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thedrifter
09-12-06, 08:20 AM
Fresno man's road to the Marines began on Sept. 11

By Cyndee Fontana / The Fresno Bee

(Updated Tuesday, September 12, 2006, 4:06 AM)

As a boy, David Maldonado saw action-packed TV commercials for the U.S. Marines and thought about becoming one.

After Sept. 11, 2001, he knew he would. Maldonado followed through and enlisted this summer in the Marine Reserves.

The 9/11 terrorist strikes were "a big factor ... a big motivation," said Maldonado, now a well-mannered and powerfully built 19-year-old. "We were attacked on our land."

Five years ago, Maldonado was 14 and an eighth-grade student at Cooper Middle School in Fresno. He heard something about an attack on the radio that morning but really didn't believe it could be true. The station's disc jockeys always seemed to make jokes.

On campus early that day, as Maldonado remembers, a school administrator announced the news over the campus public address system.

He and other students heading to a physical education class were redirected into the gym. There, a hastily set-up television played and replayed the grim sight of hijacked passenger planes used as missiles against the World Trade Center and the Pentagon.

Some students cried. Some, like Maldonado, sat in a hush of stunned disbelief.

"I didn't want to believe it because it was so surreal," he said quietly. "I didn't want to grasp the idea that it was possible."

In the days and weeks after the 9/11 attacks, Maldonado felt more and more resolute about becoming a Marine.

While at Bullard High School, he joined the wrestling team. He played all four years and became one of several co-captains as a senior. He also began lifting weights.

Maldonado graduated in May with strong enough grades to land a spot at the new University of California at Merced. He commutes from Fresno and plans to study social and cognitive sciences.

But the Marines come first. About a month before signing on, Maldonado discussed his plans with his parents, David and Ofelia Maldonado.

"They knew that I wanted to become a Marine, but they didn't know when," he said. Both offered their support, although Maldonado's mother needed the most persuasion.

Earlier this summer, Maldonado walked into the West Shaw Avenue recruiting office for the first of several conversations with Staff Sgt. Donald Weathers. Maldonado had plenty of questions: What jobs were available? How can the Marines help with college? How could he become an officer?

There was no doubt Maldonado would join. He said: "I just really wanted to prepare myself and get all my questions answered."

Soon, Maldonado will interrupt his college studies for 13 weeks of boot camp. He also plans to attend Officer Candidates School.

Maldonado said he could be called up for duty at any time after he completes boot camp. He knows and accepts that.

He also talks about the innocent people who died on Sept. 11, 2001. That is something he cannot forget; it still serves as powerful motivation today.

Said Maldonado: "I want to do something about it and help my country."
The reporter can be reached at cfontana@fresnobee.comor (559) 441-6312.

Ellie