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CAMP PENDLETON, Calif. – Marines are the nation's 911
responders. They handle some of the harshest and worst
situations you can think of, but they are not just tough.
The Marines of 7th Engineer Support Battalion proved that
they also have a soft side when they made a special boy's
wish of becoming a Marine come true.
Nathan Aldaco was diagnosed with hypoplastic left heart syndrome
at a young age. Since the discovery of this rare congenital heart
defect in which the left heart is severely underdeveloped, he has
received various surgeries, and has not only learned to survive with
this disease but also thrive with the support of his family.
Earlier in the year, Nathan and his family were contacted by the
Make-a-Wish Foundation, and given the opportunity for the young boy
to give the foundation a list of things he would like to do. Due to
the content on that list, the request was forwarded to the Marines
of 1st Marine Logistics Group.
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Nathan Aldaco, a 12 year-old boy with hypoplastic left heart
syndrome, stands at attention as Col. Jaime O. Collazo pins on the
Master EOD badge during a Make-A-Wish event supported by 7th
Engineer Support Battalion, 1st Marine Logistics Group, aboard Camp
Pendleton, Calif., March 24, 2016. Collazo is the 1st MLG chief of
staff. Marines with 7th ESB and Explosive Ordnance Disposal helped
to make Nathan's wish of becoming a Marine come true by
demonstrating the capabilities of their EOD robots and detonating
TNT, C4, dynamite and blasting caps, while the heavy equipment
operators gave him the opportunity to ride the D7 dozer and the
excavator, in which he dug a pit, built a berm, and broke several
large tree trunks. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Sgt. Laura Gauna)
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Among the items on the list from the young boy's
imagination were simply to watch Marines train, ride in
large military vehicles, train with Marines, be a part of a
medal ceremony, and have a full camouflage uniform; wishes
the leaders of 7th ESB knew they wanted to fulfill.
“It's a true honor to do this for Nathan,” said 1st Lt.
Ernesto Gaudio, 2nd platoon commander, Bravo Company, 7th
ESB, 1st MLG. “We wanted to make him feel like he was a part
of the Marine family. We are in service to the United States
of America and Nathan is a citizen of the United States. We
were just making his wish come true.”
With the planning and coordination complete, Nathan would have
his day in the life of a Marine. Upon changing into his very own
combat uniform, a day began that no one would easily forget.
“It's been amazing,” said Nathan's mother, Rebecca Aldaco. “It
was more than what I expected to do. He will cherish this forever. I
think the whole family is having a good time and we are all enjoying
it.”
His mother, father, brothers and sister dressed in flak jackets
and Kevlar helmets to prepare for an afternoon with Explosive
Ordnance Disposal Marines. Nathan accompanied the team to the EOD
compound where they walked him through the various explosive devices
they've disarmed. Soon after, Nathan mounted up in a Mine Resistant
Ambush Protected (MRAP) vehicle to go through a demolition range
where the team demonstrated the capabilities of their EOD robots and
detonated TNT, C4, dynamite and blasting caps.
“The bombs were cool,” said Nathan. “I like working with the
robots. It was fun controlling them and picking stuff up with them.”
During his visit with the EOD team, Nathan and his family shared
a special lunch eating meals ready to eat, or MREs, that is the
typical food provided to Marines in the field. When asked if he
liked the food he just laughed and said it wasn't too terrible.
The time came to let Nathan ride in some of the biggest vehicles
found within MLG; but before he started driving he was presented
with his very own hard hat that the Marines all signed. He
controlled the D7 dozer and the excavatorin which he dug a pit,
built a berm, and broke several large tree trunks.
“He can take any of our jobs with the way he is driving our
trucks,” voiced several of the heavy equipment operators with 7th
ESB.
After prying Nathan from the excavator, the young boy had an
opportunity to learn about the various weapons on which these
Marines train.
While the day was nearly complete, there was still another wish
that needed to be checked off of the young boy's list; to be a part
of an award ceremony.
Nathan was beaming as he was awarded the Master EOD badge by Col.
Jaime O. Collazo, the 1st MLG chief of staff. The Master EOD badge
is issued after 7–15 years of service in a senior supervisory
position in the community, and is the highest badge an EOD Marine
can receive. Emotions were high as Nathan saluted the colonel before
marching off. Several Marines had tears in their eyes as they
congratulated the new honorary Marine.
“It was a great opportunity,” said Gaudio. “First of all it was
good for Nathan. I hope it was also good for the Marines. I think it
touched a lot our hearts. I will certainly never forget today or
Nathan and his family. I got emotional at the end but, hey, we are
human beings. We are Marines but we are human.”
When all was said and done, Nathan's mother had a message for
Nathan. ... “I want Nathan to know that we love him and that we are
here for him. We support him and I'm thankful to God for this
experience as a family and that we are here as a family together to
enjoy this time with him. I am just so grateful to all the Marines
that did this for us.”
More photos available in frame below
By U.S. Marine Corps Sgt. Laura Gauna
Provided
through DVIDS
Copyright 2016
The U.S. Marines
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