GROWING UP RUSSIAN AND BECOMING A U.S. MARINE

AMERICAN FORCES PRESS SERVICE
Face of Defense: Russian Orphan Finds Home in Marine Corps
By Marine Corps Sgt. James Mercure
Regimental Combat Team 6, 1st Marine Division

FORWARD OPERATING BASE WHITEHOUSE, Afghanistan, April 4, 2012 - Growing up in Russia, Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Sergey Huber had a rough childhood and knew he had to run away from his abusive father.

When he was 10, Huber and his brother ran to a Russian military base. They lived there under the care of soldiers until the base commander had them taken to an orphanage, where they lived for several years.

"When we were first taken to the orphanage, we were put into an isolation room with bars on the windows that we bent enough to slide out and run for it later that night," said Huber, a squad automatic weapon gunner with 3rd Platoon, Alpha Company, 1st Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment. "I was caught several hours later, and it took them days to catch my brother. Over the years, we kept trying to escape, but after a while we realized we had nowhere to go, so we just lived our life at the orphanage."
After a few years had passed, the orphanage director told Huber he would be going to the United States to live with a family who wanted to adopt him.

"I went to America for a summer with my adopted parents, and I ended up falling in love with the place," Huber said. "I got to go to summer camp while my parents worked, and I couldn't believe how much stuff they had. It felt unreal."

As the summer ended, Huber had to go back to Russia while the adoption paperwork was finalized. Uncertain when his parents would come back to get him, Huber went back to his daily life at the orphanage.

"I remember it was cold, and I was sitting down to a bowl of soup, looking out the window, and I saw my parents walking toward the orphanage," Huber said. "I ran out in the snow barefoot, and my dad picked me up and said something in English that I didn't understand. But we were all smiling, and it was a happy time for me."
But as Huber grew up, he had more family trouble and found himself living out of his car at 17.

Showering at a local gym and still struggling to finish school, Huber was invited to live with one of his classmates -- Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Jim Roche, fire team leader, 1st Platoon, Alpha Company, and a man he now calls his brother.

"When I found out from a friend that he was living out of his car, my mom and I went down there and told him he was welcome to stay with us," said Roche, a 20-year-old from Wall Township, N.J. "He calls my parents Mom and Dad. He is a brother to me.

"After high school he didn't really have a plan, and I knew I was joining the Marines, so we went to boot camp together and the school of infantry," Roche continued. "We deployed together last year to Afghanistan and again this year. It's great having him around, because when you start to miss home, you've got family two tents away."
Huber said having Roche with him inspired him to make it through recruit training and to excel as a Marine.

"During boot camp I thought about quitting, but I would look over and see Jim standing there going through the same things, and I couldn't let him down," said Huber, 22. "I've been a SAW gunner for quite some time now, and last year, I was the best in the company.
Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Sergey Huber shows off a bird he found in an abandoned compound during an operation in Urmoz, Afghanistan. Born in Russia, Huber lived in an orphanage for several years before being adopted and brought to America as a child. U.S. Marine Corps photo by Sgt. James Mercure

But the most important part of this is teaching my junior guys how to be better. If they become more effective gunners, I've done my job."
Though he has faced many life struggles, Huber said, he looks on the bright side and is grateful to serve with the men to his left and right. He has found a home at last with his Marines.

"The United States has done so much for me," he said. "I have a family, I have a brotherhood, and when I decide to get out, I have all my guys I can call if I need anything, and they can do the same."

A MARINE WHO IS RECOGNIZED FOR HIS PERFORMANCE IN HIS UNIT'S SUCCESS

The photo and excerpt are from an American Forces Press Service e-mail:
Marine Corps Cpl. Jesse R. Mendoza, left, and Lance Cpl. David Anzualda post themselves at the front of the command element formation on Camp Lejeune, N.C., Feb. 10, 2012. Mendoza and Anzualda were selected as the noncommissioned officer of the quarter and Marine of the quarter, respectively, for the 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit. U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Christopher Stone

Face of Defense: Marine Plays Vital Role in Unit's Success
By Marine Corps Staff Sgt. Edward R Guevara Jr.
26th Marine Expeditionary Unit
CAMP LEJEUNE, N.C., March 27, 2012 - Reliability is a trait that Marine Corps Cpl. Jesse R. Mendoza learned from his father while growing up in San Fernando, Calif. He has used it as a foundation to build his life upon, and it's even helped him to gain recognition.
Most recently, the tactical field radio operator was recognized as the noncommissioned officer of the quarter for the 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit.

With the 26th MEU's last deployment, Mendoza was part of a team that faced numerous challenges that come along with integrating communications across armed services and among the elements of the amphibious Marine Air-Ground Task Force and expeditionary environment, said Marine Corps Master Sgt. John O'Connell Jr., the unit's communications chief.

Numerous areas of responsibility stress-tested the section as it facilitated communications among aircraft, ships and land units, O'Connell said. Among them were humanitarian assistance in Pakistan, anti-piracy operations and support for operations Enduring Freedom, Odyssey Dawn and Unified Protector. And through it all, he added, Mendoza excelled.

"He is humble, professional and responsible," O'Connell said.
True to form, Mendoza projected that praise to the Marines who work alongside him.
"My work section always tries to do its best," Mendoza said. "I like working with my peers. We accomplish a lot of great stuff together. Even on short notice, we got it done."
His commitment to teamwork and excellence started when he was a child playing soccer, football and basketball, Mendoza said. During middle school, he added, he played soccer for a park league team that consistently placed in the top three.

Pride in his work is what drives him to do the best he can, Mendoza said. He knows people rely on him, he added, and he doesn't want to shirk his responsibilities.
His father set that example for him, he said, and his father's friends reinforced it through their actions and words when speaking to or about his father.

Mendoza's father even influenced his decision to join the Marine Corps.
"I joined the military because my dad joined when he was in Guatemala," Mendoza said. "I heard him talking about it when I was growing up. He said it was rough, but he got a lot of good things from it."

As his four years of service come to an end this summer, Mendoza said, he hopes to leave his own influence for junior Marines.

"It can get hectic and rough in the beginning [of a deployment]," he said. "But the MEU has its fun times, like visiting ports in different countries. And it has opportunities for Marines to stand out and get promoted."

When he leaves the Marines, Mendoza said, he hopes to attend the Commercial Diving Academy in Jacksonville, Fla., and to become a commercial diver.

U.S. MARINE ACHIEVES WORLD RECORD FOR MOST COMPLETED LEGO SETS

The following picture and excerpt is from a Department of Defense:

Marine Corps Capt. Kyle Ugone achieved the world record for the most completed Lego sets in a private collection with 1,091 sets. U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Aaron Diamant  

01/26/2012 08:43 AM CST
By Marine Corps Cpl. Aaron Diamant
Marine Corps Air Station Yuma

MARINE CORPS AIR STATION YUMA, Ariz., Jan. 26, 2012 - While many have a hobby, few have the drive and dedication to turn that hobby into a world record. But Marine Corps Capt. Kyle Ugone not only has that drive, but also the certificate declaring him as the Guinness world record holder for the most completed Lego sets in a private collection, with an astonishing 1,091 sets.

While his record officially stands at 1,091, Ugone actually has 1,251 sets. But some did not count toward the record because they are reproductions or don't have the original instructions, Ugone explained.
His vast collection started small and at a young age, but has grown in size and number, including one set that contains more than 5,000 individual pieces.

"I got my first set as a gift when I was 5 years old," Ugone said. "It's a windmill, and I still have it today. From there, I kept getting more and more sets."

Rooms in his Yuma home look as if they belong in a Lego Land theme park, containing hundreds of completed Lego sets separated by genre, such as space, trains, castles and "Star Wars" sets, displayed on tables and shelves.

Lego is a line of construction toys consisting of colorful interlocking plastic bricks and an accompanying array of gears, mini-figures and various other parts.

Lego bricks can be assembled and connected in many ways to form vehicles, buildings, and even working robots. Anything constructed can be taken apart to make other objects.
The toys originated in the 1940s in Denmark and have achieved international appeal, with an extensive subculture that supports Lego-themed movies, games, video games, competitions and five amusement parks.
It wasn't until 2009, when Ugone was talking to other Lego enthusiasts online, that he decided to go for the world record.

"I was talking to a guy who said he wanted to build every set Lego has ever made," Ugone said. There are more than 5,000 sets, he added, some of which are extremely rare and others available only in certain areas.
Ugone contacted officials at the Guinness Book of World Records and found that no such record existed. He was told he would need at least 500 sets to claim a record.
"At the time, I had about 600 to 700 sets, but I wanted more," Ugone said. "So I spent a lot of time scouring the Internet to purchase more sets and build them."


After a Lego expert visited Ugone's home to verify his plethora of building-block masterpieces, 1,091 of his 1,251 sets were authenticated for the record, earning him the title as the man with the most.
Now, Ugone is slowly taking the sets apart for storage to regain some of the square footage in his home. He's taking a break from collecting Lego sets, planning instead to focus more of his attention on restoring a classic muscle car."