Photo By Sgt. 1st Class Zach Sheely | Maj. Hector Maldonado (right), civil affairs deputy, 35th Infantry Division, poses...... read more read more
The terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, provoked a great number of Americans to join the ranks of the United States military – compelled to fight back against the senseless evil that killed thousands of innocent civilians and robbed millions of their sense of freedom and security.
For U.S. Army Maj. Hector Maldonado, civil affairs assistant deputy, 35th Infantry Division, Missouri National Guard, the events of 9/11 inspired him to continue a life of service to his country, his second home.
Maldonado – who is participating in Warfighter Exercise 16-05 at the Mission Training Complex, Leavenworth, Kansas, June 1-16, 2016 – a native of Gómez Palacio, Durango, Mexico, immigrated to the U.S. when he was a young boy and became a U.S. citizen in 1995. He felt an immediate debt of gratitude to his new home that could only be repaid by service.
“I wanted to earn my citizenship,” said Maldonado, “so I joined the military and I actually got an expedited citizenship swear-in which was really special to me.”
Maldonado earned his commission as an artillery officer through the Reserve Officer Training Corps at California State University at San Bernardino. He served in the 10th Mountain Division, Fort Drum, New York, through 1999, and then transferred into the New York National Guard.
He had planned to fulfill his eight-year obligation and then leave the Army to pursue a civilian career in sales.
After 9/11, his plans were altered.
“That event changed my life, as it did for the entire world,” said Maldonado.
Most people who lived through 9/11 could paint a vivid picture – forever etched in their memory – of where they were that day.
Early that morning, Maldonado was walking along Grand Concourse, a major thoroughfare in Bronx, New York City, when American Airlines Flight 11 hit the north tower of the World Trade Center.
“I was working my sales job, I worked for a pharmaceutical company at the time,” he said. “I was in a suit, and when I saw the first plane hit the building, I immediately went home, got my uniform and went to the armory.”
Maldonado said while there wasn’t an immediate call for his unit, the 1st Battalion, 258th Field Artillery, 42nd Infantry Division, New York Army National Guard, to activate, all of his Soldiers had done the same thing and were at the armory awaiting orders.
They saw what I saw and went to the armory,” said Maldonado. “It took about two hours before we actually got movement instructions from the governor, and then we went down to ground zero. When we got there, it was just knee deep, ashes and debris.”
Maldonado’s unit was responsible for securing the perimeter of Ground Zero. They spent every day for the subsequent three months at ground zero.
“I actually came home and saw my wife and my son for the first time and I told her that I wanted to go back on active-duty,” said Maldonado.
Which he did, rejoining the 10th Mountain Division. He was then deployed in December 2005 to Iraq and has deployed four times since 9/11.
“That’s what kept me in and that’s why I’m still here almost 20 years later,” he said. “I just felt an obligation to my country to do what I can to guard and defend. This country has blessed me.”
Maldonado is a traditional National Guard Soldier meaning that he serves part-time, while also working in the civilian sector. He sells chemistry and hematology equipment to veterinarians.
However, his heart lies in service and in August 2016, he will celebrate 20 years served in the Army.
“We all volunteered to serve,” he said. “We all have a small part in the bigger piece of the puzzle to defend our nation.”
| Date Taken: | 06.11.2016 |
| Date Posted: | 06.11.2016 12:09 |
| Story ID: | 200755 |
| Location: | LEAVENWORTH, KS, US |
| Hometown: | ST. JOSEPH, MO, US |
| Web Views: | 443 |
| Downloads: | 1 |
This work, 9/11 Inspires Continued Life of Service, by SFC Zach Sheely, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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