monte vista — Jerry Salazar is a local veteran who wanted to share his story from his time in the service for Veterans Day. Salazar grew up in a military family with his father serving in the Air Force for more than 20 years. Salazar and his two brothers continued their father’s legacy and joined the military when they were old enough. With a father in the Air Force Salazar grew up all over the world.
During High School, Salazar remembers, there was a day set aside for the recruiters to come in and talk to the students. “I wound up in what was 1H which stood for holding until I graduated and then I was going to be drafted,” said Salazar. The U.S. Marine Corps had a two year program and he joined as soon as he graduated high school. “I took the two years in the Marines. I was very naïve, but I joined because of the G.I. bill and the education money. And it turned out that there were nine other people from my high school that all joined the Air Force and the Navy. None of us ever thought about Vietnam and that there’s a lot of guys bleeding over there. We didn’t think about that until it happened and most of us were in combat.”
Salazar recalls flying to Denver and returning to Monte Vista two days later. His family was upset because he hadn’t contacted them. He remembers his father giving him a ride and telling him his mother was worried about him.
“I told him I joined the Marines. He stopped and just glared out the windshield. And he awoke my inner mind when he said, ‘Do you know who bleeds the most in combat? Do you know you’re going to be there for 13 months if you go to Vietnam?’ He woke up my senses about it,” Salazar remembered.
Before leaving for bootcamp his father told him something he would never forget. He said, “Regardless of what happens or where you go always remember that those who cheer also served.’ Meaning my mother, my brothers and sisters, family and friends. The meaning behind it was so intense it almost made us cry. We never thought of my mother or my sisters serving too. But we all served in the military for a little over 50 years.”
His youngest brother followed in his footsteps joining the Marines after he graduated high school. His other brother, who was one year younger than him, joined the Air Force. “My mom already knew that the life expectancy of a combat Marine was seven months and I was 18 when we got hit. Eighteen when I graduated, 18 when I got injured in Vietnam, and 18 when I was medically retired from active service,” said Salazar. Salazar was in the Marines for 12 years but only served two years of combat duty because of his injuries. “I chose to stay hoping to get another assignment,” said Salazar.
Salazar suffered multiple injuries. He was shot by a bullet that passed “clean through” his torso. He was also shot in the calf. He was saved by someone with a can opener, scissors, and the kind of epoxy glue you might use on model planes. He never could find the guy who took care of him and saved his life in those frightening hours. “I spent two years in the VA hospital, two years with a wheelchair, and a little over two years with this walker I have now.” In addition to his physical injuries, Salazar has also had to battle Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome (PTSD.) But thanks to the tireless efforts of his doctor in Del Norte he is overcoming these injuries too.
The G.I. dream came true for Salazar and he was able to get 2 degrees in social work and social welfare. He went on to have a wonderful career in radio. “I had a lot fun with it for 50 years. I worked at the Main Rockers in Denver,” said Salazar.
Today Salazar lives in Monte Vista, along with his two well-loved Scottish Terriers named Sofia and America. He is still close to all his buddies who served as well, and his close knit family. One of the biggest things he will always take with him from his time in the service is the honor of being a Marine.