Page 52 - Senior Link Magazine Fall 2025 - Online Magazine
P. 52
by Barbara Jensen
esar Ramos was raised in the anniversary of 9/11. His next time there, training Spanish troops,
Ralls, TX, the youngest of assignment was Camp Pendleton in learning the culture of the Spanish
Cnine children. As soon as San Diego, where he found what he people, and learning a very different
he graduated from high school, enlisted for—advanced training as form of the Spanish language
he enlisted in the Marines. He an infantryman—tactics, incursion from what he’d grown up with.
loves challenges and felt the Corps training, and all the skills that to him He enjoyed the camaraderie and
was the ultimate challenge. He are the meat and gravy of being a laughed with the Europeans about
became an infantryman, “the tip Marine. their misconceptions of Texans based
of the spear.” After boot camp and on old Western movies. He spent
School of Infantry, his first post He was sent to Kuwait, where he six months in Spain, finishing his
was in Norfolk, VA, for training was part of a team creating patrol recovery and making good friends.
for his first deployment. He went routes to Iraq. The routes had to be
to Cuba, where the Marines and inconsistent, random, and moved When he returned to San Diego, he
Navy worked to keep the border of frequently. Eventually they would became a squad leader. He got to
Cuba and American territory clear. cross a path that had already been know his men, what motivated them,
He also stood guard in the towers used and find landmines. One day and what their goals were. After
surrounding the base at Guantanamo they were riding in a “buffalo” (a training together, he and his squad
Bay. huge, armored vehicle) and were hit went to Darwin, Australia. That
with an IED which flipped the tank. was a new area of operations for the
After several months in Cuba, Cesar No one was killed, but several were Marines, building a relationship with
returned to Norfolk for more training, injured. Cesar was injured on his back that country and working together
and advanced urban combat. He was and legs and had to return to San to monitor the potential threat of
then sent as part of a Quick Reaction Diego for surgery. For three months China, who were building islands
Force to Libya where the embassy after the surgery, he couldn’t wear out into the South China Sea in an
was being raided. He was there two boots, and had light duty, teaching attempt to enlarge their territory. His
months as his unit calmed down the new Marines the basic operations of team was assigned to a Navy vessel
situation and secured the embassy. an infantryman. and spent time on Fiji, Tonga, and
Samoa, training the local military on
After refresher training back at Cesar’s next assignment was what each island. Then he was assigned
Norfolk, he was sent to Germany he called “vacation duty” in Rota, to a SEAL team doing deep water
as part of a Quick Reaction Force Spain, where the Marines watched night operations. Cesar still hates
because of heightened threats on over a Navy base. He loved his deep water! He also hates the idea of
52 Lubbock Senior Link
