WEBVTT 00:00.540 --> 00:04.230 uh my parents were drug addicts would 00:04.230 --> 00:06.452 fight every single day after school and 00:06.452 --> 00:08.452 it made me hard in the good way . I 00:08.452 --> 00:10.397 found my way into a boxing him and 00:10.397 --> 00:11.952 haven't got out of it since 00:11.952 --> 00:16.730 uh 00:16.740 --> 00:19.390 kinda had a tough childhood . Um came 00:19.390 --> 00:22.560 up in foster care . Um My parents were 00:22.560 --> 00:25.150 drug addicts , um spending um probably 00:25.150 --> 00:27.310 3 to 4 years in foster care , moving 00:27.310 --> 00:29.810 around a lot , uh living in hotels and 00:29.810 --> 00:31.921 motels most of my life all the way up 00:31.921 --> 00:34.430 until uh probably about 17 in high 00:34.430 --> 00:37.110 school . It shaped me to men I am now 00:37.110 --> 00:39.780 because it prepared me for , you know , 00:39.780 --> 00:41.613 the obstacles and the trials and 00:41.613 --> 00:43.669 tribulations of life . It made me it 00:43.669 --> 00:45.780 made me hard in the good way , but it 00:45.780 --> 00:47.947 also made me passionate and caring and 00:47.947 --> 00:50.169 you know , it kind of opened my eyes to 00:50.169 --> 00:52.224 see the world for , for what it is , 00:52.224 --> 00:54.336 see the bad and the good say cheese . 01:02.140 --> 01:05.670 Yeah . Yes and my kids are the best 01:05.670 --> 01:07.950 thing ever to me man . I have a , a 01:07.960 --> 01:09.904 four year old son , a two year old 01:09.904 --> 01:12.071 daughter . Uh they motivate me to keep 01:12.071 --> 01:14.127 pushing to be a better man , to be a 01:14.127 --> 01:16.293 better soldier all around , you know , 01:16.293 --> 01:18.404 being a soldier is everything all day 01:18.404 --> 01:20.516 long . My son , all he wants to do is 01:20.516 --> 01:22.682 play , play army , play soldier , pick 01:22.682 --> 01:22.650 up a gun , chasing around the house my 01:22.650 --> 01:24.872 daughter and she looks at me with a big 01:24.872 --> 01:27.094 brown eyes every time I get dressed and 01:27.094 --> 01:29.317 lace up my boots and it's the best film 01:29.317 --> 01:31.428 in the world . That's definitely huge 01:31.428 --> 01:33.500 reason why I do what I do . I was 01:33.500 --> 01:35.611 sitting there one night at the time I 01:35.611 --> 01:37.450 was working , I was working as a 01:37.450 --> 01:39.780 bouncer and a crossfit trainer at the 01:39.780 --> 01:41.891 same time , I was working crazy night 01:41.891 --> 01:44.002 shifts and schedules and you know , I 01:44.002 --> 01:46.002 was just all over the place and you 01:46.002 --> 01:48.169 know , I lacked structure in my life . 01:48.169 --> 01:50.336 I remember laying there at four in the 01:50.336 --> 01:52.700 morning after working um double days , 01:52.710 --> 01:54.766 double shifts , I laid there and you 01:54.766 --> 01:56.932 know , I didn't like myself , I didn't 01:56.932 --> 01:59.154 like how I felt in that moment , I felt 01:59.154 --> 02:01.210 like I was lack of structure , I was 02:01.210 --> 02:03.432 lacking a direction and so I was like , 02:03.432 --> 02:05.599 you know , how can I shake it up ? How 02:05.599 --> 02:07.710 can I punish myself , but yet benefit 02:07.710 --> 02:09.877 myself at the same time ? And the best 02:09.877 --> 02:12.099 thing was joined the army . I went down 02:12.099 --> 02:12.020 the very next day , spoke to recruiter 02:12.020 --> 02:13.520 and got the ball rolling . 02:21.240 --> 02:24.970 Yeah , I started boxing when I was 12 02:24.970 --> 02:27.192 years old . I first walked into a gym . 02:27.192 --> 02:29.660 Um I was bullied a lot coming up , I 02:29.670 --> 02:31.900 felt like I was , I was trying to fit 02:31.900 --> 02:34.910 in a lot of it was , was race being 02:34.910 --> 02:36.743 half , you know , irish and half 02:36.743 --> 02:38.854 mexican . I wanted to fit in with the 02:38.854 --> 02:40.920 mexican crowd , but because my light 02:40.930 --> 02:44.700 pleasure a complexion , um , they 02:44.700 --> 02:46.867 didn't want me to . So at that point , 02:46.867 --> 02:48.922 you know , being young and dumb , if 02:48.922 --> 02:51.033 you weren't going to be my friend , I 02:51.033 --> 02:53.200 was trying so hard to have friends and 02:53.200 --> 02:53.060 be accepted , then you're gonna be my 02:53.060 --> 02:55.060 enemy . I would , would fight every 02:55.060 --> 02:56.893 single day after school . And Um 02:56.893 --> 02:59.040 finally I got tired of it and I found 02:59.040 --> 03:01.096 my way into a boxing gym and haven't 03:01.096 --> 03:03.096 got out of it since as an amateur , 03:03.096 --> 03:05.590 I've had 76 amateur fights . I've won , 03:05.600 --> 03:09.200 um four or five state titles , I won um 03:09.210 --> 03:12.110 three regional titles , fought multiple 03:12.110 --> 03:14.277 national tournaments and that national 03:14.277 --> 03:16.630 level tournaments . Um as a pro , I'm 03:16.630 --> 03:18.797 five and two currently are just coming 03:18.797 --> 03:21.890 off a win two weeks ago . Yeah . You 03:21.890 --> 03:23.946 know , I think operation Ironclad is 03:23.946 --> 03:26.440 necessary um and it's , it's getting 03:26.440 --> 03:28.496 pretty popular here at Fort Bliss is 03:28.496 --> 03:30.829 being implemented uh , for the soldiers , 03:30.829 --> 03:32.829 you know , for their protection and 03:32.829 --> 03:34.996 their peace of mind , you know , every 03:34.996 --> 03:37.329 day I go home , you know , to my family , 03:37.329 --> 03:37.190 you know , I'm able to feel safe , you 03:37.190 --> 03:39.301 know , some soldiers aren't fortunate 03:39.301 --> 03:41.930 enough to live in the house like myself , 03:41.930 --> 03:44.152 they got to go to the barracks and they 03:44.152 --> 03:46.041 got to hope that , you know , the 03:46.041 --> 03:48.041 battle buddies and people that they 03:48.041 --> 03:50.152 work with are are safe and have their 03:50.152 --> 03:49.720 best interests at heart and you know , 03:49.720 --> 03:51.887 but that's not , that's not always the 03:51.887 --> 03:53.998 case . Operation Ironclad is , it's a 03:53.998 --> 03:56.220 program that they , that they put forth 03:56.220 --> 03:58.498 to make them feel protected , you know , 03:58.498 --> 04:00.776 a soldier like myself , I'm , you know , 04:00.776 --> 04:00.110 grew up boxing group , fighting my 04:00.110 --> 04:02.110 whole life , I've seen that side to 04:02.110 --> 04:04.054 life and um you know , I'm able to 04:04.054 --> 04:05.999 protect myself and I'm I'm able to 04:05.999 --> 04:08.110 protect my family , but not everybody 04:08.110 --> 04:09.832 is the box are coming up , not 04:09.832 --> 04:12.054 everybody has been through , you know , 04:12.054 --> 04:14.277 those trials and tribulations of life , 04:14.277 --> 04:14.030 so this program is necessary to keep 04:14.030 --> 04:16.450 them safe , put your best foot forward . 04:16.450 --> 04:18.617 You know , the best thing that you can 04:18.617 --> 04:20.770 do is just be you you be proud of who 04:20.770 --> 04:22.992 you are being proud of , where you come 04:22.992 --> 04:25.214 from , be proud of , of the things that 04:25.214 --> 04:26.992 you went through , even if it's 04:26.992 --> 04:29.214 positive or negative , be proud because 04:29.214 --> 04:31.326 it's shaped you and who you are , and 04:31.326 --> 04:33.214 if you're just being yourself and 04:33.214 --> 04:35.103 you're being welcoming and you're 04:35.103 --> 04:34.850 comfortable in your own skin , in your 04:34.850 --> 04:36.794 own body , like people are gonna , 04:36.794 --> 04:38.794 people gonna flock to you , they're 04:38.794 --> 04:40.850 gonna love that . That that's what , 04:40.850 --> 04:43.072 that's what brings that that interest . 04:43.072 --> 04:44.560 That's what brings that vibe .