WEBVTT

00:00.009 --> 00:03.450
Uh My name is Marquez . I , I'm 31

00:03.460 --> 00:05.809
years old . I'm a private in the army .

00:05.980 --> 00:08.189
I'm from Mexico in Tijuana . Little

00:08.350 --> 00:10.239
town in Tijuana just crossing the

00:10.239 --> 00:12.350
border from California . I joined the

00:12.350 --> 00:14.461
army because I thought it was a great

00:14.461 --> 00:16.729
idea to , it was a great opportunity to

00:16.739 --> 00:18.850
pro uh to provide a better future for

00:18.850 --> 00:21.610
my family . I have two kids and uh and

00:21.620 --> 00:23.731
my wife , we've been married for five

00:23.731 --> 00:26.329
years . Uh She is an American citizen .

00:26.340 --> 00:28.507
Was born in Los Angeles , California .

00:28.507 --> 00:30.396
I met her in Mexico , but we were

00:30.396 --> 00:32.507
living in Mexico and she was crossing

00:32.507 --> 00:34.840
the border every day to take my kids to ,

00:34.840 --> 00:37.173
to school . So , uh before I got my , I ,

00:37.173 --> 00:39.118
I barely got my residence for four

00:39.118 --> 00:42.209
months ago and seeing her crossing the

00:42.220 --> 00:44.470
border every day to take my kids . Uh

00:44.479 --> 00:47.569
It was hard to see that . So joining

00:47.580 --> 00:50.110
the army was like an opportunity to

00:50.119 --> 00:53.119
take them to live to the U SI . Think

00:53.130 --> 00:55.297
it's really great like seeing a lot of

00:55.297 --> 00:58.330
people that I can talk Spanish to and

00:58.340 --> 01:00.590
relate to . It's really , it's , it's

01:00.599 --> 01:03.750
great like II I don't feel alone all by

01:03.759 --> 01:06.260
myself here because like I , uh I said

01:06.269 --> 01:08.380
before , I've been in the US for four

01:08.380 --> 01:10.602
months . So I don't know , I don't know

01:10.602 --> 01:12.769
much people in the US . But right here

01:12.769 --> 01:14.769
in the army , I met a lot of people

01:14.769 --> 01:17.047
that speak Spanish and are from Mexico ,

01:17.047 --> 01:20.819
Venezuela , any Puerto Ricans . So

01:20.830 --> 01:22.970
it's , it's great . And to wear the

01:22.980 --> 01:25.160
uniform and see them wear the uniform

01:25.650 --> 01:27.930
makes me feel proud of myself and my

01:27.940 --> 01:29.970
heritage and Marquez .