Been around the world twice, but this Marine missed Luling

Master Sgt. Mason Beasley has been around the world twice, but of all these places he’s seen and lived in the one he missed most was Luling.

“It was just the right move to come back,” Beasley said. “There’s no place like home. Nobody cooks like us. The people here – they’re friendly, great fishing and our families being here.”

These were all among the many things he and his wife, Erika, missed about home.

Effective May 31, Beasley, 39, will officially retire from the U.S. Marines Corps.

He’d served 21 years in the military, having joined right out of graduating from Hahnville High School.

“I wanted to be in the service and that’s the one that caught my eye,” Beasley said.

He’d served in ROTC and anticipated being in the military, but had not decided on the branch until he heard a recruiter talk about the Marines. He started as a landing specialist and then got promoted into an office job as a logistics chief.

“I pretty much ran everything in the spectrum in logistics from supply to armories to loading vehicles or ammunition,” he said.

He has still doing this work at his last assignment in Okinawa, Japan.

The couple had been contemplating their return to Luling for at least two years, but assignment to Japan made it happen.

“I’m done moving,” Beasley said. “My oldest son is a senior at Hahnville High, but this is his fourth high school.”

So Beasley and his high school sweetheart decided it was time to make the move for their four children.

[pullquote]“It was just the right move to come back. There’s no place like home.” – Master Sgt. Mason Beasley[/pullquote]

“I’m glad I did it,” he said of serving in the Marines. “I’m glad I got to experience the things I did. I’ve been around the world twice.”

This Marine has served in Iraq twice and on three Mediterranean deployments.

“I’ve been around a lot,” he said. “I was stationed on a ship, which is not common for Marines anymore. We’ve lived in North Carolina, Florida, Mississippi, Louisiana and back to North Carolina and then Japan.”

They’ve relocated about every two years, and now he’s making his biggest move per his career.

In the Marines, Beasley’s travels also took him to places including Rome, Barcelona, the Ukraine and Greece.

“I’m excited about (moving back to Luling),” he said. “I can’t wait. I’m in a job hunt now and would like to stay in logistics because I’ve done it 21 years.”

Although he can’t start a new job until April 1, they’re taking a vacation, house shopping in St. Charles Parish and looking forward to staying in place.

“I loved my career and the opportunities it gave me,” Beasley said. “It just got to the point for me and family that it was time to retire.

“We’ve had a long journey. We’re excited about the next chapter.”

The Beasley Family timeline

• Beasley attended Marine Corps Boot Camp at Marine Corps Recruit Depot San Diego on June 10, 1998. He was promoted to Private First Class upon graduation.
• On July 23, 1999, Beasley married his high school sweetheart Erika Lynn Naquin. The week following their marriage he was attached to MEU Service Support Group 24 (MSSG 24).
• After returning from his first six-month deployment to the Mediterranean Sea, the couple had their first child, Mikael Kameron Beasley, on Oct. 2, 2000. Soon after his birth, Beasley was promoted to corporal and was selected to be the platoon sergeant for Combat Cargo on the USS Carter Hall where he did a seven-month deployment to the Mediterranean Sea.
• Masilynn Thaia Beasley was born on June 16, 2003. Soon after her birth, Beasley was selected to be the S4 Chief at H&S Battalion, 2d Mar Div.
• Their third child, Madisynn Ann Beasley, was born on Aug. 12, 2010. From there, Beasley was transferred back to Camp Lejeune to be the Logistics Chief for Second Radio Battalion.
• After a 7-1/2-month deployment to the Red Sea, Beasley returned and received orders to Combat Logistics Regiment 37, 3d MLG, Okinawa, Japan. Shortly after their arrival, their fourth child, Mason Keith Beasley Jr., was born on March 23, 2017. He served as the S4 Chief for CLR 37 from July 1, 2016 through his retirement.