Marine Corps Recruit Depot San Diego -- Commander Rafael C. Perez, division officer, Sports Medicine and Rehabilitation Center, Marine Corps Recruit Depot San Diego, retired at MCRD San Diego after 44 years and three months of service in the U.S. Navy, Oct. 7. With such a large number of years under his belt, Perez can now take a well-deserved break and focus on his family and himself.
Perez was born in Périgueux, France, where his father was stationed while serving in the Army. He has spent practically all his life tied to the military.
“I’ve never been a civilian,” said Perez, referring to growing up as a military child. “My father was a cryptographer in the Army, and we traveled a lot.”
Because of this, Perez has been to many places including Greece, Israel, Puerto Rico and Ethiopia.
“We spent three years in Ethiopia,” said Perez. “The emperor there visited us, and so I got to meet him as well.”
Perez always had the desire to serve in the military, and one day, four sailors helped him make his decision about which branch to join.
“I was waiting at a stoplight once, and I looked over and saw these four sailors in a Jeep,” said Perez. “They looked like they were having a good time together, too. I thought to myself, ‘Wow that looks like fun.’”
The small influence from the sailors sprouted a desire in Perez, and he wanted to be a part of that, but his loved ones had mixed reactions about his decision to join.
“My friends were disappointed because they didn’t want me to go to Vietnam,” said Perez. “They felt I should just stay in college. My mother had mixed emotions, but my father was elated by my decision.”
Perez always wanted to pursue a career in the medical field, which is what he studied in college. Because of this, when he decided to join the Navy, he became a trained orthopedic physician assistant.
Perez was immediately thrust into the “Navy life” and was introduced to several different experiences.
“The first ship I was on had a commanding officer who was African American, and that was one of the first times something like that occurred,” said Perez. “Because of those cultural differences, I think it showed the world, at least from the Navy’s standpoint, that there was a chance for equal opportunity.”
When it came time to re-enlist, Perez jumped on the opportunity.
“There was this testosterone surge of youth at that time, and I had this love for adventure,” said Perez. “I wanted to be part of something greater than me.”
He made it to the rank of senior chief petty officer and was ready to retire, but finding out that he was approved to become an officer changed his mind. Instead, he decided to re-enlist as an officer.
“There isn’t much of difference from being an officer vice being enlisted,” said Perez. “A patient is a patient, is a patient, that doesn’t change. As an officer though, it was easier to implement things instead of just giving a recommendation on the enlisted side.”
Perez deployed several times to places such as Iraq, Afghanistan and Fallujah.
“Iraq was difficult despite our best efforts,” said Perez. “We did everything we could and there was a lot of collateral damage. Actually, I wouldn’t say collateral because they’re human beings. I just blame the enemy. Every child casualty or civilian, it doesn’t go away. They stay [in your memory] after it all.”
Though war times may be difficult to endure, Perez was diligent in his service, and admired those he served with.
“When I was in Afghanistan, the Marines I treated weren’t really concerned about their wounds like they were with everybody else’s,” said Perez. “They would ask, ‘Where’s my buddy? Is he okay?’ They were always concerned for their fellow Marines. One thing I’ll never forget is that they never, ever, cried. The Marines I treated did not shed a tear despite being wounded.”
Perez served about 15 years with Marines, and he enjoys working with them. During his service, there was one experience that stuck with him while he was in Fallujah. He was the assistant officer in charge at that time, and it was one of the most stressful and scary experiences in his Navy career.
“When we first arrived to Fallujah, we were told to expect to receive patients in three minutes,” said Perez. “It was scary because the night before, the Marines were told that their wounds would be taken care of in 60 minutes or less, and that put a lot of pressure on us.”
With all of that on their minds, Perez and the others got onto a truck and headed to their destination.
“Sure enough, within 30 minutes of setting up, we started receiving patients,” said Perez. “All these Marines were coming in, and we had to endure a three-and-a-half day surge of battle. I remember thinking, ‘This is what I was trained for. How am I going to react?’”
Perez’s humble attitude has shown that he has a great deal of respect for those he served with.
“The credit goes to the young hospital corpsmen,” said Perez. “They would always tell me to take a break and let them take care of things. They would say, ‘If we get hurt, you can fix us.’”
When it came time for Perez to finish his course in the Navy, he wanted to finish at MCRD San Diego.
“I requested to be here, and they gave it to me,” said Perez. “I wanted to come back to the depot because I’ve always felt at home with the Marine Corps. I did two tours at the depot, and I feel like I have a keen sense of what is takes to create a warrior. They have a good sense of leadership and discipline, especially here, and I love that about them.”
Perez was delighted to have the chance to work alongside his coworkers at the depot.
“Melissa Mahoney, the senior athletic trainer, especially, did a great job,” said Perez. “I worked with the best athletic trainers in the world here. They’re all loyal and hardworking, and there was so much cooperation among everyone. I love that it was a two-way street, and communication was very important. My greatest regret is that I wish I had 44 years more.”
Perez, although his time in service has come to an end, doesn’t plan on forgetting what he’s leaving behind.
“I’m going to miss being surrounded by youth,” said Perez. “I’m going to miss the musketry, listening to the drill movements and seeing the happy faces on graduation weeks. I’m definitely going to miss coming to the gate and hearing the greetings from the military policemen and the ‘oorah’ of the Marine Corps.”
The Navy has also significantly impacted Perez’s life.
“I’m going to miss traveling and going from one place to another and the mentorship,” said Perez.
Perez spent many months thinking about his plans after retirement.
“I think, first thing’s first, I’m going to get rid of the black socks,” said Perez, referring to the black socks he has to wear in uniform. “I think I’ll also trim down all of my military gear. I’m going to dedicate myself to my grandchildren and maybe move to Florence to become a chef.”
Perez can now look forward to having more time for his hobbies and family.
“I am an avid reader,” said Perez. “I like mostly history, like historical novels. I also enjoy water sports.”
Throughout his years of service, Perez learned a lot of insightful information that stuck with him.
“You can’t google leadership,” said Perez. “You need to be able to trust the gray hair. There are going to be people around you who have a lot more experience than you, and you can learn from that instead of Google. I also believe in loyalty up and loyalty down. You have to be forthright with those around you. Loyalty is what bonds everybody.”
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