SAN DIEGO --
Living without what are considered basic necessities by
most people can create a drive in a person to seek more and change a life path
for the better. One Marine learned about the Corps and realized enlisting was
what he wanted to do.
Private Alan E. Olivar, Bravo Company, 1st Recruit
Training Battalion, used his difficult situation to fuel his drive to improve
his life, better himself and help his family.
Olivar was born in Chicago where he lived with his
parents and two siblings. He attended Richards Yates Middle School and
explained his life as pretty similar to many of his friends.
“I was a normal kid,” said Olivar. “I had friends and I went
to school. I was very young, but from what I can remember, everything was good.”
When Olivar was 10 years old, his mother was laid off
from her job and his family began going through some problems. Shortly after,
they made the decision to move to Mexico.
“The difference was huge,” said Olivar. “We went from
having everything such as cable, television and Wi-Fi. Then, all of a sudden it
was just gone.”
The young Marine explained the home they moved into was
very bare. There were no exterior doors, just archways in the wall, and the
landscape was nothing more than rocks, weeds and dirt.
“I didn’t even consider it to be a house,” said Olivar. “We
had an outhouse in the back for the
bathroom, and we didn’t have running water.”
After his family settled in, Olivar enrolled in school
where there were very little resources and no extracurricular activities such
as sports or gymnasiums. He explained how different the school system is in
Mexico compared to the United States. For example, seven students shared one
computer, which was ridden with viruses.
While the cost of living is much lower in Mexico than it
was in Chicago, it was still a battle for the family financially, said Olivar.
His mother got a job at a restaurant to support him and
his siblings, and she also received support from his family in the United
States. When he was 13 years old, he got a job at a mechanic shop to bring
additional support into his home.
Five years later, when Olivar turned 18, he enrolled in
college at the Universidad autonoma de Morelo. He realized he was not satisfied
with his life and knew he wanted to have more but he was not sure what that was.
One day he went to visit his cousin and saw his Naval Reserve Officer Training
Corps uniform hanging up.
“When I saw his uniform, I started digging into the
Marine Corps,” said Olivar. “I watched documentaries and found the “Earning the
Title” video and watched it over and over again.”
After gaining a lot of knowledge of the organization, Olivar
quickly flew back to Chicago and immediately went to a Marine Corps recruiting
office.
“I walked into the recruiting station and did not ask any
questions,” said Olivar. “I said ‘I’m here to sign up’.”
Olivar explained that the financial stability,
brotherhood and the prestige of the Marine Corps were the reasons why he made
the decision to enlist.
In July, Olivar arrived at Marine Corps Recruit Depot San
Diego and became a part of Bravo Company. Following graduation from recruit training,
Olivar will move onto the School of Infantry where he will continue to develop
his combat skills. He will then attend school to become a motor transportation
specialist. While he is active duty, he plans on helping his family and
learning as much as he can.