Profile, Lance Cpl. Sergio D. Garcia

[David]

Lance Cpl. Sergio D. Garcia
By Sgt. Andrew D. Pomykal, USMC
ABOARD THE USS BATAAN ? "My dad was a grunt and a San Diego drill instructor," said Lance Corporal Sergio D. Garcia, referring to the man many called 'master sergeant.' "So I had no choice but to have discipline in my body."

Garcia, an administration clerk, is presently deployed with the 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit (Special Operations Capable), which recently concluded combat operations alongside multi-national coalition forces against the terrorist regime in Afghanistan.

Garcia is doing what every young Marine dreams of: facing the nation's foes alongside his fellow Marines. For him, the expectations of a Marine came naturally. Witnessing first hand his recently retired father's commitment to country and Corps gave him early insight to the lifestyle of a U.S. Marine.

"He was always gone. My mother, sister and I spent a lot of lonely months without him," he said. "He'd either be deployed on a MEU or he'd just volunteered for some other operation. That's just the type of 'gung-ho' Marine he was."

"I always said that I wouldn't want to leave my family like that," said the 20-year-old of Honduran and Panamanian descent who plans to wed his girlfriend of five years this summer. "But now that I'm also a Marine, I realize the sacrifices he made for us.

Garcia admitted that when he was younger, he did not even consider military service as a career option. "Growing up in my family was just like being in the Marines. I wanted nothing to do with the military back then. When I was younger, my dad made me go to a Young Marines boot camp," he said, referring to the formative program for juveniles that emphasizes military-style ethos and teamwork. "He said that it would instill discipline in me. I hated it, but now I understand that it was good for me. He knew I was prone to get into trouble."

Garcia admires his father so much that he carries a picture of the former Marine wearing the familiar 'Smoky Bear' drill instructor's hat. " I take it wherever I go as motivation to always do my best...to try to fill his boots," he said.

During his father's retirement ceremony, the elder Garcia presented his son with a highly polished, non-commissioned officer's sword that was inscribed:

MSgt Garcia-Ramirez S. USMC Legacy
Dec. 19, 1974 to Sept. 30, 2001

And underneath:

Lance Corporal Garcia S.D.
July 14, 2000-

"He gave it to me as a symbol of the beginning of our family's legacy in the Marine Corps," he said.

Before the 26th MEU (SOC) left Camp Lejeune, Garcia recalled that he feared becoming a victim of homesickness or depression. "Being deployed isn't that bad. What we are doing here is important," he said referring to the war against terrorism. "I don't wish for war, but I knew when I enlisted that someday I might be called to fight."

Since his administrative duties have kept him aboard ship, the five-foot, nine-inch tall, muscular Marine spends his free time pumping iron in the gym or exercising his talents as a free-hand artist.

"At one time, I was accepted to a graphic design school in Tampa, Florida, but I didn't have the money for tuition then," he said. "I still plan to complete more formal training in the arts, but for now, I'm satisfied with my mission. The corporals that I work with are good leaders and they teach me a lot of good information about the Corps and about life."

This has been a great experience for me and I suggest that all young Marines seek to go on a MEU deployment," he said. "My family has been supportive and the people I attend church with keep me in their prayers. Once in a while I get to call home to hear the voices of my family and other loved ones. That makes everything all right. Of course my girlfriend says that she misses me, but she tells me that she is proud that I am a Marine."