Shaffer
03-19-06, 08:50 AM
The desire to join the ranks of the few and the proud would lead them to Recruiting Station Los Angeles. With 450 pounds burned, and after years of self-discipline and determination, they would get their chances.
However, the opportunity alone does not make one a Marine. One would yield to injury; the other is still in training.
Gabriel A. Pina and William E. Villeda were faced with a daunting challenge long before they ever stepped onto the yellow footprints. The two young men lost a combined 450 pounds in order to take the oath of enlistment.
Pina, an Oxnard, Calif., native, enlisted in the Marine Corps after losing 300 pounds during his four years of high school. He lost the weight by adopting a Marine-like philosophy.
"When you want something bad enough, all you have to do is put your mind to it and do the work to make it happen," he said before shipping to boot camp.
Pina's unhealthy, overweight physique was the result of years of poor eating habits and lack of exercise. He said when he was younger he would eat three or four hamburgers a day, plus snacks. By the 7th grade, his unhealthy habits had taken him to nearly 200 pounds.
"That is when the kids really started to call me names and say things about my weight," he said. "I did not think much about it. I did not care and continued to eat whatever I wanted."
By the time Pina was a freshman, he was dangerously overweight at 500 pounds and 5 feet 11 inches tall.
"People would call me names," he said. "They would say lots of negative things to me and make jokes at my expense."
Tired of all the comments and problems his weight had created for him, Pina decided it was time for a change.
"Something finally hit me," he said. "I decided not to live the same lifestyle anymore. I wanted to help people and serve my country. I decided to stop dreaming about the military and become the man I saw myself being."
With a new outlook on the future, he joined the football team to improve his health and gain muscle. He began making healthier choices and cutting back on his eating.
"It was difficult the first few months, but I just kept with it and the hunger eventually went away," he said.
By the end of football season he had lost 50 pounds, and he continued to push himself. During the off season, he kept training and added running laps into his routine.
"My brother Armando ran marathons in high school, so he sparked my interest in running as a way to lose weight," he said. "He would run with me and show me techniques to improve my stride. I started running two laps a day, seven days a week. The more I ran, the better I got, so I would increase my distance."
After each summer break, "I would go back to school and people did not recognize me," he said. "That would motivate me and encourage me to keep training. Somehow, mentally I had made the switch. I used to quit all the time. But now, I just tell myself not to quit. You can't quit on your dreams."
Once he started seeing himself change into another person, both mentally and physically, he knew he could do whatever he put his mind to.
"I would challenge my body until I would drop and then get up and do it again day after day," he said. "Marines challenge themselves to go past their limits, and I wanted to surround myself with people who thought the same way I was thinking."
In his senior year, Pina told a friend who had joined the Marine Corps that he wanted to become a Marine. The next thing he knew, he was standing in front of a recruiter. The recruiter told him he had to drop 60 more pounds before he could join, but Pina wouldn't let the news discourage him. He pushed himself even harder toward the new goal.
"I went to the poolee functions and continued training. By the time I was ready to enlist, I was running 20 to 24 laps everyday, and I weighed 200 pounds," Pina said.
After standing on a scale, he made weight worthy to stand on the Depot's yellow footprints.
Unfortunately, a few weeks into boot camp, Pina's determination to be a Marine was stopped short after he suffered an injury that ended his training. However, his commitment shows desired traits of a Marine, and once he recovers from his injuries, he can return to finish the job.
According to the Marine recruiters, Pina is exactly the type of individual they look for when bringing someone into their brotherhood.
"He was highly motivated in achieving his goals," said Gunnery Sgt. Steven Rubio, RS Los Angeles pool coordinator. "He was determined to be a Marine at all costs ... We are proud to have him with us."
While Pina's journey has halted, Villeda's is just beginning.
Like Pina, Villeda's journey has been long and arduous. A native of El Salvador who grew up in Culver City, Calif., Villeda weighed 300 pounds a year ago.
"I have wanted to become a Marine since I was a child," Villeda said. "I saw the Silent Drill Platoon one night on television and knew I wanted to join the Marine Corps."
Villeda grew up with an unhealthy lifestyle, participating in little physical activity and only occasionally playing sports.
"I loved my mother's cooking, and I ate a lot of snacks between meals," he said. "I knew I needed to make healthier decisions because 60 percent of my family is diabetic."
Villeda took the first step toward joining the Corps the day he became a naturalized American citizen. He learned what it would take to realize his dreams.
"The recruiter told me I could not start recruit training until I lost about 150 pounds," he said. "I was somewhat disappointed, but I wasn't going to be discouraged."
Villeda made drastic changes to his lifestyle. He changed his eating habits, ran everyday and went to the gym twice a week.
The recruiters from Recruiting Substation Culver City, Calif., encouraged Villeda along his way, working out with him to get him ready for the rigors of recruit training.
However, once aboard the Depot, Villeda failed the initial strength test. He was placed in Physical Conditioning Platoon.
"During the three weeks I was in PCP, I would go to the gym, run 1.5 miles, work on pull-ups and crunches every Monday, Wednesday and Friday," he said. "Tuesdays and Thursdays we would just go to the gym, and I would work on upper body."
According to Villeda, his dedication and hard work has paid off.
"Before, I could run 1.5 miles in 12:40. Now I run it in 11:50. I was doing 30 crunches, and now I am doing 47. I was not able to do one pull up, but now I am doing two and sometimes three."
May 7, Villeda picked up with his new platoon and started recruit training.
"I am not scared," he said moments before officially beginning the training cycle. "I am prepared for the drill instructors to yell at me and say things I will not like. I was made fun of a lot while I was young, so I am ready for the drill instructors to yell at me."
Although these young men have yet to claim the title Marine, their journeys thus far are testaments to the strong character of individuals the Marine Corps attracts. And if they are to pin on the eagle, globe and anchor, it will be the result of their ongoing commitment to the Marine Corps way of life.
However, the opportunity alone does not make one a Marine. One would yield to injury; the other is still in training.
Gabriel A. Pina and William E. Villeda were faced with a daunting challenge long before they ever stepped onto the yellow footprints. The two young men lost a combined 450 pounds in order to take the oath of enlistment.
Pina, an Oxnard, Calif., native, enlisted in the Marine Corps after losing 300 pounds during his four years of high school. He lost the weight by adopting a Marine-like philosophy.
"When you want something bad enough, all you have to do is put your mind to it and do the work to make it happen," he said before shipping to boot camp.
Pina's unhealthy, overweight physique was the result of years of poor eating habits and lack of exercise. He said when he was younger he would eat three or four hamburgers a day, plus snacks. By the 7th grade, his unhealthy habits had taken him to nearly 200 pounds.
"That is when the kids really started to call me names and say things about my weight," he said. "I did not think much about it. I did not care and continued to eat whatever I wanted."
By the time Pina was a freshman, he was dangerously overweight at 500 pounds and 5 feet 11 inches tall.
"People would call me names," he said. "They would say lots of negative things to me and make jokes at my expense."
Tired of all the comments and problems his weight had created for him, Pina decided it was time for a change.
"Something finally hit me," he said. "I decided not to live the same lifestyle anymore. I wanted to help people and serve my country. I decided to stop dreaming about the military and become the man I saw myself being."
With a new outlook on the future, he joined the football team to improve his health and gain muscle. He began making healthier choices and cutting back on his eating.
"It was difficult the first few months, but I just kept with it and the hunger eventually went away," he said.
By the end of football season he had lost 50 pounds, and he continued to push himself. During the off season, he kept training and added running laps into his routine.
"My brother Armando ran marathons in high school, so he sparked my interest in running as a way to lose weight," he said. "He would run with me and show me techniques to improve my stride. I started running two laps a day, seven days a week. The more I ran, the better I got, so I would increase my distance."
After each summer break, "I would go back to school and people did not recognize me," he said. "That would motivate me and encourage me to keep training. Somehow, mentally I had made the switch. I used to quit all the time. But now, I just tell myself not to quit. You can't quit on your dreams."
Once he started seeing himself change into another person, both mentally and physically, he knew he could do whatever he put his mind to.
"I would challenge my body until I would drop and then get up and do it again day after day," he said. "Marines challenge themselves to go past their limits, and I wanted to surround myself with people who thought the same way I was thinking."
In his senior year, Pina told a friend who had joined the Marine Corps that he wanted to become a Marine. The next thing he knew, he was standing in front of a recruiter. The recruiter told him he had to drop 60 more pounds before he could join, but Pina wouldn't let the news discourage him. He pushed himself even harder toward the new goal.
"I went to the poolee functions and continued training. By the time I was ready to enlist, I was running 20 to 24 laps everyday, and I weighed 200 pounds," Pina said.
After standing on a scale, he made weight worthy to stand on the Depot's yellow footprints.
Unfortunately, a few weeks into boot camp, Pina's determination to be a Marine was stopped short after he suffered an injury that ended his training. However, his commitment shows desired traits of a Marine, and once he recovers from his injuries, he can return to finish the job.
According to the Marine recruiters, Pina is exactly the type of individual they look for when bringing someone into their brotherhood.
"He was highly motivated in achieving his goals," said Gunnery Sgt. Steven Rubio, RS Los Angeles pool coordinator. "He was determined to be a Marine at all costs ... We are proud to have him with us."
While Pina's journey has halted, Villeda's is just beginning.
Like Pina, Villeda's journey has been long and arduous. A native of El Salvador who grew up in Culver City, Calif., Villeda weighed 300 pounds a year ago.
"I have wanted to become a Marine since I was a child," Villeda said. "I saw the Silent Drill Platoon one night on television and knew I wanted to join the Marine Corps."
Villeda grew up with an unhealthy lifestyle, participating in little physical activity and only occasionally playing sports.
"I loved my mother's cooking, and I ate a lot of snacks between meals," he said. "I knew I needed to make healthier decisions because 60 percent of my family is diabetic."
Villeda took the first step toward joining the Corps the day he became a naturalized American citizen. He learned what it would take to realize his dreams.
"The recruiter told me I could not start recruit training until I lost about 150 pounds," he said. "I was somewhat disappointed, but I wasn't going to be discouraged."
Villeda made drastic changes to his lifestyle. He changed his eating habits, ran everyday and went to the gym twice a week.
The recruiters from Recruiting Substation Culver City, Calif., encouraged Villeda along his way, working out with him to get him ready for the rigors of recruit training.
However, once aboard the Depot, Villeda failed the initial strength test. He was placed in Physical Conditioning Platoon.
"During the three weeks I was in PCP, I would go to the gym, run 1.5 miles, work on pull-ups and crunches every Monday, Wednesday and Friday," he said. "Tuesdays and Thursdays we would just go to the gym, and I would work on upper body."
According to Villeda, his dedication and hard work has paid off.
"Before, I could run 1.5 miles in 12:40. Now I run it in 11:50. I was doing 30 crunches, and now I am doing 47. I was not able to do one pull up, but now I am doing two and sometimes three."
May 7, Villeda picked up with his new platoon and started recruit training.
"I am not scared," he said moments before officially beginning the training cycle. "I am prepared for the drill instructors to yell at me and say things I will not like. I was made fun of a lot while I was young, so I am ready for the drill instructors to yell at me."
Although these young men have yet to claim the title Marine, their journeys thus far are testaments to the strong character of individuals the Marine Corps attracts. And if they are to pin on the eagle, globe and anchor, it will be the result of their ongoing commitment to the Marine Corps way of life.