex's folks, sister and her  husband came, as well as Mom, Matt and his family. I finally completed all of the requirements for a bachelor’s degree in Management/Accounting in December 1993. Seventeen years after the first college class that I took, I really couldn't believe that I graduated.

With the Information System Audit Team (ISAT), here in Marine Corps Headquarters in Washington, DC. I have recently earned two professional certifications. I applied for the Warrant Officer program and was accepted and promoted to W-1 on February 1, 1995. The Warrant Officer ranks in the Marine Corps are the stepping stones between the enlisted members and the Officer Corps and are considered technical specialists in their  field.

Along with the promotion comes a professional school. This one is also considered a rite of passage in some respects. It is quite an accomplishment and relief to graduate. In May 1995 I was proud to have my Mom, sister Lois and Uncle Jim Andrews join Dex here in Quantico to celebrate my graduation. August 1, 1996 I was promoted to Chief Warrant Officer.

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