Honoring Our Veterans - John LaMont

Before he was part of our customer success team at OJO, John LaMont served over 10 years as a U.S. Marine, spending time in Cuba, Japan, North Carolina, and the Persian Gulf working his way up to Sergeant E5. Read on to learn some of John’s best memories in the Marines and how that helped shape his civilian career.?

Why did you join the Marine Corps?

I didn’t feel like college was for me and I wanted to travel the world. The reason I chose the Marine Corps specifically was to go to Japan. Funnily enough, I never made it to mainland Japan. I spent time in Okinawa (a small island off the coast of Japan), the Philippines, and Korea but never made it to the mainland.?

Where were you stationed during your time??

I graduated from Camp Pendleton (San Diego) in 1984. After basic training, I spent three and a half years in Okinawa and six months in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba during the Haitian crisis. I went to the Persian Gulf during the first Gulf War and also spent time at Camp Lejeune in North Carolina.??

Do you remember your first day of basic training??

I remember coming off the bus at Pendleton and standing on the famous yellow footprints. We were ushered around the base all day. That first night the instructors threw trash cans around at 5 a.m. to wake us up. When it was time to cut our hair “high and tight,” some guys were upset over losing their hair. I’ve had long hair most of my life and understood it would grow back, but it was funny to see that was what upset these men.?

What was your job/assignment?

I had a few different roles throughout my time, but mainly I was an admin chief. I ran the S-1 office, which is the administrative office and had a Lieutenant that I reported to. We organized and administered all of the awards and non-judicial punishments. We had to upkeep all of the orders for the unit I was in.?

For a while I worked on range control, scheduling all of the training areas and live fire areas for the entire base. We did that so if someone was in a training area they didn’t cross into harm’s way.?

Did you receive any awards or honors??

The Marine Corps is a Department of the Navy and I was awarded the Navy Achievement Medal, one of the highest honors you can get outside of combat medals, for my work in range control.?

What are some of your favorite memories from your time in Okinawa?

Okinawa was a different place to be as far as the culture. They didn’t tolerate crime. You didn’t steal, you didn’t do graffiti, so I was never afraid to go anywhere. It was a tiny island with lots of little secluded beaches and we’d camp on the beach for the weekend.?

A friend and I would walk around the campground to scope out the best cooks. Then we went back to our site and grabbed a case of beer to give to them. We would always have plenty of offers for dinner that way. We didn’t speak each other's languages, but we were always invited to eat with them. There was a doctor that spoke English and he cooked up these prawns that he just caught and they were incredible. Best I’ve ever had. It was there I learned that you don’t need to speak the same language as someone else. You just need to be open to being with them and sharing a meal.

What did you do following your time in the military??

When I first got out of the military, I had a wife, a young child, and a house to take care of. I took a few short-term jobs before we moved to Minnesota. There I worked for different companies in accounts payable, machine troubleshooting, and workforce management. I was diagnosed with prostate cancer while working for a healthcare company. After my surgery to remove the cancer, my brain wasn’t functioning right and I couldn’t think effectively. I eventually lost my job and not long after got a call from one of my old bosses who mentioned that he was hiring at his company. After he left, Regan Richardson, OJO’s Director of US and Mexico Concierge, became my boss there. About two years after I started, she moved over to Wolfnet and she asked me to come work with them and build out the call center. I’ve now been with Wolfnet and OJO for four years.?

What do you love about working at OJO?

The one thing I realized when I got diagnosed with prostate cancer was I didn’t need to work so hard anymore. Workforce management jobs were on call 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. I was the sole person in charge. At OJO, we have a work-life balance that everyone strives for and that’s one of the special things about working here. Leadership doesn’t want anyone to be burning the candle at both ends. They want everyone to be healthy and happy — that includes your mental health.?

Thank you to OJO for honoring Veterans with a day off. It was an unexpected surprise and I really appreciate it. It’s nice to be acknowledged.?

Thank you, John, for your service and for sharing your story. We are lucky to have you at OJO!