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View Full Version : Guadalupe, Ariz., native returns to Corps



yellowwing
12-10-07, 10:35 AM
Al QA'IM, Iraq(Dec. 9, 2007) -- AL QA’IM, Iraq – “I received a package in the mail (calling me back to active duty) and then the a gunnery sergeant called the next day, because I guess they send it out one day,” said a Guadalup, Ariz., native. “Originally, I thought it was a joke because I used to play around with people all the time the same way. But, they called me and sure enough they said, ‘Hey we need you back.’ They gave me a month’s time to show up to a muster.

And, for Sgt. Daniel Perez, it was not a joke, he was recalled from the Individual Ready Reserve to report in to 2nd Marine Logistics Group at Camp Lejeune, N.C., in five months to deploy in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom.

Perez, a motor transportation operator, is now serving in the Anbar province with 3rd Battalion, 2nd Marine Regiment, Regimental Combat Team 2, as a member of the battalion commander’s person security detail. However, he had finished six years on active duty during 2006 and had started a new life back home in a suburb of Phoenix.

“After I had finished my contract, I finished up my degree at South Mountain Community College,” said the 1999 Marcos de Niza High School graduate. “I even have a job as a counselor at the University of Phoenix where I am a military liaison who helps service members with the G.I. Bill, V.A. benefits and other military related processes.”

Even though his life was disrupted, Perez said it was actually for the best. Although he had to leave his new bride Vickie behind, and missed the birth of his daughter Victoria on Nov. 10, he said it was all for a good reason.

“I just talked to the monitors when they were here and talked to them about the possibility of coming back on active duty,” said Perez. “You don’t realize how much you miss it or how much it becomes a part of you until you get out and don’t have it anymore. So, I am looking to go active reserve and see if I can get stationed in Phoenix so I can be close to my family.”

He said his civilian employers are military friendly and understanding, but there is something about the Marine Corps he is not ready to give up yet.

“What I love about the Marine Corps is an easy question,” said Perez. “I don’t think people realize what they have until they get out… but it’s the personnel, the people, the way of life -- people don’t get us. You can say things to Marines that you cannot say out in the civilian world because they just don’t get who we are. Because I wasn’t given the choice and I was pulled back in, it made me realize I am happy here. If you like what you do and love being a Marine, stay in.”

He said that he is extremely lucky to have a wife who is understanding and supportive. He said Vickie knows he loves being a Marine and wants him to pursue whatever makes him happy.

Happiness, he said, is watching the progress being made in Iraq. During his time on active duty, Perez was stationed on embassy duty in Baghdad. He said that the war stories he had heard there about the Anbar province had him worried about the deployment. However, so far, he has visited many sheiks and mayors in the battalion’s area of operations around Al Qa’im and sees a different story.

“The Iraqi people are very hospitable,” he said. “They always feed you and interact with you. They are normal people who just want to bring their country to a level of security where they can live their daily lives and take care of their families.”

Though Perez does not yet know what the future holds for him after the deployment, he said he is happy he realized what was missing in his life. He plans on doing whatever he can to continue his career in the Marines.