CAMP FOSTER, OKINAWA, Japan – -- Military occupational specialties are the foundation of the Marine Corps. Each MOS is a cog, working with and relying on each other to keep the fighting machine that is the United States Marine Corps running. The postal clerk field is one of these cogs.
Postal clerks are tasked with handling mail through all stages of the mail cycle, from assigning tracking numbers to delivering it to the appropriate location.
“Camp Foster is the busiest post office in the Marine Corps,” said Sgt. Montonio Kenan, a postal clerk with Headquarters and Support Battalion, Marine Corps Installation Pacific-Marine Corps Base Camp Butler, Japan. “Okinawa is the busiest station. In the states, there isn’t as much mail because they can go to the store or order online and have it delivered to their door. Here we have to service everyone. Since Camp Foster is the bigger base, we have the bulk of the people stationed as well. We are always busy.”
The Camp Foster mail is dropped off in semi-trucks. The first truck drops off mail around 8 a.m. The Marines have to unload it and sort it by base, unit and type. Boxes, padded envelopes and letter envelopes are separated for easier check in. Checking in and sorting the mail takes hours. Sometimes there are multiple truck deliveries a day so postal Marines are constantly working to keep up.
Postal Marines also help the customers with packaging, labeling and locating mail. They track orders and if a package is found damaged, the Marines will help the customers fill out the damaged claims paperwork.
“Customers come in and ask where their package is, or ask why their tracking number says that it was delivered when it hasn’t been,” said Lance Cpl. Kishawra Barrettpearson, a postal clerk with H&S BN, MCIPAC-MCB Camp Butler, Japan. “It is our job to help them understand the situation. Sometimes we can find the information for them, and sometimes we have to point them in the right direction to find the information. We do whatever we can to help the customers.”
Postal Marines do so much to help Marines stay connected to their loved ones while deployed or stationed overseas. Customer satisfaction is always their top priority.
“Postal to me is a morale booster,” said Kenan. “I have deployed and have seen how Marines react to seeing that ‘motto-mail,’ the letter that just says ‘I love you’ from family. That’s what we do, we bring them this morale. This is what I pride myself on in this MOS.”