Private First Class Jazzmond Cariaga is one of the Marine Corps’ newest Marines. He is a 17-year-old Hawaii native currently on Recruiters Assistance in Tempe, Arizona.
Cariaga reached out to recruiters in Arizona to be closer to his family during his boot leave, even though he was recruited out of Recruiting Sub-Station Pearl City. Despite this, the recruiters made sure to help him.
“I asked some guys in my platoon where they were recruited out of and [they] gave me Sergeant Wyman’s number,” he says. “As soon as I graduated boot camp, I reached out to him. A few days later they let me know I was approved.”
Cariaga says it’s great to see the brotherhood and care Marines have for one another, in boot camp and in the fleet.
“In Hawaii, the Marines aren’t the most popular branch of military, but once a recruiter came up to me, I was really drawn to their value of always being better than you were yesterday.”
From a very young age, Cariaga knew he was going to serve.
“I never saw myself going to college, since I was 5 years old I knew I was going to serve, and I am so happy I chose the Marines,” said Cariaga.
“When I told my dad I was joining the Marine Corps, he didn’t support me at first because he remembered their slogan 'First to Fight' and thought I'd be on the front lines,” he said. “But at the end of the day, he is my dad and he supported me pursuing my dreams.”
Boot camp was no walk in the park. Cariaga says the hardest part was swim qualification….because he couldn’t swim.
“It’s funny because I’m from Hawaii and everyone expects me to swim,” he said. “But I trusted the instructors and utilized what they taught me to do - something I wasn’t sure I could.”
Cariaga said he was also able to find more within himself in boot camp. He was baptized while at recruit training.
“Being in boot camp gave me the chance to figure out my priorities. It was an amazing feeling to go through that moment [knowing] my new family [other Marines] were by my side.”
Cariaga is contracted to become an infantryman and will attend the School of Infantry West in Camp Pendleton, California.
For more information on the Marine Corps and to find your nearest recruiting station, visit https://rmi.marines.com/RSPhoenix
| Date Taken: | 11.21.2023 |
| Date Posted: | 11.27.2023 06:28 |
| Story ID: | 458383 |
| Location: | PHOENIX, AZ, US |
| Hometown: | PEARL CITY, HI, US |
| Web Views: | 53 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, From the beach to the desert, by Sgt Symira Bostic, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
LEAVE A COMMENT