Gunnery Sgt. Richard Reyes: “Many people answered the call that day”
Fresno Community College alumnus Richard Reyes began serving in the U.S. Marine Corp mere days after Sept. 11, 2001.
Reyes had graduated from Sanger High School in June of that year and had been talking to a Marine recruiter and was set to start boot camp on Sept. 17, 2001.
After two decades, Reyes still remembers when it happened – his mom ran and stood at the doorway of his room with the house phone on her hand. Her eyes were wide open and she was frantically pointing at the television set and yelling him to turn on the TV. Reyes saw smoke coming out of both towers at the World Trade Center in New York City, and after a little time to process everything, his mother handed him the phone. On the other line was his Marine recruiter.
He remembers the words of the recruiter.
“We are going to war, do you still want to join?”
Reyes responded, “Yes.”
He was only 17 years old then. Three days later, Reyes was on his way to Sacramento for his final physical, went to boot camp on the day he was set to start and became a Marine on Dec. 14, 2001.
“Many people answered the call that day,” said Reyes who shared this experience as the keynote speaker of the FCC memorial ceremony to commemorate the 20th anniversary of 9/11 on Friday (Sept. 10) in front of the Veterans Peace Memorial.
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“I felt a duty to, and I’m proud to said that I did as well,” he said, adding that 9/11 went on to shape the next 10 years of his life and considers the Marine Corps an important chapter of his life.
Before being honorably discharged in 2016 as a gunnery sergeant, he was deployed twice to Iraq.
In December 2016, he graduated with honors from Fresno City College with an Associate in Science degree in Business Administration for transfer. Two years later, he graduated from Fresno State. Today, he is a repayment specialist with the Bureau of Reclamation in the Department of Interior.
“A long time ago, I was a student here at City College. I went to several ceremonies, so just being here and talking at the ceremony means, means a lot to me ‘cause I’ve been on that end. So it’s very special for me to be on this end,” Reyes said .
“Remembering 9/11 is, I don’t even know how to explain it, you always remember it no matter what. But what this ceremony does is it gives us an opportunity for every single person to come together and remember it as a community as opposed to by yourself.,” Reyes said. “So, I’ll just encourage everyone to go to a ceremony. Don’t just remember by yourself at home, connect preferably with a buddy ‘cause that’s what it’s about, everyone connecting with each other and helping each other out.”
Reyes said he saw the new generation of college students many of them who were not even born when 9/11 happened.
“I saw a lot of young faces today a lot younger than myself, so I feel pretty good today, but it was extremely special to be able to talk to them and just try and give advice to be successful,” Reyes said. “I mean, I always tell them if I can do it, you can do it.”
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The Friday morning ceremony included bagpipes by FCC instructor Scott Porteous, the presentation of colors, a wreath laying, a poetry reading by student veteran Ernesto Grijalva, who also led the Pledge of Allegiance, the singing of God Bless America by Julie Dana, as well as a rifle salute and the playing of Taps by Rodger López.
Esta historia fue publicada originalmente el 10 de septiembre de 2021, 4:19 p. m..
