Photo By Sgt. 1st Class Jason Hale | (from left) Sgt. Samuel Villela, Spc. Gabriel Vazquez and then Pfc. Manuel Medina on a...... read more read more
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By: Captain William Cynecki
When one thinks of an American patriot, they typically think of someone who was born in America, raised by an American family and grew up repeating the pledge of allegiance every morning in grade school.
That is not the case for U.S. Army veteran Manuel Medina who claims his lack of exposure to American customs is what fueled him to learn.
“I wasn’t born here,” said Medina, who immigrated from Guatemala to the U.S. at the age of 13. “I always felt disconnected from American politics, economics and government and I wanted a sense of belonging.”
This motivated Medina to learn more about his country and eventually enlist in the U.S. Army in 2002 at the age of 21. Although Medina scored in the 90th percentile on his Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery test (ASVAB), the Army would only offer him a job as a generator mechanic.
“My score was so high that I qualified for any job in the military but since I wasn’t a U.S. citizen, I had to choose a job that didn’t require a secret clearance,” explained Medina.
Medina is also confident that he was the only Soldier in his basic combat training class who did not receive an enlistment bonus – but Medina did not join for the money.
“Before I joined, I felt like people would look at me weird since I have an accent and was born in another country,” Medina recalled. “but now I have a sense of belonging, especially knowing I am a part of the one percent who served.”
Later into his enlistment, Medina switched jobs from a generator mechanic to a civil affairs specialist where his background allowed him to excel, particularly during a mission in El Salvador in 2014.
“The Salvadorians saw how the U.S. Army accepted me – a person who looked and talked like them, which made them more willing to accept the U.S. Army,” said Medina. “I connected with the people [Salvadorians].”
Medina also connected with the military and his rise in rank proved that. In just 12 years Medina was promoted 6 times from an E2 (private) to an E8 (first sergeant). In 2015 Medina sought a new challenge.
“I felt like I wasn’t being challenged enough and instead of going to the Sergeants Major Academy, I decided I wanted a new ladder to climb.”
Medina received a direct commission as a second lieutenant in U.S. Army in 2015. Something can be said for Medina’s work ethic. Instead of feeling cheated after being assigned an undesirable occupation in the military, which offered no signing bonus, he did not let it deter his focus. He instead used it as motivation to rise through the ranks as an enlisted Soldier and later move into one of the most competitive fields – Military Intelligence.
“I am a doer, I like to do things and by commissioning, I feel like I started a brand-new life,” exclaimed the 39-year-old Medina who is certain he will serve an additional 21 years, bringing him to the mandatory retirement age in the military. “I still feel as young as I did when I first enlisted.”
One of Medina’s reasons to continue to serve stems from his first deployment to Iraq in 2003. At that time, virtually none of his leadership had deployed and were unable to give effective guidance to the nervous junior enlisted.
“Since they [senior NCOs] had never deployed, they couldn’t answer our questions,” said Medina describing his first deployment. Now that Medina has deployed three times, he wants to be the experienced leader that a nervous junior enlisted can look to for confidence. “…I want to be able to answer their questions in times of uncertainty," Medina added.
Later into the interview, Medina shared his perspective on why the U.S. Military has been so successful.
“Veterans are what make this country, nothing is successful without a defense force. The United States realizes this, and it’s why they take much better care of their veterans compared to other countries.”
Medina then went on to describe the formation of the notorious drug cartel called Los Zetas, which dates back to the late 1990s, when commandos of the Mexican Army deserted their ranks and began working as the enforcement arm of the Gulf Cartel.
“If countries don’t take care of their veterans, then they will use their training to take care of themselves like the Zetas did,” said Medina. “These other countries don’t have a Veteran’s Day like the U.S. because their populations don’t value their vets.”
According to the Dept. of Veteran Affairs, Veterans Day is a celebration to honor America's veterans for their patriotism, love of country, and willingness to serve and sacrifice for the common good.
Medina is proud of his service and believes Americans should never take their freedom for granted.
“We need to be reminded of the freedom in our country, and as a veteran it makes me proud knowing that I gave a little bit to continue this freedom.”
| Date Taken: | 11.08.2020 |
| Date Posted: | 11.08.2020 21:20 |
| Story ID: | 382621 |
| Location: | EL PASO, TX, US |
| Hometown: | ASUNCION MITA, GT |
| Web Views: | 267 |
| Downloads: | 1 |
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