Courtesy Photo | Bayamon, Puerto Rico, native, Staff Sgt. Ernesto Rosario (center), poses with his sons...... read more read more
By Sgt. 1st Class Chris Seaton
Task Force XII Public Affairs Officer, Multi-National Division-Baghdad
CAMP TAJI, Iraq – Fathers in general are proud of their children. One Multi-National Division – Soldier and father is no exception.
Staff Sgt. Ernesto Rosario, the avionics section sergeant for Company D, 3rd Battalion, 158th Aviation Regiment, is a very proud father.
He's got every reason to be: his two sons, Giancarlo, a junior at Ansbach American High School in Germany, and Melvin, a freshman, are, by all accounts, model students.
Giancarlo is an honor student and a member of the National Honor Society. He's a baritone player for the school's advanced band, an assistant soccer coach, and volunteers as a math tutor. He even helps his classmates who are learning English as a second language – he himself an ESL student since moving from Bayamon, Puerto Rico, at age 7.
Despite being deployed to Iraq, Ernesto says he has everything he wants in a family.
It wasn't always that simple for the Rosarios.
As Giancarlo grew up, his parents began to worry about him. They wondered about his coordination and his social skills.
"He was totally clumsy," said Ernesto. "He couldn't run five steps without tripping over his own shoes on a regular basis. And social interaction was very difficult for him. We thought it was just a coordination problem, so we took him to different things like swimming practice or Tae Kwon Do, hoping it would help him."
As time went on, and his condition didn't get better, they sought the help of professionals. A doctor at Fort Bragg, N.C., told them what they didn't want to hear; Giancarlo was diagnosed with Asperger syndrome, a form of autism.
"It was shocking," his father said. "I was worried (about having to take care of him for the rest of his life); I'm not going to lie about that. But the more we found out about Asperger, the more we told ourselves, 'Well, let's take it one day at a time.'"
The Rosarios enrolled Giancarlo in support groups and began researching his condition using Internet searches, books and by talking with anyone they could to find to help him.
"An autistic kid is not stupid," said Ernesto. "They can do a lot of things that most people can't. You just have to adjust a little bit to what they do, and that's where we come in."
Through patience and support, Giancarlo has grown up very well, say his parents. Now 16, he is active in his class and has succeeded in most things he's tried. Last year, he was asked to talk about his good and bad experiences to a group of 50 teachers and professionals in Katterbach.
"All those teachers, they know (about autism) in theory, and they can read about it in books, but, until that day, they didn't know what Asperger was," said Ernesto. "I was surprised when he went and talked to them, and told them, 'This is who I am, and this is what I feel.'"
"When people think about autism, they think about limitations," added his mother Grace Diaz. "For Giancarlo, it is something inside him that helps him see the world in a different way than anybody else can."
Giancarlo's parents attribute much of his success to his younger brother Melvin. While Giancarlo helps Melvin in academics, Melvin has complemented his older brother in social skills.
"Melvin (who is two years younger) taught him how to ride a bike," Ernesto laughed. "It was funny to watch, but he learned before Giancarlo did."
Watching his sons grow up has been rewarding yet bittersweet, said Ernesto. Two deployments and 15 months in Korea have meant he's had to do much of it through photos and telephone calls.
"It's not been easy," he said. "I'm their dad, and they're boys. I missed a lot of important stuff with them. I like goofing around with them and playing sports with them, and those good years, I just missed them."
"They know why I'm doing this, though," he added. "They know I'm here helping people. I try to make it up to them when I'm home. Unfortunately it's not going to be about quantity, so I'm going to make sure it's about quality."
Giancarlo looks forward to the future. He plans to graduate with a Cisco certification and pursue a career as a computer engineer. He also knows that having his dad gone during his junior year will likely mean that he'll get to be there for his high school graduation.
"It's hard for me to understand what is a joke and what is not, but I understand my dad is doing what he's supposed to do," said Giancarlo. "He has been away more than at home, but he is always in my quiet thoughts and prayers."
The Rosario brothers both recently placed in competition at a Junior Science and Humanities Symposium. Giancarlo's project placed first and will go on to the national symposium in April. Melvin finished fourth.
"I'm so proud of my kids," said Ernesto. "Whether they win things or not has nothing to do with it. I don't expect a lot of things. Be nice to each other and support each other, and I'm happy."
| Date Taken: | 03.14.2008 |
| Date Posted: | 03.14.2008 17:02 |
| Story ID: | 17385 |
| Location: | TAJI, IQ |
| Web Views: | 238 |
| Downloads: | 229 |
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