Courtesy Photo | The young Oscar Romero (upper right corner, soldier costume, with weapon and tongue...... read more read more
By Sgt. 1st Class Thomas Mills,
3rd Combat Aviation Brigade Public Affairs Office
BAGHDAD – When Oscar Romero was in kindergarten in Lima, Peru, his parents bought him a soldier's uniform to wear during a local parade.
Now, some twenty years later, Romero wears that uniform everyday as a staff sergeant in Company E, 4th Battalion, 3rd Aviation Regiment. He is also preparing to enter Warrant Officer Candidate School – a move he sees as the culmination of a life of hard work.
"I have moved forward tremendously," Romero said. Peru, he said, didn't allow for much opportunity or growth.
"We were poor back then and I can't imagine making the same kind of money I do now in the military."
Romero didn't really think he was going to be a Soldier one day when he marched in that kindergarten parade. His maternal uncle had been a soldier in the Peruvian Army, but it wasn't really a life goal for the young boy.
His father was an assistant manager for the Coca-Cola Company locally; his mother was a homemaker. In search of a better life, the family immigrated to the U.S. when he was 12 years old, eventually settling in Miramar, Fla.
Romero, who now calls Peoria, Ill., home, said his mother's career is one sign the U.S. is the land of opportunity.. At the age of 39, she went to school and became a nursing assistant.
"That wouldn't happen in Peru," he said.
His father found work as a landscaper upon the family's arrival in the U.S. Romero said his parents both love what they do, and he thrived in his new environment as well. He was a straight-A student and received a college scholarship offer after high school.
"I wanted to be in the Army more than I wanted to be in school," Romero said. At the age of 17, he joined the Army Reserves. "The reason I (joined the Army) was to repay ... the people of the United States, the country that gave my family better opportunities."
After a stint as a quartermaster and chemical equipment repairer in the Reserves, and as a security guard at a Fort Lauderdale, Fla., hotel, Romero switched to the Active Army.
Along the way he married Mary Ellen McGrath and had a daughter, Elena Christine. His wife is the driving force behind what he does now. "She's always been behind me, 100 percent – no matter what."
Master Sergeant Darryl Reynolds, 3rd CAB supply and logistics noncommissioned officer-in-charge, has known Romero a long time. The two deployed to Iraq together three times – in 2003, 2005 and this current deployment, which started May 2007.
Reynolds, from Selma, Ala., said Romero has evolved over the years, setting goals, and taking on responsibility beyond his rank.
"Staff Sergeant Romero strives to set the example for junior Soldiers and peers to emulate," Reynolds said.
"It's kind of sad that the NCO Corp is losing him," Reynolds added. "However, I think that he is doing what is best for himself, his family and the Army. I believe that he will be an excellent addition to the Warrant Officer Corps."
Chief Warrant Officer 2 David Jeannotte, a support automotive maintenance officer, said Romero would be a great asset as a warrant officer because of his willingness to learn. "As a (maintenance warrant officer) you're the unit maintenance technician, so you need to know the basics in everything your unit owns."
Romero has proven he has what it takes, having learned the basics of at least six different jobs specialties in the motorpool shop he supervises.
Romero said he wanted to expand his horizons, and being a warrant officer is the next logical step.
"Pretty much I just want more responsibility," he said. "I am ambitious. Without ambition in your life you're not going to be anything. You'll be like standing water."
| Date Taken: | 06.28.2008 |
| Date Posted: | 06.29.2008 12:47 |
| Story ID: | 20986 |
| Location: | BAGHDAD, IQ |
| Web Views: | 518 |
| Downloads: | 487 |
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