Photo By Sgt. Brian Marion | Cpl. Rolando M. Mallari Jr. uses a guideline to keep a truss upright while other...... read more read more
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LEGASPI, Philippines - For years, the United States Marine Corps has attracted people who, in one way or another, wanted to better themselves or those around them.
For one Marine, the chance to follow in his uncle’s footsteps galvanized his decision to join.
Cpl. Rolando M. Mallari Jr. was born in El Paso, Texas. Shortly after his birth, his family moved to the Republic of the Philippines to live with his grandparents. All throughout his early years Mallari talked with his aunts and uncles who were service members, but one uncle stood out to him more than the rest. His uncle, Noli M. Mallari, was a Marine.
“They never talked about their time in the service,” said Mallari. “Only Uncle Noli talked about his time and what he did, and I could feel the pride he had in the Marines.”
Mallari attributed his decision to become a Marine to his uncle.
“He was more fit, charismatic and confident than any of my other aunts and uncles,” said Mallari. “He became my idol.”
Mallari strove to excel at his schoolwork and please his uncle. However, that changed when he went to high school and became lackadaisical, and settled into mediocrity. Mallari’s lack of effort extended through his college years. He partied through them and only worked enough to pass his classes.
Later, one of his aunts paid for his college tuition. He took the financial support for granted until one fateful day he found that he had spent all of his tuition.
“I didn’t know what to do,” said Mallari. “I didn’t know how I would tell my aunt that I spent all her money, and I worried about what I would say when I did tell her. It tore me apart.”
Mallari continued down this dark path until he found the resolve to turn his life around.
“I wanted my life to mean something,” said Mallari. “I didn’t want to waste my life doing nothing; I wanted it to be better than what I had.”
Mallari decided to tell his aunt he spent all his tuition money, and that also started him down the path to Marine Corps service. At 20 years old, he traveled to the United States to begin his dream of joining the Corps.
“My aunt thought the best way for me to fix my life was to be back in the U.S.,” said Mallari. “Within a few months of being there, I went to the recruiting station and enlisted.”
He finishing training at Marine Corps Recruit Depot, San Diego, Calif., Marine Combat Training at Camp Pendleton, Calif., and combat engineer school at Courthouse Bay, Camp Lejeune, N.C. Then, he received orders to Marine Wing Support Squadron 172, 1st Marine Aircraft Wing, III Marine Expeditionary Force located on Camp Foster, Okinawa, Japan.
“Moving to Okinawa definitely wasn’t my first choice of duty stations, but once I got there, I saw I could make a difference,” said Mallari.
While stationed on Okinawa, Mallari pushed himself to become a trusted and dependable member of the squadron, and has continuously proven himself during various training exercises throughout the Asia-Pacific Region to include Amphibious Landing Exercise 2014.
“It’s great being able to come back to help and interact with people in the Philippines,” said Mallari. “It’s amazing seeing the impact we have on their society.”
Currently, Mallari is on his second deployment to the Philippines and is part of an engineering civic assistance project in Legazpi City, Albay, Republic of the Philippines. During the ENCAP, Mallari and the other Marines in the squadron are renovating a school building that was destroyed during a typhoon.
“Seeing the influence we are having on these children is why I want to come back to continue helping them,” said Mallari. “We are showing them they can make a difference, and they can change their lives for the better.”
During his time at the renovation site, Mallari worked on everything from wall demolitions to placing stucco on walls.
“Mallari is an exceptionally hard working Marine,” said Sgt. David R. Kettenring, a combat engineer with MWSS-172, assigned to 3d Marine Expeditionary Brigade, III MEF during the exercise. “He has proven time and time again that he can accomplish any task I tell him to finish.”
He has also managed to make an impact on his superior officers.
“I remember arriving at the squadron back in December last year, and he was working in the training section,” said 1st Lt. Brianna L. Burgett, the platoon commander for Construction Platoon, MWSS-172. “He was quiet, but he was a good Marine. He definitely has a lot of experience in engineering, and he can be trusted to take charge at a construction site.”
Currently, Mallari is waiting on his re-enlistment papers to be approved; however, looking back on his life, he knows he is following his dream.
“Don’t waste your life on what you don’t want to do,” said Mallari. “You’re living on this world not just for you, but for other people as well; your loved ones and those who love you.”
| Date Taken: | 10.07.2013 |
| Date Posted: | 10.15.2013 04:27 |
| Story ID: | 115138 |
| Location: | LEGASPI, PH |
| Hometown: | SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA, US |
| Web Views: | 442 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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