"[I was] always saying to myself I ain't gonna be the one...that one kid back home still running around...not having a life." (Video Interview, 5:47)

Luis Daniel Almaguer

Luis Almaguer, Camp Duke, Iraq [2004] War: Afghanistan and Iraq Wars, 2001-present Branch: Marine Corps Unit: 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU) Service Location: Camp Pendleton, California; Iraq Rank: Sergeant Place of Birth: Del Rio, TX

Sergeant Luis Almaguer had it rough--raised by his grandparents, he married at 17 and dropped out of high school--before he found a second chance in 1997 with the Marine Corps at the age of 20. He was deployed to Iraq as part of the 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit in June 2004. A member of a Personal Security Detachment (PSD), he experienced first-hand the humanitarian efforts being made in Iraq, as plans were made to rebuild the city and community of Najaf.