Chapter+3

My Dream

Joining the military has been my dream since I was like six or seven years old. I use to play war with my cousins and friends, specially, when I use to see John Wayne as a sergeant in the movies. Those movies inspired me on following this dream, my dream. Well since that age I have been looking forward to joining and I remember that I couldn’t wait to turn seventeen just so I can go get the enlisting papers and give them to my parents so they can sign it. Well there was one problem; my parents didn’t want to let me go. I really wanted so I pleaded and pleaded with them and I only got one answer from them, and that was a no. So that left me no other choice but to wait until I was eighteen so I can enlist. And so I did. I enlisted into the Marines and when I got there I was hoping for some great opportunities, the hard training to prepare me for anything, and of course I can’t forget about my college education. And that’s what I got. I did everything they asked for, I trained like everybody as we were all there to protect and serve, until my time came into an end with the Marines. I graduated from Arizona State University since 1993. It took me a while to get settled down but I managed it. I joined the Tempe Fire Department three years after I graduated. It’s a job that I loved doing and so I stayed there until something horrible happened in the year 2001. There was a terrorist attack in New York on September 11, 2001. Two aircrafts hit the twin towers that day, something that we will never forget. I was mad like most of Americans were, so I re-enlisted into the marines again. I did enlist into the marines the first time to protect and serve and so that is why I re-enlisted. Within ten months of my re-enlisting I became a staff sergeant. I liked that job but then the Iraq war came in. I wanted to go, so I volunteered to go and that’s when I became a Motor Transportation Platoon Sergeant, made me in charge to up to 30 Marines. This job was very dangerous but every time that we would be out and ready for battle, I would use a quote from John Wayne in "Sands of Iwo Jima. I would say that it was “Time to 'lock and load” and to make sure that they were ready to go and to protect each other. It was tough I have to tell you that, it was really tough. The toughest day was on November 8, 2004, I lost for of my guys that day. One incident was in the morning when to of my guys tried fortify a position for that day’s battle, both of them were killed. The second incident was when two more of my men were killed because of their convoy driving by a roadside bomb. It was horrible most of my men were getting injured to, not well at all. We do the best that we can so we can prepare for the worst and hope for the best. This Iraq War has affected my daily life; I tend to analyze my surroundings, especially when a place is crowded. I make sure that my back is covered and I also have to know about every exit wherever I am. Now I’m just glad that I’m back home, with my wife and my baby girl. Also waking up every morning six feet above the ground or anything but just has to be above it, it’s like Icing on a cake.

-by Alfred Henriquez

Works Cited: War Story: SSG Daniel Hernandez Serving his Community & Country Jill Hanks http://www.azcentral.com/12news/warstories//articles/ssghernandezstory06012007-CR-CP.html