Southwest Veterans' Business Resource Center Sosa's Blog

Time really flies

Michael Sosa — Mon, 19 Apr 2010 15:10:28 GMT

I didn't realize that today was the 19th of April Very memorable day for the country. The WACO seige ended this day back in 1993, the Oklahoma Federal Building bombing in 1995 and tomorrow will be the anniversary of the Columbine shootings of 1999 but to me this day marks the 17th anniversary of the day that I started my journey in becoming a man. 17 years on the exact day today (Monday) I left to become a United States Marine. 17 years. It's still amazes me when I think about it! I was 23, still wet behind the ears for being that old. Still living at home. I followed my younger brothers footsteps. My mother always told me that I was the late bloomer of the family & I guess to a certain extent she was right. I was 168 skinny then. I can't even imagine being that skinny again. I like most soon to be recruits was scared, filled with uncertainty about what to expect. Luckily my brother prepared me somewhat to expect. I watched "Earning the Title" narrated by then star of Major Dad's show Gerald McRaney, faithfully everyday to motivate me. I did what was expected of me as a poolee. I was so moto that I even got a high & tight months before shipping out. I never expected in my wildest dreams that life would take me where it did. That old cliche that states "Things happen for a reason" sticks in my mind. My only regret in life is that I didn't stay on active duty. I could probably be an E-7 or E-8 or possibly had followed in Albert Renteria's footsteps & have been a Chief Warrant Officer. I think I may have. After all he is the one that had me re-enlist another tour. He always said that he would get me to re-enlist but I told him NO, that I was getting out. Finally, I relented & told him that I would only re-enlist if he got me stationed in Texas. I never thought he would come through but I should have known better. San Angelo, TX or STANK Angelo as I call it now was my 2nd duty station. My active duty stint in the Marine Corps was great. Life has taken me where I need to be I suppose. I'm grateful for my brother who was a Marine first & for Albert Renteria for being so persistent and a good Marine because I am where I need to be. Even though I'm not on active duty, I'm still in uniform in the reserves. I'm getting activated at the end of this year so I'll be able to be on active duty again so if you think about it I've got the best of both worlds not matter what. I had surgery on my torn meniscus a few weeks ago so I will be able to start exercising again to get me back in shape so I can compete w/ these 20 somethings that I used to be 17 years ago. 17 long years. A lot has happened to me. I've seen people & places I otherwise would probably never see, made friends I'm still on touch with, worn the uniform that most wish they could have done. I've seen the death of my father, stood by my mother's side during cancer, endured long hours of college & have experienced love & loss along the way but I'm better for it. Life is good! I've got a great job, moved to a different city all because of April 19, 1993. My receiving DI talked of what we as future Marines were going to face in the future as he showed us on TV (the only time we saw TV in boot camp) the raid on the compound in WACO, I was on the USS ESSEX when I first heard about the bombing in Oklahoma & was @ the MC detachment @ Goodfellow AFB when I heard about the shooting in Columbine. A lot of memorable moments to remember for the country on this day but mine will always be the day I started my journey to become a U.S. Marine. Semper Fi friends & thanks again Al!!!

It's been too long I know.

Michael Sosa — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 17:28:45 GMT

Hello folks!! I've finally made time or should I say HAVE time now to get on here and say hello. It's been an interesting year. Invested time, money and heart into a new profession just to find out that the people with whom I invested all those things in were much like the sharks in the ocean. Judas, Benedict Arnold etc come to mind. Karma is a *****. Overcome & adapt right. I am no longer employed as of last Thursday & once again I find myself looking for new employment. UGH!! I want to go run but I can't because of a possible torn meniscus in my left knee due to a fall during a 7 mile hump this past summer during AT Marine Corps Drill & I exacerbated that medical problem during Rifle Qualification last week but hey, I got Rifle expert. Woohooo!!! Anyhow, I was looking at my Dress Blues hanging up waiting to be worn this weekend at the 1/23 Marine Corps Ball and I just thought that I will be more persistent in looking for a job and not bitch as much!!! If I can get through 8 years of AD and manage to deal with one weekend a month in the Marine Corps Reserves (and let me say that I thought the AD sector was messed up) then finding a job will be easy!!! Anyhow, any help, direction or advice in the job search would be great. I've got a Criminal Justice Degree (BS) w/ a minor in Psychology and an AA in Psychology. Also, I'm currently waiting on someone from BAMC in San Antonio to review my medical case but if you know of any other information in getting seen by some doctors to check my knee, would be greatly appreciated.

What I understand about the orientation

Michael Sosa — Mon, 18 May 2009 01:04:06 GMT

I'm currently on Facebook with Al and he wants me to make comment on the orientation from back in March. I'm still thinking about that right now. Al, I know you are reading this. I will put more later this week. OOrrahhh!!.

Continued from Reunion...

Michael Sosa — Fri, 20 Mar 2009 01:39:58 GMT

I just said "See ya later" to a Marine that I admire. That man is Albert Renteria CWO4 (retired). He just visited the Austin area and I took him out to lunch. It was a good lunch and it did me good to spend some time with a person who I have much respect and gratitude for. All brought about by an internet social network.
            While I was on Facebook back on Feb 16, 2009, I got bored and started looking up people that I knew from my past. All I could think of were old friends from when I was on active duty being stationed in Camp Pendleton, CA @ 3rd Battalion 1st Marines. As I looked for old buddies one person crossed my mind that I had not thought of in a long time; CWO4 Albert Renteria. Not thinking that I would find him, I typed his name and "BAM", there he was. I sat there looking at his name and picture, I thought to myself how different and older he looked yet still the same person & wondered if people thought the same of me whenever they saw my profile picture. I asked myself if I should send him a request to be my friend on Facebook. I sat there a minute or so and thought "What the hell". In a matter of minutes I received a response from him accepting my invitation to become "internet" friends. I didn't know how to address him since he was "Sir" or "CWO4 Renteria" but he told me to call him Al. It took a few E-mails to adjust to call him by his first name but I got used to it.
            I never thought in a million years that I would ever have any type of communication with him again. You see, I had not seen CWO4 Renteria since April 1997 when we returned from a six month float on WESTPAC. Soon after my arrival back to the states I had orders elsewhere. Al was my Personnel Chief while I was stationed at 3/1 as a young Lance Corporal. I had come to know him in 1994 when he took over CONAD (Consolidated Administration) at 3/1. He turned our office of "pogues" inside out upon his arrival. The days of taking it easy were over. He would make us learn what it meant to be a real ADMIN MARINE. He was disliked for the most part by most of the Marines in our office because of the amount of work he made us do. Prior to his arrival, life in our office seemed to be easy. Unfortunate to say, we as Marines decided to become complacent with work and we took shortcuts. Things changed soon after. Hindsight is 20/20 but during that time we thought he was just pure evil!! He made us become responsible by reading and learning. He always told us that "Knowledge is Power and Power is Knowledge". I use those words to this day. If we had a question we knew we could ask it but we needed to have the answer. That answer was found in all the manuals we had at our disposal (PRIM, IRAM, DEERS Manual etc).
            As a young LCpl, it was difficult for me to accept why he was so strict on us after all I was only a LCpl. In the Marine Corps everything is for a reason. I look back and realize why. He provided me with those tools to take charge of any situation and know how to get solutions.   As a somewhat new Marine I took everything personal and it bothered me that I could not get over on him on anything no matter how hard I tried until I started to realize that perhaps I should just start doing what was expected of me and more and then perhaps I wouldn't have the burden of being upset so much. I learned a lot. I learned that by gaining information that helped me in my everyday life made life so much easier and it showed people that I was dependable and the "go to guy". It was a good feeling to know that people trusted me with their problems or concerns not only in the office but out of it.

Reunion with CWO4 Renteria

Michael Sosa — Thu, 19 Mar 2009 18:29:11 GMT