Photo By Jefferson Wolfe | Staff Sgt. Karina Martinez, a native of Puruandiro, Mexico, an operational...... read more read more
By Jefferson Wolfe
Fort Gregg-Adams Command Information Officer
FORT GREGG-ADAMS, Va. — “We are all, we are one” is the theme of this year’s National Hispanic Heritage Month.
To kick off the month-long celebration of the history, culture and contribution of Hispanic Americans, the 23rd Quartermaster Brigade hosted a lunchtime event at the Beaty Theater. The observance included dancers, food and a keynote speaker who started her life journey as a child in Mexico.
Staff Sgt. Karina Martinez, who was born in the Mexican city Puruandiro, is an operational noncommissioned officer in Golf Co., 244th Quartermaster Battalion.
She was born into a poor family but was a happy child. However, her sister was diagnosed with leukemia at age 3. The family had no way to pay for the medicine she needed, even after selling all their animals (a cow, pigs, chickens and a horse), furniture and other possessions.
An aunt recommended they come to the United States, where her sister could get medical care. Martinez, then five years old, didn’t fully grasp the gravity of that decision until years later.
“You leave the country you know for an entirely unfamiliar one,” she said.
The children were given IDs with new names. Their aunt coached them about what to say and how to answer questions from law enforcement officials.
When they encountered the U.S. Border Patrol, fate had other plans, Martinez said. The officer saw something unusual in the mother’s documents. The family fled.
They spent three days crossing the desert, she said. While traveling in the scorching heat with no water, her mother’s sandal ripped, and she had to make the trip barefoot.
They traveled across a river and through a tunnel before reaching and settling in California. Martinez’s sister received treatment she needed and recovered. She is now 32 years old.
“She beat Cancer,” Martinez said. The rest of the family became “green card” holders, lawful residents in the United States, in 2001. Martinez, her mother and her grandmother became full citizens in 2007.
“Becoming a citizen is a huge milestone in any immigrant’s life,” she said.
Then 19 years old, Martinez was a certified nursing assistant attending community college. She decided to enlist in the Army, which is also when she applied for citizenship.
The process cost about $1,200, and she completed it on her own, not knowing there is a program that would help her for free.
Current and former members of the U.S. military do not pay a fee for naturalization. If eligible, family members may apply for a reduced fee or a fee waiver, according to the department of Homeland Security website.
There was a recruiter at Martinez’s college campus who spoke about how the Army would help her pay for college and provide opportunities to travel.
“So, I said, OK, this is a way I could give back to the country that game me so much,” she said.
While her mom was supportive, her father initially was not, asking why she wanted to fight for a country in which she wasn’t born.
“As tears ran down my face, I responded, ‘But, Dad, it is mine. This country gave me everything,’” Martinez said. “This country gave my sister a second chance at life.”
And so, in 2009, she enlisted, heading off to Basic Training at Fort Jackson, S.C. and then Advanced Individual Training at Fort Lee, renamed Fort Gregg-Adams. Among her many assignments is a deployment in support of Operation Enduring Freedom.
Martinez concluded, speaking to any immigrants in the audience at the Beaty Theater.
“This country is your country too,” she said. “This country belongs to the believers, the dreamers.”
Martinez is already planning for her next steps in her career. She is schedule d to attend drill sergeant school in October and is pursuing a Bachelor of Science Degree in Psychology, with an emphasis in trauma.
“There’s a lot of things that I’m working on in my life right now, and it’s all possible because I’m here,” Martinez said.
According to the DoD demographic data for 2022, over 8 percent of DoD civilian employees indicate Hispanic ethnicity and about 19 percent of active-duty military personnel identify as Hispanic or Latino.
National Hispanic Heritage Month honor s the culture and contributions of persons of any race who trace their origin or descent to Mexico, Puerto Rico, Cuba, Central and South America, and other Spanish cultures.
It was first established as Hispanic Heritage Week by President Lyndon B. Johnson in 1968. It was expanded to a month-long celebration in 1988 by President Ronald Reagan.
The commemoration is unique because it spans parts of two months. It started Sept. 15, to coincide with the day many Central American countries celebrate their independence. And, on Oct. 12, Spain and Central American countries observe the Day of Hispanic Heritage.
| Date Taken: | 09.26.2023 |
| Date Posted: | 09.26.2023 11:27 |
| Story ID: | 454305 |
| Location: | FORT GREGG-ADAMS, VIRGINIA, US |
| Web Views: | 61 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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