To Iraq and back

(First of three parts)

LOS ANGELES – They had to go through a 27-mile hike, the whole time carrying all their gears that included bullet-proof vests and weapons, plus a 70-pound pack on each of their backs. It took them 12 hours to make the whole walk and back. And within those grueling hours, people were passing out. A lot suffered cramps and not a few incurred injuries. Their bodies were racked by pain and exhaustion. But even then, the experience wasn’t the toughest Joseph Zoleta has had to go through since joining the United States Marine Corps.

"I’ve always had a big interest in the Marines," Zoleta explained. "I had friends who grew up to be in it. I had relatives who told me I should be in the military. I read a lot of books about it."

Twenty-four-year old Zoleta grew up like any ordinary kid. He was born in Quezon City, Philippines and stayed there until his parents migrated to the States when he was four. They first went to Fairfax, Virginia and stayed there for three months before moving and building a home in New York. His mother was an actuarial operations manager for a credit company; while his father was an accountant. Little did they know that the move would set the stage for young Jo to get what perhaps is the most dangerous job on the entire planet.

"My parents used to tell me to try and do other things first before I seriously think about joining; and I did," said Zoleta who went to a community college in Queens, New York to take up Electrical Engineering. The former Catholic schoolboy attempted to ignore the urge. But it wasn’t for long.

"I used to work in the World Trade Center as an intern in the trading floor," he said.

Luckily, he wasn’t there on that fateful morning on September 11, 2001 when two planes crashed into the busiest buildings in New York. But he saw the whole thing from their house not too far away.

"I thought it was just an accident because during World War 2, a bomber crashed into the Empire State Building. But when I was watching TV and saw the second airplane hit, I said this was just not a coincidence, it was an attack," Zoleta said, displaying his extensive knowledge about wars which he acquired through reading at the time when he wasn’t sure whether to enter the Marines or not. Things only became clear to him after 9/11.

"And then everyone wanted retribution, revenge. I thought I wasn’t just gonna sit around. I wanted to do something so I joined the Marine Corps which would give me a good chance to be in the front line," he said.

At that time, Zoleta was working as a payroll accountant in an accounting firm and "I just didn’t like sitting around. When it wasn’t tax season, we basically didn’t do much, except sit in the cubicle," he said.

He wanted action and he got it.

One morning in January 2002, three months after the attacks, Zoleta woke up a lot earlier than usual to get picked up by a marine recruiter at 6 a.m. He was going to escort Zoleta to take the ASVAB test (Armed Service Vocational Aptitude Battery).

Zoleta recalled the look on his parents’ faces. He said they were obviously wondering why a marine came to pick their son up. But to their questioning look, Zoleta only told them that he was just going to take some tests. It was only then that his parents found out of their only son’s intent to pursue a career in the Marine Corps.

Zoleta recalled that he once saw the movie about a Marine Corps sniper who engaged in operations in South America (Sniper, 1993) and that was one of the things that inspired him to enter the elite group that is considered to be the oldest of the US military services, established by the Continental Congress resolution on November 10, 1775. US Marines serve on military bases, aboard ships and in US embassies around the world.

Enlistment standards are high. Basic training is longer. And promotions come slower. But Zoleta was determined. He wasn’t going to do it any other way.

"There’s something about being a Marine that sets you apart," he explained, almost quoting a Marine Corps ad campaign which differentiates the troop from the US Army, US Air Force, US Coast Guard and the US Navy.

After he passed the ASVAB test, Zoleta was less than six months away from being a full-fledged Marine. But being one, as he would later discover, was a lot harder than he had imagined.

During the hike, he thought of quitting. But his adventurous side prevailed. Besides, by then he had already invested so much in the Marines, already endured so many hardships from the boot camp. But he only resolved to stick with the four-year volunteer program after he first got dispatched to fight in Iraq.

"It was hell on Earth," he said of his 14-month experience fighting in the war-torn nation. "There were nights when it felt like it was raining bullets." (To be continued)

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