When Heather Lee stood at the Janet Goeske Center to receive her Quilt of Valor, she was honored not only for her service in the U.S. Marine Corps but also for her continued dedication to community and family.
Lee, a Grand Terrace native and Colton High School graduate, first joined the Marine Corps through Officer Candidate School (OCS) between her junior and senior year at San Diego State University, where she earned a degree in kinesiology. “Some people went to the beach that summer,” she recalled with a laugh. “I decided to go to the Marine Corps Beach, which was not a beach at all. We had the Quigley—it’s like a swamp you crawl through with water moccasins. Super sketchy, not fun.”
Her training wasn’t without setbacks. After breaking her femur at The Basic School (TBS), a six month infantry school, she spent months in a holding company before restarting training. “I was actually at TBS for a year,” she said. “That stunk.” But she persevered, eventually serving at Camp Pendleton, Camp Lejeune and New River Air Station. She is most proud of being amongst the first woman Marines to serve on ship. She was the highest ranking female of 2000 Marines serving overseas during operations in the Adriatic for Kosovo from 1999 to 2000.
Lee served on active duty from 1996 to 2001, earning two Navy Achievement Medals and two Navy Commendation Medals. In 2003 she was recalled for Operation Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom. “It was involuntary—very unexpected,” she explained. “I ended up in charge of hundreds of Marines, streamlining a process that had never been done before—mobilizing Marines from the inactive reserves, retraining them, sending them to Iraq, and then bringing them home and returning them to civilian life. At one point, we were discharging 40 Marines a day.”
She attributes her success to her ability to solve problems and protect her Marines. “I’m really good at being very motherly protective,” she said. “My goals are always to find the problem, fix the problem, and make sure it doesn’t happen again. I don’t care who made the mistake—we’re human. Let’s fix it and move forward.”
That ethos carried into her civilian career. Today, Lee works for the VA, helping veterans daily. “I’m happy at the VA because I’m with my people,” she said. “There’s a banter that exists among veterans you don’t find anywhere else. If they’re talking trash to me, that means they like me.”
Her service to the community extends far beyond the military. For 13 years, she has served as a Girl Scout leader, continuing a four-generation tradition in her family. “By the time my daughter graduates, I’ll have 14 years as a leader under my belt,” she said proudly.
Family is central to Lee's story. Her parents, Ladd and Gail Seekins, are well-known in Grand Terrace for their quiet acts of service, from picking up trash daily to volunteering abroad. “People tell me I’ve done great things,” Heather said. “But I don’t hold a candle to my parents. They just quietly do good, and it’s so admirable.”
Her proudest role, however, is being a mother to her daughter, Clare, now 16. “She has such a sparkle to her,” Lee said. “She’s in AP and honors classes, does ASB, and is a Girl Scout too. She just grasps life by the horns. People gravitate to her.” With a laugh, she added, “She told me, ‘Don’t worry, Mom, I’ll come home from college and bake you bread.’ And she does—she just baked fresh sourdough this week.”
As Heather wrapped herself in her Quilt of Valor, it symbolized not just recognition of her service but also a reflection of the strength, resilience, and love she continues to share with her community.