Photo By Cpl. Naomi May | Marine Corps Sgt. Hugo Guayara poses for a photo with his wife, Barbara Kopeky, and...... read more read more
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“Esperra hasta llegamos a casa,” his mother would snarl as she gave him an authoritative stare. He knew he made a mistake when she threatened him to wait until they got home. Sometimes growing up can be intimidating.
Hugo Guayara, as a proud naturalized American from Colombia and a sergeant in the United States Marine Corps serving aboard Marine Corps Base Quantico, Virginia, uses Hispanic Heritage Month (Sept. 15 to Oct.15) to practice understanding, humility and determination for the betterment of himself.
After his mother narrowly escaped death while giving birth and spent more than a month in the hospital, his 10-year-old sister took the responsibility of caring for him during his infancy.
“My sister was like a second mom to me,” Guayara expressed. “I was glued to her 24/7 as a kid. Me and my sister—to this day—are close.”
He said their circumstances helped build a strong foundation of support when he dealt with struggles, such as learning English.
Assimilating into a new culture helped the six-year-old to gain a sense of understanding for others. Guayara was a first-generation American who spoke Spanish until he learned English from his elementary school teachers and the children in his neighborhood.
Guayara said as he matured, he realized all his family had sacrificed for him and longed to return the same love and care. Throughout high school, Guayara worked seven jobs and gave most of his earnings to them.
All the while, his mother taught him how to take care of himself. He learned how to dress properly, clean, help around the house and how to cook Columbian meals. Arepas—grilled corn tortillas stuffed with cheese—are just one of the traditional dishes that he often made.
“You need to know how to do everything a woman does,” he remembers his mother emphasizing. “A real man knows how to do things by himself.”
He said originally, he was frustrated with his mother’s rules of responsibility, but he grew to understand why she was raising him that way.
Guayara said he believes he should strive to stay humble in all he does. He approaches lower-ranking Marines the same way that he approaches generals, with a demeanor of confidence and equal humility. He recognizes that everyone brings something different to the table.
Gunnery Sgt. Armando Reyes, a friend, mentor and teammate on the Marine Corps Base Quantico Soccer Team, admitted that soccer is not one of Guayara’s talents, but explained that he continues to put forth his best effort at every practice, supporting the team.
“It doesn’t matter if he started the game or just finished the last five minutes; he plays the same way,” Reyes said. “He knows his role, and it shows a lot about him. [Sitting out on] the bench is hard, and to come off of it like nothing and put all his effort into it—that’s strong.”
Guayara’s humility leads him to help people and think of others before himself, especially his family, explained his wife, Barbara Kopecky.
Guayara said he’s been feeling determined lately. He met his wife three years ago when he was stationed in Brazil. He learned Portuguese and felt at home with the similar culture, enough so to start a family. After his son was born, Guayara worked to move his family back to the United States. He said his experience with a cross-border transition made it smoother to help Kopecky adjust to American culture.
As if this was not challenging enough, their newly-born son had heart complications and faced a series of surgeries.
He said supporting his son contributed to his hope, especially as his son became healthier with every surgery. He said he continued to stay positive because he needed to be strong for his family.
“I used to cry and despair,” Kopecky said, “but he was always able to calm me down… He never showed me his stress and worry.”
During Hispanic Heritage Month, the Marine Corps acknowledges the diversity it enjoys thanks to Marines like Guayara. Reyes said he contributes a mindset of understanding, humbleness and determination to Marines and to his family.
“The biggest thing I see is the effort in everything that he’s done to ensure the welfare of his son and his family,” Reyes said. “Through all the hardships that he’s gone through, I think any other person would take it hard, and morale would be down, but he just keeps pushing.”
| Date Taken: | 09.14.2017 |
| Date Posted: | 09.15.2017 16:26 |
| Story ID: | 248467 |
| Location: | QUANTICO, VIRGINIA, US |
| Web Views: | 159 |
| Downloads: | 1 |
This work, Hispanic Marine brings “diversidad” to Corps, by Cpl Naomi May, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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