Ambassador John L. Estrada emigrated to the United States from Trinidad and Tobago at the age of fourteen. He went on to serve 34 years in the U.S. Marine Corps, attaining the rank of 15th Sergeant Major of the Marine Corps from 2003 to 2007. After retirement, he went on to work for Lockheed Martin Corporation as the Senior Manager for Training Solution Incorporated from 2008 to 2016. He was nominated by President Barack Obama and confirmed by the Senate to serve as the U.S. Ambassador to Trinidad and Tobago, the country of his birth, from 2016 to 2017. He also served as a volunteer member on the Joe Biden Presidential Transition Agency Review Team for the Department of Defense from November 2020 to January 2021. Ambassador Estrada is a veteran of Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Southern Watch. His personal awards include the Navy Distinguished Service Medal, the Bronze Star Medal, the Meritorious Service Medal with three gold stars, the Navy/Marine Corps Commendation Medal, the Joint Service Achievement Medal, and Navy/Marine Corps Achievement Medal. He is a former board member for Operation Homefront, a nonprofit organization that provides emergency assistance for members of the military, those wounded, and the families they leave behind. He is also a former member of the board of governors for the USO, former member of the Defense Advisory Committee on Women in the Services, former member of the Executive Advisory Council for Mission Readiness, and former Commissioner with the American Battle Monuments Commission. Ambassador Estrada is a life time member of the Veterans of Foreign Wars, the Marine Corps League, and the Montford Point Marine Association. He resides in West Palm Beach Florida.