MARINE CORPS BASE CAMP PENDLETON, CALIF. – “If no one holds the standard, who will?” said U.S. Marine Corps Staff Sgt. Jonathan Lopez, the staff noncommissioned officer in charge of the 24 Area Bachelor Enlisted Quarters at Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton. Lopez, a New York native, holds himself and the BEQ, commonly known as barracks, managers to the highest standards of the Marine Corps.

“As the SNCOIC barracks manager, my main mission is to ensure the well-being of the Marines under my charge and provide the best quality of life for the 1,500 Marines I oversee in the 24 Area,” said Lopez.

Lopez oversees all the safety, security, and quality of the living spaces for the Marines residing in the barracks of the 24 Area. He also directs the daily administrative duties of ensuring the barracks occupancy is accurate and up to date. He maintains a well-balanced relationship with enterprise military housing, the area facility manager, the MCB Camp Pendleton public works department, tenant commands, and logistics staff pertaining to the maintenance and occupancy of all 24 Area barracks buildings.

Camp Pendleton barracks managers are committed to monitoring and enhancing the standard of living for Marines residing in BEQs to ensure clean and secure living spaces. Each individual barracks manager is responsible for overseeing maintenance repairs and conducting weekly inspections of all buildings, rooms, administrative spaces, and lounges. They also ensure the furnishings in each room are functional.

“I set up a weekly meeting with the barracks managers and the tenant command unit managers to record and discuss any issues pertaining to a respective unit’s building and the rooms their Marines are residing in,” said Lopez.

Marines residing in the barracks can report any issue with their room directly to their barracks manager. The barracks managers then manually log the issue into a written record and submit it electronically to the Computerized Maintenance Management System, MAXIMO (USMCmax). This management system is used by all Marine Corps installations to manage facility maintenance requests.

Once the work order has been submitted, the barracks managers call the maintenance service desk and inform them if the issue is routine, urgent, or an emergency matter to determine how to best support the request. Barracks managers can also determine if the room’s issue could be handled quicker or more efficiently through the Camp Pendleton Self-Help Program.

“A self-help request allows the Marine to not only fix minor damages in the room quickly, but also to develop smaller-scale home repair skills, ” said Lopez.

The self-help warehouse is available for Marines who reside in the barracks and need minor issues fixed, such as new light bulbs, doorknobs, paint, small holes in the wall patched, among other DIY fixes. The barracks managers provide support by ordering the needed supplies and giving Marines guidance on how to fix the issue effectively and correctly.

“We keep small things on hand that are requested frequently, such as light bulbs, batteries for the doors, small refrigerators, and extra keys,” explains Cpl. Diamond Thompson, the noncommissioned officer in charge of the 24 Area BEQ at MCB Camp Pendleton.

Once an issue has been fixed, the Marine returns the maintenance items to the barracks manager, who closes out the ticket. This process cuts down on unnecessary work requests, allowing for faster support to the Marine and more labor support toward complex requests requiring skilled maintenance personnel.

“The best part of being a barracks manager is the ability to help Marines,” said Thompson, a Georgia native. “I love making sure Marines are comfortable in their rooms.”

Barracks managers also ensure Marines new to Camp Pendleton have available living quarters as well as coordinate with Deployment Readiness Coordinators to ensure Marines returning from deployment have a room ready upon their return.

“We coordinate with DRCs to find out how many rooms are needed and ensure they are available in time,” explained Thompson.

Assisting Marines is only part of the job for a barracks manager, they are also expected to be skilled and organized leaders as the job requires detailed supervision and many administrative duties.

It is important barracks managers are present, prepared, and well-trained. They oversee vital base infrastructure and can greatly impact the well-being of Marines.

“A key piece of barracks management is being present. Leadership presence is a vital factor when dealing with over 1,500 Marines to ensure they are maintaining high standards,” said Lopez.

Barracks buildings are routinely inspected to ensure cleanliness and timely completion of maintenance requests. These inspections also ensure the Marines living in these spaces have safe, clean and maintained conditions.

Recently, Brig. Gen. Jason Woodworth, the commanding general of Marine Corps Installations West, MCB Camp Pendleton, walked through the 24 Area barracks to monitor the standard of living for these Marines. Woodworth met with Lopez and his team to discuss the successful protocols and processes they use and the challenges they face.

“We are within close range of reaching our maximum capacity in the barracks. With the demolition of the [previous barracks] and the number of rooms awaiting repairs, it becomes arduous with ten commands constantly having an influx of new Marines along with deployment rotations,” said Lopez.

However, with challenge also comes reward. Lopez and Thompson maintain communication with leadership of all ranks and apply Marine Corps leadership skills and traits to ensure proper quality of life for their Marines. There is no greater reward for a true leader than ensuring the well-being of those they lead.