08/11/2022
The Ones Who I Served With 🦅🌎⚓️ Here is the story of GySgt Edgar O. Ruiz (Ret.) The one who taught me how to be a Non-Commissioned Officer (NCO)
“My name is Edgar O. Ruiz and I grew up in Pomona, CA. I enlisted in the Marines on 17 November 2020 as a senior in high school. My entire life I grew up thinking college was the answer to success, but I was wrong. I was set on applying to two colleges, but when it was time… I realized I didn’t have the $50 dollars to pay for the application fee. That is when reality hit me, If I cant pay for the application fee, how am I going to pay for all the tuition and anything related to college? One day while at lunch in school, a Marine recruiter was walking by wearing his Dress Blues and medals. I was stunned, all I could think of was, how would I look in the uniform. I briefly talked to the recruiter and Two or three days later i he reached out to me
He explained to me how the Marines would help me and provide me with what I was seeking. I graduated High School in Jun of 2001. After I had joined the Delayed Entry Program, friends, families, teachers, would try to talk me out of enlisting. But I had already set my mind and I arrived at MCRD San Diego on 22, August 2001. My plan was to just do four years. Then the tragic events of September 11 happen. The nation became united and very patriotic. Life was just too good to just do four years. I decided to reenlist, but this time I change my job and became a Light Armored Vehicle Crewman (LAV) MOS 0313. I enjoyed it so much that I ended up doing 20 years of service. What kept me reenlisting was the Marines that I served with and the opportunities the Corps gave me. I travelled to 22 different countries, didn’t pay a single dime out of my pocket for my college education and I was challenged every day. Now I am working there as a Principal Security Analyst. The Corps, the experience it provided, the clearance it gave me, made it easier for me to get hired. I went from a High School kid who couldn’t even afford a $50 dollar college application to a 38 year old receiving a pension for the rest of my life while working at Northrop Grumman.