A Soldier's Story: from streets to Soldier

Photo By Spc. Jessica Luhrs-Stabile | Cpl. Omar Medina, a native of Oakland, Calif., and the communications non-commissioned officer in charge for B Company, 1st Battalion, 30th Infantry Regiment, currently attached to 1st Brigade, 1st Armored Division has overcome much hardship to be where he is today.  

KIRKUK, IRAQ

12.28.2009

Story by Pfc. Jessica Luhrs-Stabile 

1st Armored Brigade Combat Team, 1st Armored Division

FORWARD OPERATING BASE WARRIOR, KIRKUK, Iraq— Most members of the military have a defining moment in their life when they think to themselves, "I want to become a service member."

This moment for Cpl. Omar Medina, a native of Oakland, Calif., and the communications non-commissioned officer in charge for B Company, 1st Battalion, 30th Infantry Regiment, currently attached to 1st Brigade, 1st Armored Division, was when he began looking at the situations in his neighborhood and the lives his cousins, who had joined the military, were currently living.

"The area I grew up in was pretty bad, a lot of people I knew were members of gangs, drugs were made available to all, robberies and shootings were a common thing," said Medina. "I knew I had limited choices to get away from these situations, this community is one of those places if you didn't go off to college or join the military you were just stuck."

"I thought about going to college, my teachers always told me I had the potential, but I knew it wouldn't give me the discipline to stay out of trouble," said Medina. "Then my cousins, who are Marines, told me how well they were doing in the military and how they were far away from the situations back home."

"At that moment I began to consider the military," said Medina.

During his junior year in high school Cpl. Medina took the ASVAB, just to see how he would do and immediately the Army recruiter began speaking to him and offering him any job in the Army he wanted, according to Medina.

A year after taking the ASVAB and speaking to the recruiter for the first time Medina was signing the contract to be a soldier as a private first class and working with communications, according to Medina.

Now the 21-year-old corporal with only three years of service is currently the youngest NCOIC in B Company, and does work that makes him stand out in front of his fellow soldiers, according to 1st Lt. Kirk Chalmers, the executive officer for B Company.

"We have many soldiers that stay in the same rank for years," according to Chalmers. "But with the leadership qualities that Corporal Medina possess he will go very far in the military."

He is known as the soldier who never accepts 'no' for an answer, according to Chalmers. There is not one question he will not find the answer to or an obstacle he cannot overcome.
With all the work Medina put into leaving the situations he grew-up in it is hard to believe he wants to return to his hometown to work.

It is hard to think about where I would be without the military probably hooked on drugs, in a gang or in jail, according to Medina. This is one of the reasons I want to go back now, I want the people there to know they have the same option.

"To this day when I go home two or three of the people I went to school with have either been killed or were in jail and I also still see the same drug deals, robberies and shootings occurring just with different people," said Medina.

The Army has given me something no other option in life could; self-discipline, according to Medina. This ability will enable me to go to college and get a degree in criminal justice so I can go back to my hometown and get the drugs off the streets that are influencing the children in a negative way.

All leadership in B Company sees tremendous potential in Medina, and are all confident no matter what he does he will succeed, according to Chalmers.

• Date Taken: 12.28.2009
• Date Posted: 12.29.2009 13:42
• Story ID: 43256
• Location: KIRKUK, IQ