Page 120 - Senior Link Magazine Fall 2020- Online Magazine
P. 120
Marco Martinez
Something to Prove
by Larry A. Williams
my Shellback award during
this time. After three weeks in
California, I joined a combat
replacement company. We
trained for three weeks to go to
the first Gulf War in Kuwait and
Iraq (Operation Desert Shield).
Saddam Hussein had said, ‘We’re
going to paint the desert red
with their (the United States’)
blood.’ We had two companies
of Marines and Navy Corpsmen
ready to go. We had boarded a
C130 transport when we heard
the war was over. Then they
disbanded us.”
Marco continued, “A little
disappointed, we were sent
ineteen-year-old Marco Governments). He has one sister, to 29 Palms in California. I
Martinez had something Cecilia. joined Charlie Company of the
Nto prove. Not especially 1st Battalion, 7th Marines, also
athletic, the youth was in the Marco did join the Marines known as the ‘suicide company’
choir and band at Lubbock on February 11, 1990. He was from the battle of Guadalcanal
High School and, by his own initially sent to the Marine in the Pacific during WWII. I
admission, was “shy around Corps Depot in San Diego “for deployed to Somalia for six
girls.” While his uncle had lots of training – 16 weeks of months, spent two years in the
served in the Marine Corps and basic, 4 weeks of discipline reserves and got out in 1996
fought at Iwo Jima, and his dad work (leadership, pride and as a Corporal. I came back to
was in the Army in the mid- honor), four weeks of MCT Lubbock and worked at Texas
50s, his family was still a little (Marine Corps Training) and Instruments for three years as a
shocked when he said he wanted four weeks of SOI (School of security officer. In January 1995,
to join the Marines. He chose Infantry) training up the hill at I married and started my family.
that branch because, “People said San Onofre. After all of that, We had three children.
I couldn’t do it, and I was going I was sent to Security Forces
to show them I could.” Training in Chesapeake, Virginia, “In June 2000, I joined the 36th
– a rapid deployment outfit. I Infantry Texas National Guard
Marco was born in Lubbock on lived out of my sea bag for six and, after the World Trade
May 17, 1970 to parents Steve months before being assigned Towers were destroyed in
and Rosalyn. His father was a to the USS Abraham Lincoln, the September 2001, was deployed
pastor and retired after “seeing world’s largest aircraft carrier. to Ft. Sam Houston. I spent
the country as a chartered bus We left Norfolk, Virginia and two tours in Iraq (Operation
driver.” His mother worked headed around the horn to Iraqi Freedom) 2005-2006 and
for the Red Cross and SPAG Alameda, California, which took 2008-2009. On October 17, 2005,
(South Plains Association of about three months. I earned we were leading a convoy of
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