Petty Officer 1st Class Darinka Dettling, 24th MEU Corpsman

Photo By Sgt. Margaret Gale | Petty Officer 1st Class Darinka Dettling moved from Puerto Rico to the United States on her own at the age of 18. Dettling is proud of her culture and embraces her roots. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Margaret Gale)  

ATLANTIC OCEAN

10.15.2018

Story by Lance Cpl. Margaret Gale 

24th Marine Expeditionary Unit

In El Callao, a port town in Peru, Petty Officer 1st Class Darinka Dettling was raised in a full house with seven bedrooms, two younger sisters, grandparents, uncles, cousins and a family friend, Pala. At the age of seven, Dettling’s parents moved to Venezuela to try and provide a better future for their children.
It wasn’t easy for Dettling, even at a young age she was given responsibilities and earned everything she received. On top of the constant responsibility, there was constant change. By the age 14, Dettling and her family moved from Peru to Puerto Rico.
As she grew older, so did her passion for the English language. She started learning it at a young age in school. Despite the constant variation in her life, one thing remained the same, her goal of moving to America. Shortly after high school graduation, she told her mom she was taking a vacation to the United States.
“I didn’t want to tell her I wanted to move away because I knew she would say no.” Dettling said. “Instead, I told her that since I had such good grades and had received a scholarship to the University of Puerto Rico, that I wanted to take a vacation. So, I packed my bag and left.”
In the fall of 1999, Dettling moved to Chicago, to live with family there but quickly knew she wouldn’t be able to adjust to the frigid Chicago weather. Florida was the next destination. As soon as Dettling laid eyes on the palm trees, she fell in love, but faced the struggle to find a steady job.
As time went on, Dettling attended college at the University of Maryland Eastern Shore with the hope of majoring in arts. But due to the scholarship she had received in Puerto Rico she could only attend school taking general studies in order to play as a division one volleyball player.
“I had to study ten times harder than the other students in my classes because I was still new to the English language.” Dettling said. “When everyone else was out partying I was staying in and reading or writing a paper for a class just to try and succeed.”
After graduating college, Dettling continued to look for a steady job. She ran into the endless cycle of being either under or overqualified. Despite the difficult time she had, she managed to fall in love with her current husband. Shortly after they got married, her husband, a Marine, deployed to Iraq.
“Finding a steady job while my husband was gone was extremely difficult,” Dettling said. “I knew I wanted to do something administrative, so the military was the next best thing. I enlisted in the Navy to become a personnel specialist.”
For the next two and a half years, Dettling and her husband were committed to a long-distance relationship as they both fulfilled their military careers.
“(Joining)the Navy is one of the best things I’ve ever done in my life,” Dettling said. “It has opened so many doors for me.”
Throughout the challenges life offers, Dettling looks up to her childhood friend, Pala for wisdom and kindness.
“My role model is Pala,” Dettling said. “She is the kindest and most selfless woman I know. I look up to her for kindness, selflessness and love. She taught me how to love unconditionally by treating my siblings and me as her own while my parents were gone.”
Dettling is proud of her culture and embraces her roots. She now has two children who she looks forward to teaching about their roots as they get older.
For now, Dettling continues to stay in touch with her Hispanic friends, cooks Peruvian food for her family and plays salsa music for her children.
“When my children get older, I would like to take them to my country and visit historical land marks to teach them about my culture and where I’m from,” said Dettling. “I embrace my culture and am proud of who I am.”

• Date Taken: 10.15.2018
• Date Posted: 10.16.2018 16:31
• Story ID: 296659
• Location: ATLANTIC OCEAN