Photos provided by: Christina Chacon, Trisha Banks, and Tim Baxter
I remember the day of 9/11 like it was yesterday. A lot of mixed emotions went through all Americans that day. It tested our patience as a country to act on and try to get back to our everyday lives. For this feature I am not about to bring bad memories back or raise a reactions from people. I am not about that. I have dedicated the write up about the following friends that have served overseas and dedicated a huge portion of their lives to keep us safe from harm’s way. These guys are special to me and I’m very grateful I have the privilege to be called their friend.
Darwin Chacon was a proud serviceman from the US Marine Corp. During his tour of duties, Corporal Chacon put his life behind him including his then girlfriend Christina to serve his country in time of need. Darwin’s first tour of duty was on Aug 2004 to March 2005 in Iraq. Then deployed again on Feb 2006 to complete his tours of Iraq on Sept 2006. Darwin stated to me that it was a sad sight to see. How people could live in those conditions and still go about their day with no government system of any kind. Also on the flip side of things, the very people they try to save and restore some sort of government try to inflict harm on them. Patrolling the streets of Iraq was no fun as stated by Darwin. Working extreme hours patrolling and with extreme weather conditions made things worse. During his return everything in life started to put itself together. Now discharged from the Marine Corp, Corporal Chacon ended up marrying his girlfriend Christina and giving birth to their daughter Athena. I asked Darwin a few weeks ago if he would do it again and without any hesitation he states, “hell yeah”.
Darwin & Christina at the Marine Corp Ball
I met Chris Banks a few years back from local car meets and became a team mate in the car club. Corporal Christopher Banks another member of the US Marine Corp also an Iraq War Veteran. Chris served in the Marine Corp from July 2000 to July 2004. Chris served in combat from Feb 2003 to June 2003 in the Middle East. Chris was a member of the 1st Maintenance Battalion. Since his discharge from the Marine Corp he has settled in Sunny San Diego (Escondido) with his wife Trisha and I would like to add that my wife and I were a part of that amazing wedding ceremony. Chris and Trish are now living the American dream. The newlywed couple just bought their first home together and hopefully soon a young Miss or Mr Banks will be gracing us. Thank you Sir for your services and look forward to seeing you soon.
Out of all my friends, only 1 is left in active duty. Matt Baxter is still in active duty with the US Army. As a member of Eco 2-4 Mountain Infantry Division, he was in the front lines every day and night in Iraq. Every day in Iraq it was something different good and bad. Some of the things no one would like to see in real life happen there, but things are changing for the better we hope. Matt served in Iraq from November 2007 to December 2008. When he first enlisted he was signed on as a cook, but then later to be a gunner on a Hummer. One of the most memorable times in the Middle east was going on patrol 50 times in 30 days. That's a lot! Luckily safe to say he is in the best safe zone now. Matt is now finishing his term in Hawaii. The Baxter’s are a very close knit family and whenever Matt came home for some much needed R and R, the family made his home time a priority. When Matt first left for his tour, I had a chat with his pop Dave and mom Graciela. They told me how proud they were of him and for Matt to come home soon and stay safe out there. His brother Tim just rode in a motorcycle rally on Memorial Day and did a tribute ride for his brother. I asked Tim what the first thing they were going to do when Matt got home. Tim states, “we’re gonna go on a long ride to Laughlin”. Hopefully Dave will get to join that too since he just got his “M” license. Soon enough the 3 Baxter boys will be riding the weekends out. Matt, thank you for your service bro and be easy with the remainder of your term.
Ready to start his day
I would like to thank all the military personnel that served or currently serving this country. We wouldn’t be standing how we are without you. Thank you to our Fireman, Policemen, Border Patrol, and National Guard as well. You guys are the home front that protect our interior border and takes care of us. Please take the time to shake the hand of any servicemen and servicewomen that laid their lives on the line for our freedom. With that said God Bless America and a huge thank you to our Armed Forces and we’ll see you all home soon!
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