FORT INDIANTOWN GAP, Pa. –
A Pennsylvania National Guard Soldier has been named a 2024 Distinguished Military Service Award recipient by Latina Style Inc.
Master Sgt. Alejandra M. Long, senior human resources noncommissioned officer for the 213th Regional Support Group, received the award during the 21st National Latina Symposium on Sept. 19 in Arlington, Virginia.
“I was surprised I was nominated and selected for this award, as there are so many other candidates to choose from,” Long said.
A resident of Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, Long has been in the Pennsylvania National Guard for 22 years.
“I consider being an (noncommissioned officer) in the military for the past two decades to be the most honorable aspect of my life, as I have been afforded the opportunity to lead and be led by some of the finest professionals in the world,” she said.
Long, who is of Puerto Rican descent and lived in Puerto Rico for several years as a child, is co-chair of the Pennsylvania National Guard’s Hispanic Special Emphasis Group. She said this award means a lot to her.
“It allows me the opportunity to highlight the Latina/Latino contributions to the Pennsylvania National Guard in order to drive the messaging of inclusion,” Long said.
Founded in 1994, Latina Style was the first national company dedicated to the needs and concerns of contemporary Latina professional workingwoman and the Latina business owner in the United States. It publishes Latina Style magazine, a national magazine reaching over 600,000 readers six times a year.
Since the inception of its Distinguished Military Service Awards program in 2004, Latina Style has honored 278 Latina servicewomen stationed around the world for their “exemplary records and commitment to military service.”