thedrifter
01-03-08, 07:25 AM
Former resident recruiting U.S. Marines
Modified: Wednesday, Jan 2nd, 2008
BY: Ashley L. Unfried-Snipes — Special to the Chronicle
FLAGSTAFF — He spends countless hours on the road. He always has a pleasant expression on his face. He exudes confidence with each step he takes. He takes pride in his physical appearance. He won’t stop until his mission is accomplished, and even then, he keeps charging forward. He is a father, husband, brother and mentor. He is a United States Marine recruiter.
His name is Bryant B. Aguero, but to the Marine Corps, he is Staff Sergeant (his rank). For nearly three years, he has been assigned to recruiting station Phoenix, the headquarters for all Marine recruiters in the state of Arizona, he has taken the challenge of finding young men or women who want to earn the title “United States Marine.” He has surpassed the standard expectations; Aguero has changed more than 100 lives.
Before Aguero found himself at the doorstep of a Marine recruiter, he led a far different life. Aguero grew up in Kaibeto, and like many on the reservation, his day started early with chores and didn’t end until all tasks were complete. While in his early years of school, Aguero and his family moved from Kaibeto to Page because the jobs were better there for his parents.
“I went to Kaibeto Boarding School until fifth grade and then transferred to Page Middle School and Page High School,” Aguero said. “From there, college was pushed a lot, so I came down to Phoenix and went to Mesa Community College for a semester.”
After his first semester of college, he went back to Page.
“I still saw myself getting in trouble. I didn’t have much discipline and I wanted more of a challenge,” Aguero said. “I didn’t want to be that individual that grew up, went to school, went to college, and then went to work. I wanted something more.”
Aguero was the first in his family to graduate from high school and wanted to set the example for his younger brothers. His parents’ divorce placed Aguero in the position to be the male role model in the house. With three younger brothers looking up to him, he knew he had to graduate — for them.
“I wanted to show them they could do anything they wanted if they put their mind to it,” Aguero said.
When an applicant joins the Marine Corps, they are placed in to the Delayed Entry Program. They can be in there for a few days to a few months. For high school seniors, this is the program they are in until they graduate from school.
While in the DEP, applicants meet at the recruiting substation once a week for physical workouts to get in shape for boot camp and to learn general Marine Corps knowledge such as rank structure, general orders and history.
“They thought I was a dummy in boot camp because all the other recruits knew the rank structures and general orders,” he laughed, “and I didn’t know anything.”
A lot of the Navajo reservation kids he has put into the Marine Corps have come back and told him that boot camp was easier than they expected.
“Everything for us is manual labor. You’re up before the sun to greet the sun. Then you start your day,” Aguero said.
“The men work outside, and the house belongs to the women. Being in the field was no big deal for me because I had grown up outside.”
From boot camp, he went into Marine combat training in Camp Pendelton, Calif., followed by radio operator school in Twenty-Nine Palms, Calif. After successfully completing his school, Aguero was assigned to 2nd Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment. He received special battalion orders from there and was sent to a line company, then a boat company. All of this simply means he was a radio operator with an infantry unit that did amphibious boat raids, a far cry from the reservation.
As a young Marine, he strayed away from partying and troublemaking. The discipline and the rules set forth by the Marine Corps helped him to do his job better and continue getting promoted.
Aguero was on his first deployment with the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit when the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks happened. His unit was given orders to deploy, and sailed around the Pacific Ocean providing humanitarian assistance while in a constant ready formation to go wherever the Corps was needed. Directly after he returned from his first deployment, war broke out in Iraq. Aguero did what all Marines do; he picked up his pack and said “Where to now?”
Once Aguero returned to the United States, he had a decision to make: Does he stay or does he go?
“I’m a homebody. My family was the only reason I would have left the Marine Corps. I wanted to go home and take care of my brothers so my mom could finish her school,” Aguero said. “But I took a step back and I looked at everything, the pros. I love to be a Marine, I get paid to do what I love to do, go to school, train around the world.”
His decision to.
Ellie
Modified: Wednesday, Jan 2nd, 2008
BY: Ashley L. Unfried-Snipes — Special to the Chronicle
FLAGSTAFF — He spends countless hours on the road. He always has a pleasant expression on his face. He exudes confidence with each step he takes. He takes pride in his physical appearance. He won’t stop until his mission is accomplished, and even then, he keeps charging forward. He is a father, husband, brother and mentor. He is a United States Marine recruiter.
His name is Bryant B. Aguero, but to the Marine Corps, he is Staff Sergeant (his rank). For nearly three years, he has been assigned to recruiting station Phoenix, the headquarters for all Marine recruiters in the state of Arizona, he has taken the challenge of finding young men or women who want to earn the title “United States Marine.” He has surpassed the standard expectations; Aguero has changed more than 100 lives.
Before Aguero found himself at the doorstep of a Marine recruiter, he led a far different life. Aguero grew up in Kaibeto, and like many on the reservation, his day started early with chores and didn’t end until all tasks were complete. While in his early years of school, Aguero and his family moved from Kaibeto to Page because the jobs were better there for his parents.
“I went to Kaibeto Boarding School until fifth grade and then transferred to Page Middle School and Page High School,” Aguero said. “From there, college was pushed a lot, so I came down to Phoenix and went to Mesa Community College for a semester.”
After his first semester of college, he went back to Page.
“I still saw myself getting in trouble. I didn’t have much discipline and I wanted more of a challenge,” Aguero said. “I didn’t want to be that individual that grew up, went to school, went to college, and then went to work. I wanted something more.”
Aguero was the first in his family to graduate from high school and wanted to set the example for his younger brothers. His parents’ divorce placed Aguero in the position to be the male role model in the house. With three younger brothers looking up to him, he knew he had to graduate — for them.
“I wanted to show them they could do anything they wanted if they put their mind to it,” Aguero said.
When an applicant joins the Marine Corps, they are placed in to the Delayed Entry Program. They can be in there for a few days to a few months. For high school seniors, this is the program they are in until they graduate from school.
While in the DEP, applicants meet at the recruiting substation once a week for physical workouts to get in shape for boot camp and to learn general Marine Corps knowledge such as rank structure, general orders and history.
“They thought I was a dummy in boot camp because all the other recruits knew the rank structures and general orders,” he laughed, “and I didn’t know anything.”
A lot of the Navajo reservation kids he has put into the Marine Corps have come back and told him that boot camp was easier than they expected.
“Everything for us is manual labor. You’re up before the sun to greet the sun. Then you start your day,” Aguero said.
“The men work outside, and the house belongs to the women. Being in the field was no big deal for me because I had grown up outside.”
From boot camp, he went into Marine combat training in Camp Pendelton, Calif., followed by radio operator school in Twenty-Nine Palms, Calif. After successfully completing his school, Aguero was assigned to 2nd Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment. He received special battalion orders from there and was sent to a line company, then a boat company. All of this simply means he was a radio operator with an infantry unit that did amphibious boat raids, a far cry from the reservation.
As a young Marine, he strayed away from partying and troublemaking. The discipline and the rules set forth by the Marine Corps helped him to do his job better and continue getting promoted.
Aguero was on his first deployment with the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit when the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks happened. His unit was given orders to deploy, and sailed around the Pacific Ocean providing humanitarian assistance while in a constant ready formation to go wherever the Corps was needed. Directly after he returned from his first deployment, war broke out in Iraq. Aguero did what all Marines do; he picked up his pack and said “Where to now?”
Once Aguero returned to the United States, he had a decision to make: Does he stay or does he go?
“I’m a homebody. My family was the only reason I would have left the Marine Corps. I wanted to go home and take care of my brothers so my mom could finish her school,” Aguero said. “But I took a step back and I looked at everything, the pros. I love to be a Marine, I get paid to do what I love to do, go to school, train around the world.”
His decision to.
Ellie