Photo By Lance Cpl. Michael Rogers | Recruit Sergio D. Ramos, Platoon 2029, Echo Company, 2nd Recruit Training Battalion,...... read more read more
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PARRIS ISLAND, S.C. - In 1995, a 7-year-old boy from Portugal flew to the United States by himself. Today, Pfc. Sergio D. Ramos is a Marine.
Ramos, from Platoon 2029, Echo Company, 2nd Recruit Training Battalion, graduates today from recruit training. He said that his life experiences helped him to make it through recruit training.
He was born in Caldas da Rainha, Portugal, to a single mother. His mother tried to give him the best life possible by paying his way to the United States. But, when he got here, he had no home or immediate family.
Ramos only had friends of his family and lived by “couch surfing,” which is moving from place to place by the generosity of acquaintances. Ramos had to learn the culture and language of the U.S. by himself. As a young man, Ramos returned to Portugal to retrieve his brother. He took the younger sibling under his wing, offering the wisdom, knowledge and love their father was not there to give.
Ramos eventually earned his high school diploma and built a stable home life for his younger brother. He always strived to become great and encouraged his brother to do the same.
“I told my brother when we were younger ‘if you’re going to be a garbage man, be the best garbage man you can,’” Ramos said. “He joined the Air Force, and that was the point in my life that I knew I was ready to do something more for myself.”
Leading his brother down the right path in life eventually lead Ramos to his new life in the Marine Corps and gave him the positive male influence that was missing from his life.
Ramos said that he is aware many people have it worse than he ever did, and others would even use such early life hardships as a crutch or excuse to slack later in life. But, he said that the culmination of events in his life has made him who he is and helped him excel in recruit training.
“You can tell he is one of those recruits that wants to be here,” said Staff Sgt. Carlos Moreira de la Cruz, Ramos’ senior drill instructor. “He’s not one that just had nowhere else to go in life. He isn’t doing this for the education, money or glory. He is doing it to become something better, to become a Marine.”
| Date Taken: | 04.05.2012 |
| Date Posted: | 04.05.2012 11:51 |
| Story ID: | 86290 |
| Location: | PARRIS ISLAND, SC, US |
| Web Views: | 179 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, From Portugal to Parris Island: One Marine's Unique Journey, by LCpl Michael Rogers, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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