Marine becomes recruitment poster hero

[thedrifter]

Marine becomes recruitment poster hero
UPI

SAN FRANCISCO, Jan. 3 (UPI) -- When he rescued a fellow Marine from a sewage canal in Iraq, Cpl. Michael Montemayor had no idea he would end up as a poster hero for Marine recruiting.

The 30-year-old San Jose, Calif., resident helped pull his colleague mired in the foul-smelling canal in March 2003 and thought nothing of it except doing his duty, reports the San Francisco Chronicle.

But now Montemayor, who was promoted to sergeant before leaving the service, will be shown in recruitment billboard posters at several locations in the Bay Area. They will display his name and a synopsis of his Bronze Star citation.

The Marines are not discouraged by some critics who feel the service is using propaganda as a recruiting tool.

"We're going to try it here, because I don't think red states necessarily have a corner on heroism," said the commanding officer of the recruiting station in San Francisco.

"I didn't think I deserved it at all. It's what our job is over there," Montemayor said. "There's stuff like that going on over there every day."

Ellie

[greensideout]

Well done SGT.