By Spc. Courtney Marulli
2nd BCT, 2nd Inf. Div. Public Affairs
FORWARD OPERATING BASE RUSTAMIYAH, Iraq — Little boys playing with G.I. Joes may not seem like anything significant, but for some, the future is literally in their hands. For one boy, those games led him to the military and United States citizenship.
When Spc. Luis Perez was 2 years old, he and his mother moved to the United States from Guatemala and lived in Dallas. They stayed there for almost two years before moving to Bronx, New York in 1983, where they met up with Perez's father.
His interest in the military began in New York as a child where he would play war games and with G.I. Joe figures. Perez said he focused on the Army as a child, but his vision changed to the Marines when his family moved back to Dallas in 1991.
Perez said he had never seen a Marine's photo before and was taken by the uniform and the overall presence.
"The uniform caught my eye," he said.
Perez began asking people what the Marines are like and doing research on his own to find out about the "Few and the Proud".
During high school, Perez participated in Junior Reserve Officer Training Course for four years. He attended a JROTC camp at Fort Sill, Okla., which was the first time he set foot on a military base. He began to get motivated and found himself surpassing all of his peers by gaining the ranks of cadet sergeant and finally, cadet major.
Perez graduated from South Oak Cliff High in Dallas in 1998, and then attended Marine boot camp. He served as a paralegal for four years in the Fleet Marine Forces, Pacific based at Camp Pendleton, Calif.
His life in the Marines was a good one, but he needed to get out to attend to personal matters and was honorably discharged in 2002. He spent the next four years trying to make things comfortable for his family in the civilian world. Perez said he wanted to go back into the Marines, but when he went to join again, there were time constraints involved, and he didn't have the time to wait. So, he walked next door to the Army recruiter and enlisted in November 2005.
"I went to sleep dreaming 'Marine Corps' and I woke up Army green," he said. "I realize it's not the uniform that makes the Soldier or Marine, but the Soldier or Marine that makes the uniform."
Initially, Perez felt like he was betraying the Marines, but his old staff sergeant told Perez that his focus should be to taking care of his family, and that his family should come first and he would have made the same decision.
Once in the Army, Perez said it took two years to wear down his Marine mentality. He is still connected to the Corps because his little brother serves in the Marines.
His first duty station in the Army was Fort Carson, Colo., as a paralegal for Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 7th Infantry Division, where he processed enlisted separations in the military justice section of the Fort Carson Office of the Staff Judge Advocate.
He now serves as a paralegal for 3rd Squadron, 61st Cavalry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division.
This is just the beginning of his military journey though, Perez said he wants to reenlist, as he feels this is the life for him.
His military future is more stable with Perez becoming a U.S citizen Feb. 11 during a ceremony at LSA Anaconda in Balad, Iraq with the long distance support of his wife, Mayra and their three children, Aileen, Emily and Natalie.
Perez became a resident of the United States in 1995, but had been living on a visa before that.
Serving in the Army helped Perez appreciate what the United States stands for. He credited the Fort Carson Office of the Staff Judge Advocate with helping him achieve the goal of citizenship.
Perez said when the Sept. 11 attacks occurred; he realized he needed to become a citizen in order to stay in the country that he loved and pretty much the only country he knew, since the rules had gotten stricter.
With his citizenship, Perez said he can gain a security clearance so he can keep his job. Also, this has become a family affair.
His wife recently left for Basic Combat Training at Fort Jackson, S.C., as she has always wanted to join the military too.
Since Perez received encouragement from his unit to gain citizenship, he is doing the same for others.
"I am helping people get their packets together," he said. It's time consuming, but not impossible for Soldiers to achieve.
"Anyone who wants it, the time to do it is now." Perez said.
| Date Taken: |
03.02.2007 |
| Date Posted: |
03.02.2007 13:46 |
| Story ID: |
9307 |
| Location: |
RUSTAMIYAH, IQ |
| Web Views: |
415 |
| Downloads: |
197 |
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