Photo By Petty Officer 3rd Class Raquell Williams | DIEGO GARCIA, British Indian Ocean Territory – Aviation Boatswain’s Mate...... read more read more
They were lost, alone and mugged. This was not the first time Juan and his brother had run away from home, and it certainly would not be the last. Juan was only 10 years old, but he had the heart of a lion and would follow his older brother to the ends of the earth if he would have asked.
It would have been three days before Juan and German’s family found them. When they had run away from home before, it would always end the same: being dragged back to their home and beaten.
Growing up in the heart of Honduras was no walk in the park. Blackouts, crime, and lowly neighborhoods was all that Juan knew until the age of 14.
Juan lived with his grandparents. His mother worked a full time job as a nurse and would send money to her mother, Juan’s grandmother, as she supported all five of her children.
Juan and German were closest in age, and kept a bond that was woven tighter than any sweater their grandmother could knit. Juan looked up to his older brother for guidance and teenage wisdom.
He was loyal to a fault and it stayed that way through thick and thin, rain or shine. It did not matter where the tumultuous ride of life took Juan and German.Whether it was the spacious countryside of Honduras, or the sunny boulevards of California, Juan would ride with his brother until the wheels fell off.
“With growing up, you don’t know if the place you came from was good or bad until you experience something else,” said Juan.
At 14 years old, Juan arrived in America. His mother had gotten a call to be a full-time nurse in Los Angeles.
“Coming from a third world country, anywhere I go where I have a roof, running water and basic necessities, I know it's going to be great,” said Juan. “With that mentality, there is no bad place.”
Juan’s humble demeanor would prove to be his greatest asset as he trekked forward in life.
Living in the United States was a complete culture shock, however, Juan picked up the English language incredibly quickly with a hunger to learn the ways of this strange, new land of opportunity.
Before he knew it, Juan graduated high school. His mother and step-father strongly encouraged Juan to go to the local community college, however, Juan had other plans.
What is an 18-year-old kid to do when he is young, freshly graduated and is feeling exceptionally rebellious?
He joins the U.S. Navy as an undesignated airman.
“I thought I knew everything,” said Juan. “I wanted to forge my own path. My brother had joined a year prior, and was the inspiration for me to join.”
German joined the U.S. Navy as an Aviation Support Equipment Technician, which influenced Juan to join in 2004.
“I had a great time in boot camp. I loved it. It was one of those moments where you’re getting yelled at, and you don’t know why you’re getting yelled at,” said Juan. “You hate everything, and it sucks, but then you realize what they were doing. They break you down to mold you into something else. It didn't matter because you knew they had a purpose for it.”
After successfully surviving boot camp, Juan arrived at his first duty station in Norfolk, Virginia where he was reunited with his brother.
“Surprisingly, I was influenced a lot by the sailors around me,” said Juan. “At that time, I was your typical 18-year-old with a big paycheck.”
The money seemed to spend itself. The parties knocked on his door, and were practically begging to be attended. It was Juan and his brother against a pool of bad decisions. That was how it was, at least for a while.
“We were partying, maybe too much, and just making bad decisions,” said Juan. “My brother ended up getting kicked out of the Navy. After that, I had to get my situation together. I didn't want to go into the Navy and not have anything to fall back on.”
Juan did his due diligence to secure his rate as an Aviation Boatswain's Mate (Handling). As an ABH, he primarily ensured the spotting and movement of aircraft equipment ashore and afloat.
“We were off the coast of Florida, not far from Cuba, doing flight operations, and the boatswain's mate of the watch happened to notice this little skiff floating in the middle of nowhere,” said Juan.
The boatswain’s mate of the watch instructed the people on the skiff, which is a small, flat-bottomed rowboat, to slowly put their hands up, and state their business.
He soon realized that the people on the skiff could not understand the words that were forcefully escaping his mouth.
“We were all watching them from the flight deck, and then they said on the radio that they needed someone who spoke Spanish to give these directions to the skiff that was out there,” said Juan.
Heart palpitations and a singular bead of sweat found an anxious Juan when the team called on him to translate for the foreigners.
Though Juan picked up the English language fairly quickly, he was not as comfortable with speaking it, especially under these circumstances. Nevertheless, Juan realized that these people were stranded at sea for two weeks. They needed his help, and keeping this in mind, his breath began to level and he was able to follow through.
“They had no gas. They pretty much would have been done-for if we didn't happen to run into them,” said Juan. “We sent a boat out to rescue them and when they came in, I had to translate for the medical team.”
There were six men that were rescued that day. All of them were dehydrated and without food or fresh drinking water. Their shirts were shredded, their jeans frayed.
“It turned out they were fleeing from Cuba,” said Juan. “At that time, a lot of people were fleeing Cuba to go to Florida.”
The medical team administered IVs to those that were severely dehydrated. Shortly after, they brought them to the galley where they scarfed down as many bologna sandwiches as humanly possible.
“They knew that even though they would probably get sent back to Cuba, they were still receptive to any help they could get,” said Juan.
Seeing their desperation for life made Juan appreciate his own increasingly more.
“You could see on the skiff that they had just given up, but once they were on the ship there was visible relief to know that they would see another day,” said Juan.
This experience was one of many that shaped Juan’s gracious outlook on life.
“I was new to the navy, and that was one of the first experiences that showed me the broader world,” said Juan.
Since then, Juan has been stationed on the USS NASSAU in Norfolk, Virginia and Naval Air Station Fallon in Fallon, Nevada.
Today, Juan is stationed in U.S. Naval Support Facility Diego Garcia, a small atoll in the Indo-Pacific region that is seven degrees south of the equator.
While in Diego Garcia, he continues to appreciate his circumstances and makes the best of each passing moment. In his free-time he enjoys fishing, playing volleyball, and relaxing on the beach.
His appreciation of life is expressed with his wife, Michelle, and two beautiful children, Arya and JJ.
| Date Taken: | 02.08.2024 |
| Date Posted: | 02.08.2024 05:17 |
| Story ID: | 463446 |
| Location: | DIEGO GARCIA, IO |
| Hometown: | LOS ANGELES, CA, US |
| Web Views: | 84 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Wading: Life Lost at Sea, by PO3 Raquell Williams, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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