Photo By Staff Sgt. Patrick Caldwell | Pfc. Marina Esparza, a petroleum supply specialist assigned to Fox Company, 3rd...... read more read more
BAKER CITY, Oregon – When Pfc. Marina Esparza ran headlong into a critical crossroads of her life she faced an array of doubts.
She was a young mother, barely out of high school and fighting a battle to keep her self-esteem from spilling out into a street of desperation and lost dreams.
Yet she was lucky, she said, for several reasons, not the least of which was the fact her older brother was a member of the National Guard. By joining the National Guard, Esparza said her brother showed her a viable way forward in life. Right then, she said, she decided the National Guard would be a good fit for her.
“He inspired me,” she said.
Esparza, assigned to Fox Company, 3rd Battalion, 116th Cavalry Regiment, Oregon Army National Guard, is a living testament to the payoff of a critical life decision. Before she became a Soldier she admits her life was not where she wanted it to be. In fact, she said, there is little resemblance now to the woman she was then. She was not that dedicated and she struggled to succeed in high school.
“Let’s just say I wasn’t the best student,” she said.
Esparza, 21, said she agonized over joining the military. Yet she understood at a deep level that she had to turn her life around.
“I didn’t know if I should join or not and leave my kids. I was nervous because I didn’t know what to expect. But I knew I needed to challenge myself,” Esparza, a resident of Milton-Freewater Oregon, said.
She also wanted to build on her self-esteem.
“I didn’t feel like I was a very strong person before I joined. And I thought, maybe I’d be a stronger person for my kids. I thought it would be something very good,” she said.
Now, two years into her enlistment, Esparza said her choice was the right one, not only for herself but her children.
“I am a lot stronger than I used to be. I really like the discipline it (the Guard) showed me. Before I was not very disciplined. And I have a lot more regard for other people because of the discipline it showed me,” she said.
As a 92 Fox, Esparza works as a fueler, ensuring that the big M1A2 System Enhanced Program Abrams Main BattleTanks of the 3rd Battalion stay in the fight. It is a job she said she enjoys.
“I haven’t found anything I didn’t like. I like to know I’m important out there,” she said. “Knowing it is one of the most important jobs makes me feel better.”
The hardest part of her part-time National Guard career, she said, is being away from her family. Yet she said makes an effort to include her two boys – aged 4 and 2 – as much as possible in her part-time Guard experience.
For example, when she prepares for her drill weekend, her boys are part of the process.
“They put on my boots. They put on my dog tags. They say, ‘Mom, I’m going to be a soldier just like you,’” she said.
Occasionally she still encounters people who view her situation with wonder.
“They will say ‘I don’t know how you can leave your kids (to attend drill).’ I just say, ‘I’m strong.’”
Esparza said she keeps her focus on her kids, though she does enjoy trekking into the Blue Mountains near her home to hike. Also, as part of what she terms as an ongoing effort to continue to build on her self-esteem she recently began to do some modeling.
“I just got into it (modeling) and have only a small portfolio,” she said. “I thought it would help with my self-esteem.”
Esparza said that as a young woman, building on her self-esteem is not just an occasional goal but a daily journey.
“It is something I don’t want to give up on,” she said.
Esparza admitted her choice to join the military was a crucial one and every so often she is reminded of her wise decision.
“Especially looking at the friends I used to have. They are into drugs, in and out of jail. It is crazy to think I could have been like them. I thank the military and my kids. I feel lucky,” she said.
Esparza also likes being part of Fox Company.
“I never got so close to people I just met so quickly. And I think that is because the way everyone here is. They’re happy. I think that makes a big impact. The motivation you get comes from others,” she said.
| Date Taken: | 07.17.2015 |
| Date Posted: | 07.18.2015 00:27 |
| Story ID: | 170424 |
| Location: | MILTON-FREEWATER, OR, US |
| Web Views: | 599 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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