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TWENTYNINE PALMS, Calif. - People come from different
climes and places, from around the world, to join the ranks
of the Unites States Marine Corps. For one Marine in
particular, earning the title meant the biggest opportunity
of his life.
 Being
born in Colon, Panama, Cpl. Osmar S. Gorish, a section chief
for Battery A, 1st Battalion, 11th Marine Regiment, 1st
Marine Division, couldn't imagine that one day he would be
in charge of a $2 million piece of equipment for the United
States Marine Corps.
"We used to play soccer in the
streets barefoot and our toys consisted of bike tire rims
being pushed by clothes hangers ... We made a makeshift
foosball out of a shoe box, clip hangers and a shaved down
rock,” Gorish said.
When Gorish's
mother married his stepfather, he was given the opportunity
to come to the United Sates and become a naturalized
citizen. He and his family moved to Dallas where Gorish
finished high school.
During a job fair at his high
school, Gorish noticed a man in blue with a big blue banner
reading “MARINES” and quickly approached. He explained that
he did not speak English very well and told the recruiter
his story.
“The Marine recruiter was not only the
first to call me back, but the only one that showed interest
of all the recruiters I talked to,” Gorish said.
Gorish decided to take the opportunity and left for Marine
Corps Recruit Depot San Diego on Sept. 5, 2011, with an open
contract. He learned he was to become a field artillery
canoneer and after completing Marine Combat Training was off
to Fort Sill, Oklahoma for Field Artillery School.
Gorish was then stationed aboard Marine Corps Base Camp
Pendleton, Calif., with 1st Battalion, 11th Marines, where
he gained more hands-on experience with artillery. As his
capabilities grew, Gorish moved between the different
positions of operating the M777A2 155mm Medium Towed
Howitzer.
Gorish was always a hard worker and always
a team player, said Cpl. Jonathan V. Morales, an assistant
gunner for Battery A.
With his ambition driving him,
Gorish soon went to school to become a gun chief, which
meant he would now be leading the Marines he had been
working with for years.
“Gorish was very nervous his
first field operation as chief,” said Cpl. Jose S. Perez, a
gunner for Battery A. “He kept asking the gun section how he
was doing and was more like a team member with a leadership
role.”
After a year as a chief, Gorish has now become
a great leader with a close team. He grew with his team
since they were privates and has even deployed with his
Marines, said Staff Sgt. Miguel A. Placido, the battery
gunnery sergeant for the battery.
Gorish and his team
have become so proficient in their field that not even the
audience of Maj. Gen. Lawrence D. Nicholson, the commanding
general of the 1st Marine Division, could rattle their focus
and precision during a live-fire mission.
The gun
respects Gorish not only because he sweats with us but
because he looks after his team, said Cpl. Michael A.
Chavez, a field artillery canoneer with Battery A.
“His hard work and dedication to what he does has created a
really tight knit gun,” said Placido. “He leads his peers
well.”
With his enlistment coming to an end, Gorish
is grateful for the opportunity the United States Marine
Corps has given him. He plans to study computer science when
he returns to Dallas.
Article and photo by U.S. Marine Corps Pfc. Alvin Pujols
Provided
through DVIDS
Copyright 2015
The U.S. Marines
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