Photo By Cpl. Casandra Lamas | U.S. Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Sean Kingzio, a Palauan native from 7th Engineer Support...... read more read more
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PELELIU, Republic of Palau, – The islands of Palau welcome back one of their own, Lance Cpl. Sean Kingzio, born in Koror on March 2, 2002. He is presently serving with the 7th Engineer Support Battalion assigned to Marine Corps Engineer Detachment (MCED) – Palau.
“Growing up in Palau we didn’t have any internet, so we were just stuck watching tv or playing outside. My siblings and I would go out riding bikes, and since my dad had a boat, we would go twice a month to Rock Island to barbeque there,” said Kingzio.
Kingzio moved to Hilo, Hawaii, on January 31, 2015, to care of his ill grandfather. In Hawaii, Kingzio was first introduced to the internet and became very accustomed to the United States generation of technology. At the age of 19 years old, Sean weighed 211 pounds before he decided to enlist into the United States Marine Corps.
“My brother-in-law, who is also Palauan, joined the Marine Corps in 2019 and suggested that I join since I wanted to go to college but didn’t have money,” explained Kingzio.
Kingzio worked hard to drop his weight to 190 pounds so that he could ship to Marine Corps recruit training. His mother, Pamela Evans, pushed him every day to help him join, and he finally enlisted in the Marine Corps on March 21, 2021. Since enlisting, he has served in the Marine Corps for two years and intends to continue his service after completing his first four-year contract. His recruiter had informed him of all the possibilities of traveling, but never expected the possibility of going back to his native land.
“My first deployment was supposed to be to Tinian, Northern Mariana Islands, but a month before leaving, they switched me over to MCED-Palau,” said Sean. “It sounded amazing that I get to go home and help out my home islands at the same time.”
During this rotational deployment, Navy Seabees and Marine Corps engineers undertake infrastructure projects which benefit local populations in the Indo-Pacific region and enhance the United States’ ability to render support and aid in response to potential disasters or other crises within the region. This is the first time Kingzio has returned home since 2015, as well as the first-time home as a Marine. His family was thrilled to find out that their son would have the opportunity to return home after eight years of absence.
“Coming back as a Marine and executing these projects are very beneficial, not only for us but for the locals here on Peleliu too,” said Sean. “I talked to some of the locals, and they like that we are here helping them keep their community clean, repairing their main road, and improving their economy.”
These projects undertaken by this engineer detachment demonstrate the U.S. commitment to working with our partners in support of a prosperous, secure, free and open region that benefits the peoples in the Indo-Pacific.
| Date Taken: | 04.03.2023 |
| Date Posted: | 04.19.2023 18:22 |
| Story ID: | 442871 |
| Location: | PELELIU, PW |
| Web Views: | 321 |
| Downloads: | 3 |
This work, Behind the Uniform: The Opportunity of a Lifetime, by Cpl Casandra Lamas, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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