GRAND RETURN FROM IRAQ'S FRONT LINES ARMY SERGEANT, 22, TO MARSHAL VETERANS DAY PARADE.Byline: DENNIS McCARTHY Dennis McCarthy may refer to:
``I wonder sometimes, where did my little girl go?'' - Sylvia Garcia She went off to war. First to Afghanistan for 10 months, then to Iraq for a year - earning the Army Commendation Medal For other medals of the same name, see . The Commendation Medal is a mid-level United States military award which is presented for sustained acts of heroism or meritorious service. for combat missions with Special Forces units This article is about Special Forces Units. For Paratroop and Parachute Infantry Units, see Paratrooper forces around the world. This article is about Special Forces Units. For Marine and Naval Infantry Units, see Marine (military)#National Marine units. and the 82nd Airborne Division. And next month, Army Sgt. Christina Gecse - Valencia High Class of 2001 - will return to Iraq for a third tour of duty, this time with the 118th Military Police, protecting troop convoys traveling that country's deadly highways. Before she goes, she has a job to do here at home: Serve as grand marshal Grand Marshal is a ceremonial, military, or political office of very high rank. The term has its origins with the word "Marshal" with the first usage of the term "Grand Marshal" as a ceremonial title for certain religious orders. in today's San Fernando Valley San Fernando Valley Valley, southern California, U.S. Northwest of central Los Angeles, the valley is bounded by the San Gabriel, Santa Susana, and Santa Monica mountains and the Simi Hills. Veterans Day Parade. She'll ride in the front car in her Army fatigues, waving to the kids and their parents along the parade route. Not a five-star general or muscular GI, but a 22-year-old Latina who stands just a shade over 5 feet tall and has the heart of a tiger. The hero of the day. ``Our daughter never played with toy soldiers growing up, but she didn't play with dolls, either,'' says her dad, Robert Garcia This is about the SNK character. For the politician from New York, see Robert Garcia (politician) Robert Garcia is a character in the King of Fighters video game series. . She played basketball and roller hockey roller hockey n. Hockey played on a hard surface in which two opposing teams of roller skaters, using curved sticks, try to drive a ball into the opponents' goal. , and rode motocross motocross Form of motorcycle racing in which cyclists compete on a closed course marked out over natural or simulated rough terrain. Courses vary widely but must be 1.5–5 km (1–3 mi) in length, with steep inclines, hairpin turns, and mud. , always holding her own against the boys. She still does. In Tina, organizers Fred Flores Flores, town, Guatemala Flores (flōrəs), town (1990 est. pop. 2,200), capital of Petén department, N Guatemala. Flores was built on an island in the southern part of Lake Petén Itzá and on the site of the and Dan Rosales know they've found the perfect grand marshal for this year's parade. ``She's a young woman, a volunteer, serving in an Airborne unit,'' Flores said. ``People need to know more about the major role women like Christina are playing in our military today. They're not behind the front lines anymore.'' And Rosales also knows what's going to happen today when those crowds see the grand marshal of the parade waving to them and smiling. ``She's going to win their hearts,'' he said. Yeah, she is. Christina was 17 1/2 when she came home from College of the Canyons College of the Canyons is one of the fastest-growing community colleges in the state. According to the National Junior College Research Association, College of the Canyons consistently ranks in the top 50 community colleges in the nation. , carrying enlistment papers she needed her parents to sign because she was too young to join the Army on her own. ``I really wanted to become a police officer, but the police academy wasn't accepting applicants under 22, and I didn't want to wait,'' she recalled. She told her parents if she joined the Army and became a military police officer, it would give her a leg up getting a job with the police department, or maybe even the FBI, after she was discharged. ``We tried to hang on to her,'' said her mother, Sylvia Garcia. ``She was so young, we didn't want to sign the papers. ``But Tina was so passionate about it. She's always been that way growing up - independent. Once she sets her mind to do something, she doesn't stop until it's done.'' There was nothing they could do but sign the papers, support their daughter and pray, Robert said. She was sworn into the Army on Sept. 10, 2001. The next day, terrorists hijacked four planes and launched an attack that changed America forever. ``I tried not to think too much about it, but my stomach did drop a little, but it wouldn't have stopped me from volunteering,'' Tina said now. ``My country needed me now more than ever, and still does. Besides, I wouldn't have met my husband if I hadn't enlisted.'' Seth Gecse was in Christina's military police unit, and remains in the Army today as an MP investigator. She's proud of her service, Christina says. Proud of the 12 parachute jumps she's made as a member of an Airborne unit, and the countless patrols she's been on. And if there's one thing she wants us to think about this Veterans Day, it's the men and women fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan. In a few weeks, she'll be one of them again. With that, the grand marshal of the San Fernando Valley Veterans Day Parade went back to practicing her wave. ``How'm I doing?'' she asked, smiling. Good enough to win a lot of hearts on the parade route. Dennis McCarthy, (818) 713-3749 dennis.mccarthy(at)dailynews.com CAPTION(S): 2 photos Photo: (1 -- color) Army Sgt. Christina Gecse has earned the Army Commendation Medal for combat missions with special-forces units and the 82nd Airborne Division. (2) At left, Army Sgt. Christina Gecse poses on the job with unidentified military personnel. Next month, the Valencia High School Valencia High School may refer to:
Michael Owen
|
|
||||||||||||
Printer friendly
Cite/link
Email
Feedback
Reader Opinion