Pepe Ramirez Shares the Sacrifice and Strength Behind Military Families

Announcer
World War II, Korea, Vietnam, the Gulf War, Afghanistan, and our other wars and conflicts. America’s fighting men and women strapped on their boots and picked up their guns to fight tyranny and stand for liberty. We must never forget them. Welcome to America’s veteran stories with Kim Monson.

These stories will touch your heart, inspire you and give you courage. We stand on the shoulders of giants. Here’s Kim Monson.

Kim Monson
Welcome to America’s Veteran Stories with Kim Monson. Be sure and check out our website. That is americasveteranstories.com. The show comes to you because I had the great honor in 2016 to accompany a group that accompanied a group of four D-Day veterans back to Normandy, France for the 72nd anniversary of the D-Day landings.

Thank you. And we just recently had rebroadcast an interview that we’d done, I think in 2023 with you. It seems like just yesterday. And in honor of the fact that you were the keynote speaker at the Veterans Day event at the USMC Memorial.

And so I thought, oh my gosh, let’s rebroadcast that and then get you in and continue the discussion because so many people have really appreciated your perspective and your story. So it’s great to have you here.

Pepe Ramirez
Thank you, ma’am. It’s a pleasure. And I just want to give a shout out to my wife. Today’s our 31st wedding anniversary.

So happy anniversary, Rose.

Kim Monson
Congratulations. And we’re pre recording this. And so this will broadcast here in a few days. And so happy anniversary.

Thank you. And with that, in the last interview that we did, we talked about you and your wife. She really keeps the home fires burning, particularly when you were deployed. And I think that’s really important, Pepe, that we recognize it’s not just our military or the veteran, it’s also the family.

It’s such a commitment.

Pepe Ramirez
Yes, definitely. And part of the way I talk to veterans, I incorporate spouses, I feel that it’s a systems approach to taking care of veterans. And it’s so important that the wives are included. because it affects the children as well and it definitely affects the spouse because they suffer in silence and a lot of them are trying to take care of the veteran as well as their children.

And it’s very challenging. Sometimes they don’t have anyone to talk to or even express their thoughts or vent their frustrations. And that’s why when I talk to veterans, I mention the American military family, as well as Project Sanctuary, Vets for Warriors, This Way, a lot of veterans and their spouses have some sort of resource. Vets for Warriors was General Graham, he was the General at Fort Carson, 4th ID, and he actually lost a son in Iraq and he lost his son from suicide and so now he’s basically in charge of Vets for Warriors and it’s more of a peer support and they

take care of the veterans.

Kim Monson
So Pepe, just to recap from your last interview, you’d been in active duty Marines for 20 years. And really, there was two stories that you had shared. One was when one of your commanding officers had asked you if you had women in your company, I guess. And your response was?

Pepe Ramirez
Yeah, so I was in Iraq. This is my first tour. I was a first sergeant at the time. I was in charge of a logistics company.

We had a shock trauma platoon, which included two surgeons, 5 nurses, 20 corpsmen, I don’t know why I still remember that but it was very specific. We had a mortuary affairs platoon, we had military police, MPs, combat engineers, EOD and things like that. And I was with 1st Marine Division, RCT-7, Regional Combat Team 7. Sergeant Major Lucas came up to me and he said, First Sergeant, I hear you have females in your unit.

And I looked at him, I said, Sergeant Major, I have Marines in my unit. And he looked at me like I just kicked him in the nuts. And he just nodded his head, smiled, and he said, yes. And then several years later, I see him again.

And this time, I’m also a sergeant major. And he goes, Sergeant Major Ramirez, I still remember when you kicked me in the nuts. And he remembered that. And I feel like when I took over for The I&I Sergeant Major up here in Buckley.

I told the Marines I don’t care if you’re active duty, reserve, or I&I. I’m going to treat you all equally as Marines.

Kim Monson
Wow. And I think that’s so important. Let’s talk about, near the end of our last interview, you talked about taking care of each other. And you made some big decisions.

You really walk your talk. So tell us again about that.

Pepe Ramirez
Well, there was a Marine, he was deployed to Iraq and unfortunately his buddy was killed right beside him. And he had body parts and blood all over him. Came home, tried to forget what he saw, experienced, and he took cocaine. He was a reservist.

Needless to say, he turned himself in. He had the integrity to do the right thing. And he popped positive on drugs. and higher headquarters basically said the groups are major as well as the group commander said Marines don’t do that.

So they were going to kick him out. And I said to my CO, I said, Sir, we need to retain him until the EAS. He needs help. And Unfortunately, they kicked him out.

And I said, if you kick him out, I’m going to retire. And the group sergeant major said, well, you need two years time period to retire. And I said, I’ll have two years, a couple months. Well, you need 20 years.

I said, I’ll have 20 years, a couple months. Then he said, well, you can’t leave until I find a replacement. And I said, according to ADCEP manual, you have four months. They kicked him out.

And I put my resignation retirement paperwork in and Find other ways to take care of veterans and their families. I earned my bachelor’s degree in psychology while I was in, my master’s from University of Denver. I’m working on my doctorate degree now in psychology, and I’ve got a class and my dissertation left, and I’m hoping, I’m taking a little bit of sabbatical, but I’m hoping to return sometime next year.

Kim Monson
Remarkable. So what does this all mean? You’ve been helping veterans ever since you were no longer active duty. So tell us about that journey.

Pepe Ramirez
Well, the journey came from right when I retired. And I realized, you know, as you move up in rank, you figured, you know, you should be able to take care of your Marines and sailors and so forth. And as I moved up in rank, it became more political. They were more worried about their careers rather than taking care of their troops and that’s what it came down to.

Just back to basics, remembering where you came from and again, pursuing another career to help veterans. That was my next mission because I’ve always thought about taking care of troops and that’s very important. And I end up actually being offered a job as a Combat Operational Stress Control Regional Training Coordinator for Marine Forces Reserve. The Marine Corps came up with that.

It’s a cost program. The Army had battle mind at that time, and the Army soldiers basically considered it as a suck it up buttercup, you know, rather than trying to really process what was really going on. And I was traveling throughout the United States, the reserve component of the Marine Corps, and I taught pre-deployment briefs, re-deployment briefs, reintegration briefs to Marines and their families. and it became really wonderful and unfortunately they changed that position to a NAF position and it was a huge pay cut and there was no way I was able to maintain my home in Denver as well as trying to have a studio in Mary Louisiana.

It was funny because My wife was like, you have an inflatable bed. And I said, it’s OK, hon. If there’s a hurricane, I could use it as a flotation device. She kind of laughed about that.

But yeah, you make do with what you have. You sacrifice. She came to visit one time, and that’s the only furniture I had.

Kim Monson
Now, you were there because why? I

Pepe Ramirez
was a Combat Operational Stress Control Regional Training Coordinator for Marine Forces Reserve.

Kim Monson
Okay. So that’s why you had the place down there then. Yes. And you had one piece of furniture.

Pepe Ramirez
Yeah. It was wonderful. I mean, I roughed it up worse in different deployments and so forth. So again, as Marines, our main motto also is not just Semper Fidelis, always faithful.

It’s also a Semper Gumby. always flexible.

Kim Monson
And that’s important. And resiliency as well. I think that’s important. Also, I’m not sure that we’re really teaching our young people resiliency.

Pepe Ramirez
Yeah, I think that is, like we talked about last time, you know, I know I was the black sheep of the family. I did things and I remember thinking, you know, my mom was my first control instructor. I’ll say that. She was.

She disciplined me. I think I deserved it. It’s not like parents have to dissect, is this child abuse or is this discipline? And the child has to realize the same thing.

Am I being disciplined or am I being abused? I mean, each parent has to be able to dissect that. Like, I think I, we had, Rosa and I had six children. Out of the six children, the youngest one was the only one that was spanked by me.

And it was, it was a terminalist time at that time. I’d just come back from Iraq for my third tour. Our oldest son was diagnosed with cancer and Rose was driving him to his chemotherapy treatment and so forth. And my youngest son decided he didn’t want to go to school that day.

And I’m driving him up. He’s six years old. Actually, he’s five years old. And he’s going to kindergarten.

And he said, you’re not the boss of me. I want mommy. And he used to be daddy’s boy. I mean, I remember driving to 2001.

We were driving to Houston to visit my family, my mom and dad. I would have to put my hand and reach out to him because he wanted daddy. So it was very challenging. And I understand, you know, I deployed.

I remember him saying to me at one time, I was getting orders to here, Buckley Air Force Base. And I remember he’s six years old, he comes up, he said, you come, you go, you mess things up.

Speaker 2
Oh,

Pepe Ramirez
that was very devastating. And, and I could understand and that’s the whole dynamics of deployments, how it affects the family and affects the children. And it’s so important to recognize that that and over the years we build our relationship and it’s still challenging but we’re healing and that’s the biggest thing, we’re healing. My children, I know they’ve been affected My two daughters, I’m very proud of all my children.

My two daughters, one of them, Stephanie, she finished her doctorate degree. Nikki is working on her doctorate degree in computer science and engineering from Virginia Tech. All that easy stuff,

Kim Monson
huh?

Pepe Ramirez
Oh yeah. She got the brains from my wife, not me. But she’s stubborn like me. She’s more like a mini-me.

And I’m very proud of both of them. My other son, Adrian, he’s actually a pastor. And he was also non-conformist, you could say, while he was growing up. and he found his calling and is now a pastor in Tennessee, Clarksville.

Tony’s working on becoming an x-ray tech and Peter just finished his bachelor’s degree in psychology. And Rose is keeping herself busy making arts and crafts. She has little shops here and there so we’re proud of her as well too.

Kim Monson
That’s so awesome. I’m talking with Pepe Ramirez and Maureen and we’re going to continue the discussion. We have these important discussions because we have many great sponsors.

Speaker 5
REMAX Realtor Karen Levine helps bring to life the individual stories of our servicemen and women. With her sponsorship of America’s Veteran Stories with Kim Monson, Karen honors the sacrifices of our military and is grateful for our freedom. As a member of the National Association of Realtors Board of Directors, Karen works to protect private property rights for all of us. Karen has a heart for our active duty military and veterans and is honored to help you buy or sell your home.

Call Karen Levine at 303-877-7516 to help you navigate buying or selling your home. That’s 303-877-7516.

Speaker 10
All of Kim’s sponsors are an inclusive partnership with Kim and are not affiliated with or in partnership with KLZ or Crawford Broadcasting. If you would like to support the work of the Kim Monson Show and grow your business, contact Kim at her website, kimmunson.com. That’s Kim Monson, M-O-N-S-O-N dot com.

Kim Monson
Welcome back to America’s Veteran Stories. Be sure and check out our website, that is americasveteranstories.com and did want to mention the Center for American Values, which is located in Pueblo, Colorado. They do a fabulous job honoring our Medal of Honor recipients and then also these great educational programs for our kids, homeschool and public school curriculum. to continue to instill these values of honor, integrity, and patriotism.

The Center is non-political, non-partisan. They’re just doing great work. More information, go to AmericanValueCenter.org. That is AmericanValueCenter.org.

And I’m talking with Sergeant Major Marine Pepe Ramirez. And Pepe, several things. During the break, we were talking about Rose your wife and your 31st anniversary. That’s amazing six kids husbands deployed Concerned for him And she just really kept everything together

Pepe Ramirez
Yes, so like I said, my third tour, a week before I left for my third tour in Iraq, our oldest son was diagnosed with cancer. And I went to my battalion commander and I basically asked if I could kind of bow this out. And he said, well, they really need you. And I’m like, Okay, so I went talked to the family My son basically said dad you need to go I’ll be here and How old was he?

He was 23 years old. Okay, so I He was going to join the Air Force. In fact, he had like a month before he was going to join. And I deployed.

Rose had to take care of the kids, drop off the kids at daycare and so forth, drive down from Lake Elsinore to San Diego. which is about maybe about 45 minutes to an hour and a half drive one way. And Marcos would get his chemo. Rose would come back, pick up the kids, go back to San Diego, pick up Marcos, and then head back up north.

and uh… gas was outrageous at that time it was over five dollars a gallon and rose focused on taking care of the kids she didn’t mention to me that uh… the vehicles had broken down she wanted me to focus on my mission taking care of the marines as well as the sailors that was under our command and uh… She really very strong independent woman and She kept it together.

She really did and I thank her to this day How we met it was kind of funny, so I was I was married before and My first duty station was in Okinawa going through a divorce Finalized the divorce came back home and I was home for 30 days, and I had a little RX-7 that was in the garage for two years, and I said, I need to get this thing fixed. There was this humming noise in the back. I had to drive from Houston to Quantico, Virginia.

Kept putting it up, putting it off, and finally I said, I better get this thing fixed. So I’m driving along, and I was about to make a left turn to this other service station. and there was a car in the middle of the driveway. I had a little RX-7, two seater.

I couldn’t even make it to the left or right. I’m like, I started cussing that guy out basically. And I said, all right, I’m going to keep going. I went straight, went to Firestone and walked in there and I saw Rose and I fell in love.

She had beautiful eyes and I melted. And in hindsight, in retrospect, That guy that was blocking the road was actually my guardian angel telling me, hey, knucklehead, you’re not supposed to be over here. You’re supposed to be over there. So again, I look at those as signs and that’s very important.

because I think our loved ones tried to give us signs. I remember filling up gas and it was my daughter’s birthday, Stephanie’s birthday, and it came up to $38.83. I took a picture, sent it to my family. Stephanie was saying, I miss Marcos, and I sent it to him.

And they said, Dad, there’s no way. There’s no way. I said, yes way. Marcus is saying happy birthday.

Well, $38.83. Marcus was born on March 8, 1983. So that was a that was a sign. And I tell veterans, I incorporate that with the veterans and tell them, look at the signs.

Kim Monson
Well, I want to hear just a little bit more about Rose, though. So you go into Firestone and you said she has beautiful eyes. Was she working there? Was she waiting for?

Oh,

Pepe Ramirez
yeah. Well, it was funny, too, because she was putting off getting her car fixed as well, too, until that particular day. So we we met Because her dad was like well, you need to go to this place and so That’s the only place and she lived maybe about 45 minutes away From that fire station fire fire stones Service station. So and I live maybe about 10 minutes away from there.

So again Quantico two days before I had to leave. Okay,

Kim Monson
so this would have been in the old days where you exchanged phone

Pepe Ramirez
numbers,

Kim Monson
right?

Pepe Ramirez
Yes, in fact, she said she was naive that she gave me the phone number and she was like, oh, I shouldn’t have, but then we had our long-distance relationship. I was in Quantico and I would send her flowers it was funny at that time I’d have like our date was I had $10 worth of quarters and that’s when you had the payphone and you put the $10 I put the $10 of worth of quarters in there and that’s that’s basically our date and So how I proposed to her was, it was on Easter Sunday, I sent a big package to her mom and dad’s house and there was a big bear holding a box and then she opened it up and it was, I said it was Easter Sunday, it was my birthday also and she opened it up and remember I’m on the phone again and she opened up the box and There was a ring and it said, will you marry me?

And she was so excited that she said yes, and she hung up the phone. Oh, no. So all my quarters are gone. Okay.

$20 worth of quarters, basically. And I’m like, well, at least she said yes.

Kim Monson
Pepi Ramirez

Pepe Ramirez
I had a different name and then it was changed because I was sick and they changed my name again to like Joe or something like that and I got worse and then finally my dad said hey there’s this St. Felipe or something like that and he took the last four letters. And ever since then, the worst I’ve gotten sick was probably like pneumonia. Other than that, COVID.

But I’ve been very healthy. I’ve been very blessed with that. So that’s how I got that name.

Kim Monson
So he changed the name and from that you recovered and so that’s how you’ve kept the name of Pepe.

Pepe Ramirez
And people would look at me like, is that your nickname? I said, no, it’s my name.

Kim Monson
Your given name. And your father, Filipino?

Pepe Ramirez
Yes, he was actually recruited by the US Army during World War II to fight the Japanese using guerrilla warfare. And so the funny thing about him and a lot of veterans are the same thing is they’re very proud and he did not mention his exploits during World War II until after I joined the Marine Corps. That’s when he finally opened up and he showed me that it’s not his DD-214 but his service record paper and it said guerrilla warfare on there. I’m like Dad, how come you didn’t tell me about this?

You weren’t ready. So, and I think a lot of veterans feel the same way. They don’t want to share some of their thoughts and feelings, their trauma. They don’t want to burden their family.

I think that’s the most important part. They don’t want to burden their families. Just like when I came home, Rose and I were going to this retirement ceremony for a sergeant major and There was this gunny that came out and he said hey first sergeant. How’s it going very enthusiastic?

Great great guy great marine, and he goes yeah when you guys left There was about a bunch of RPGs going after your plane, and I’m like holy crap shut up in US English I was in shock and Rose came up to me, she goes, how come you never told me that? And I said, I don’t know. I was acting dumb.

But when the C-130 is going up and down sideways like a roller coaster, you knew something was going on. But again, as warriors, and I truly believe this, we want to protect our families as well. We want to make sure that we don’t want them to Feel the trauma that we’ve had and that’s our way of protecting them by not saying or sharing our thoughts and feelings and then What happens just like I said when that gunny came up to me and he said first aren’t you know?

And there was some enthusiasm there and I think that camaraderie is taken differently from our spouses. It’s a different kind of relationship. And it makes the spouses feel less and I apologize that so much because it’s not that I don’t want to or veterans don’t want to share, it’s just our mindset is to protect them. Right.

Kim Monson
I can see how that could, because a spouse wouldn’t want to know everything, but yet I’ve also learned over all these interviews that there’s no way that anyone can understand combat unless they’ve gone through combat. And so as much as a spouse would want to understand, I get the not burdening thing, I can see how that can become a bit of a rub. So I think probably understanding that the two people in the marriage, I think that understanding that is probably key to the healing on that. Yes.

Pepe Ramirez
I totally agree. And just like when, when my when Dr. finally came up and said, we have to prepare for your son’s passing. And Rose at that time prior to that, she said you don’t care about our son. but I was holding it together and I told her that’s when I finally broke down and that’s when tears started flowing down my face.

I felt that knight in shining armor, I had that kink in my armor now. You wanted to

Kim Monson
save him but you couldn’t?

Pepe Ramirez
Well, it was just a perspective. I’m supposed to be the rock. I went to jungle survival training. I was a black belt instructor in the Marine Corps, instructor trainer for water survival.

I was a drill instructor. And again, I was a Marine. Want I told her you know, you’re you’re you’re falling apart. You’re crying You’re focused on on our son and the children and I wanted to be that rock for you and now I can’t be because I’m losing it and Again, my wife is so intelligent so smart so strong and she said You’re human You’re still my knight in

shining armor. You’re still my marine. You’re still my rock. But now that I see this side of you, it makes you whole.

this is the husband that I married and that was very profound that was freedom for me because yes we have our unconditional love for each other but that what she said wasn’t very empowering and she she gave me that power and you know that she still treats me as that alpha male not someone that you know what they call henpecked husband or a beta male or whatever. She let me be that strong dad, that strong husband, that knight in shining armor, that human, that marine.

Kim Monson
Oh my gosh, Pepe Ramirez, this is totally powerful and I think it’s so important that people hear this and we are blessed to bring these stories to the airwaves.

Speaker 6
Eyes peeled and moving quickly, Lance Corporal Jack Swan led 164 of his fellow US Marines from Mike Company 3rd Battalion 5th Marines over the face of a bare rocky knoll to rescue an isolated company of fellow Leathernecks besieged by the Communist North Vietnamese Army. Then, all hell broke loose. Instead of rescuing their fellow comrades, the marines now faced complete annihilation. Author Doyle Glass tells their story in Swift Sword, a true Vietnam War story of epic courage and brotherhood in the face of insurmountable odds.

Order Swift Sword by Doyle Glass now. They never gave up. We should never forget.

Speaker 4
In these tumultuous times, it is necessary that we each have a freedom library to know and understand our history. Bury Him! A Memoir of the Vietnam War by Captain Doug Chamberlain is a must for your personal library. In this honest and gripping memoir, Captain Chamberlain recounts the chilling events that took place during his command of a company of young marines at the height of the Vietnam War.

Chamberlain painfully recalls the unspeakable order he and his marines were forced to obey and the cover-up which followed. Purchase the book at MarineDougChamberlain.com. That’s MarineDoug, C-H-A-M-B-E-R-L-A-I-N dot com so that you gain perspective on this time in our history.

Kim Monson
And welcome back to America’s Veteran Stories with Kim Monson. Be sure and check out our website. That is americasveteranstories.com. Another great sponsor of the show is Hooters Restaurants and they’ve been sponsors of both the shows for many years.

How I got to know them? It’s a very important story about freedom and free markets and capitalism and politicians, bureaucrats, and interest of parties and how those two things can rub against each other in public policy. And so you can find that story at kimmunson.com. But they have five locations, Loveland, Aurora, Lone Tree, Westminster, and Colorado Springs.

Great place to get together with friends for their lunch specials. Talking with Pepe Ramirez, Marine, Sergeant Major Ramirez. And we were talking about Rose, who is really a remarkable woman. And she’s also an entrepreneur.

So just tell us a little bit about her business.

Pepe Ramirez
Yeah, so part of what we talk about also empowering veterans and their families is having like a side hustle. And she uses her talents, what she calls, she has a store at Painted Tree Boutiques. It’s at 104 and 25. It’s near Texas Roadhouse.

It used to be Bed Bath & Beyond. So up north 104th? Yes. Okay.

It’s right next to Lowe’s. Okay. And it’s called My Kitty and I and the other store that she has is called Mystic U and she makes all kinds of different things that Mystic U is more motivational. Your uniqueness and how you’re able to project that.

My kid and I are focused more on cats, so little knickknacks and so forth.

Kim Monson
Are there websites?

Pepe Ramirez
She’s working on a website, but she’s kind of getting overwhelmed because there’s a lot of other materials that needs to be… She’s making the products. We just opened up another one in Colorado Springs.

Kim Monson
Okay,

Pepe Ramirez
so she’s

Kim Monson
busy doing product.

Pepe Ramirez
Yes.

Kim Monson
Okay. Well, I love that entrepreneur side hustle, as you say. Pepe, let’s let’s talk a little bit about your deployments. So tell us about those.

Pepe Ramirez
Well, the deployments. So all I could tell you is that before we deployed, I made sure that and I was thinking outside the box. And I had family day. I had the Marines spouses come in.

I had Navy Federal Credit Union available. I had the marine readiness, family readiness there had all kinds of resources, non-profits that may help them if they were in need and just gave them an overview as far as how a deployment was going to look like and that prevented a lot of issues for the families. That’s great. And then when we deployed, I would tell my Marines, I said, you know, do the snail mail thing, write them.

We would use the cardboard from the MREs as postcards. and we would get, we didn’t have to worry about stamps because we would just put our address and so forth and then send them home and my second deployment, we were in Fallujah and well I would just say my first appointment we were in Kuwait we were getting ready to go to Iraq I remember we were we left at zero dark 30 and I would I had my own vehicle I drove my own vehicle I don’t my own Hummer I didn’t want a driver yes I was a first sergeant some first sergeants had their drivers and I said no I don’t I don’t want to drive I want to drive myself and I learned how to drive a 7-ton as well.

I remember, I didn’t know this, but the Marines were very motivated when they saw me on that 7-ton. They’re looking at me like, First Sergeant, why are you on a 7-ton? I said, well, I want to be able to drive this thing if I’m the A driver. I want to be, and if you get hurt, I want to be able to drive this truck out of the kill zone.

And they were very respectful about that.

Kim Monson
Don’t you think that it speaks volumes when those that you are in charge of, that you show that you’re willing to do what you’re asking of them? I’ve heard that General Patton, that that was the case with him. He didn’t really ask his men to do something that he wouldn’t do himself. You probably know better than I do, but that’s the story I’ve heard.

Pepe Ramirez
Yes, leadership by example, being able to be with the troops. I remember we were, you know, we did all kinds of things. The CO and I were very proactive as far as understanding and learning about each Marine’s life and their backgrounds and so forth. And learning the different MOSs, I understand what they go through.

Like MPs, they taught me tactics as well, too, and how they do their outbound and bounding techniques and stuff like that. All I could say is that there was so much knowledge there. And I just want to point out also the reserves. And this is very important.

So they come back from deployment, they do their outbriefs and so forth, they demobilize. Now they’re in the middle of Nebraska or home time USA. And I remember this one Marine coming up to me one day and he said to her, Sergeant Major, he goes, you know, I’m I remember him coming home, another Marine coming home, and he went back to work, and one of his co-workers came up to him and said, hey, so how many people did you kill?

And I think it may be glamorous. in our perspective, it is basically surviving. Basically, you know, it comes down to that basic instinct of survival. And when there’s so many things that I could talk about, our first deployment, General Mattis was first Marine Division Commanding General.

And the rules of engagement was, hey, someone shooting at you shoot back. Second deployment, I was in Fallujah, 2004. And Yeah, so I’m sorry, I’ve got so much things in my head right now. So I came home, we were the last company to come home from my battalion.

And not even a week after I got home, my CEO said, you’re being transferred to another company. You’re deploying in four months. And this is October now. And I did not say anything to Rose because Thanksgiving was coming up, Christmas, New Year’s, and so forth.

And I remember January 2nd when I finally told her, and she basically chewed me out. And I basically said, I didn’t want to ruin, and again, the same concept of protecting your family and so forth. And again, I may be wrong in this perspective. And I’m pretty sure a lot of veterans feel the same way, active duty members as well.

And we wanted to protect our families. And it was hard, because I said, you know, I didn’t want to ruin it for us. I didn’t want this impending doom when we celebrate Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s. And so I apologize, I prefer to sleep basically.

And it was really tough. My third deployment was a little bit rougher because that’s when Marcos was going through chemo. My Marines would, I remember his birthday. I shaved my head.

I cut my hair. When I was a drill instructor, I would cut my hair. I had to save money. And so when I was in Iraq, I shaved my head and took a photo.

Staff Sergeant basically said, you know, I’ll take a pillow photo. My Marines came up to me afterwards and said, First Sergeant, did you mess up your hair? And I said, no, I didn’t. Next thing you know, I see a bunch of bowling balls coming out.

They shaved their heads, including the CO. And we took a picture. We sent it to Marcos, saying happy birthday. My CO came up to me afterwards.

He said, you’re an equal opportunity asshole. But your Marines love you, and they respect you. You treat them with dignity and respect, and you treat them like Marines. And I said, that’s the best compliment I could ever have, sir.

and he said that you’re fair you know and that showed I didn’t expect that from my Marines to do that they didn’t have to shave their heads but again it was that respect that they provided and it was It was a very humbling experience and I was very honored by that. I still remember my Marines, they were so motivated to support me and my family.

Kim Monson
That’s amazing. So Pepe, just three deployments, is that right?

Pepe Ramirez
Yes.

Kim Monson
Okay, so the first was Kuwait. 2003.

Pepe Ramirez
Okay,

Kim Monson
for how

Pepe Ramirez
long? We were there, we got to Kuwait, I think, January, went to Iraq, March, and then going to Baghdad, right on my birthday. We hit Baghdad on my birthday. We went to Addis Ababa, and then There was a cleric that was killed and we went to Najaf.

Came home in October of that year and it was okay. Iraq is very dusty. I remember flying back home. We went to Shannon Island.

in US I remember Shannon Ireland, the citizens there were so grateful. We walked out of the plane and they started clapping their hands. Again, we were very humbled by that. We were very joyous of the support that we had.

We were coming back home. and it felt great. It really did. The country was a much better place.

We were together. We support each other. Unfortunately today we’re so divided. It’s unfortunate.

Kim Monson
We’ve got to come back and unite. So I tell you what, let’s go to break. I’m talking with Pepe Ramirez and this has gone so quickly but it’s just fascinating and so pleased to get to bring these stories to the airwaves.

Speaker 8
If you’re 62 or older, a reverse mortgage could be a great tool regarding retirement and estate planning. It is essential to understand the process. Lorne Levy with Polygon Financial Group has nearly 20 years in the mortgage industry and has the experience to answer your questions. Lorne understands that each financial transaction is personal.

If you’d like to explore your options on a reverse mortgage, remodel your home, buy a rental property or move, call Lorne Levy at 303-880-8881. Licensed in 49 states, Kim Monson highly recommends Lorne Levy for all your mortgage needs. Call Lorne at 303-880-8881.

Speaker 11
You’d like to get in touch with one of the sponsors of the Kim Monson Show, but you can’t remember their phone contact or website information. Find a full list of advertising partners on Kim’s website, KimMonson.com. That’s Kim, M-O-N-S-O-N, dot com.

Kim Monson
And welcome back to America’s Veteran Stories with Kim Monson. Be sure and check out our website. That is americasveteranstories.com. Pleased to have in studio with me Pepe Ramirez, retired Marine, Sergeant Major.

And we were talking about your deployments. You had three deployments. The first was 2003, basically January to October. What about the other two?

Pepe Ramirez
So the next one, like I said, not even a week after I got home from my first appointment, I was leaving four months later, so February timeframe. And I was there for about nine months. So

Kim Monson
February,

Pepe Ramirez
probably 2004.

Kim Monson
mm-hmm okay

Pepe Ramirez
and I was a Fallujah at the time and I want to kind of focus on how the family dynamics is so Peter was three years well yeah three years old at the time and Rose would tell him daddy working daddy’s working and I remember Rose told me the story that he would run because when I whenever I came home they would race to come meet me the kids and Peter would always be almost be the last one because he’s the youngest and one day The door opened up it was my oldest daughter that came and Peter was the only one running towards the door and He was like I’m gonna win this time. I’m gonna win this time and It was my oldest daughter walked in.

Peter sat down, like a little puppy dog waiting for me to come home. And he fell asleep waiting for me. Rose told me that story. And again, like I said, I want to really focus on the family deployments.

Yes, we could talk about that. There’s all kinds of intricacies, taking care of veterans, I mean, taking care of Marines and sailors at the time. There was several suicides during the deployment. Yes.

One Marine received a Dear John letter. And needless to say, he killed himself. And we had to talk to the Marines. I remember one of our convoys was hit and we lost a marine.

Eli Angel, he was head from Nebraska, Lance Corporal. And it was it was tough. I had to talk to Marines. CO broke down, he pulled me to the side, he broke down.

And I tried to hold it together myself. And things happen. My third deployment had two marines that were married and it was pretty tough. I was an I&I sergeant major and one of the names came up, husband and wife, it was a husband.

Glenn Martinez, he grew up here in Colorado, graduated from University of Denver, I mean University of Colorado Boulder. I couldn’t believe that he was killed. I think the toughest part for me was handing that American flag to his spouse, Landis, and I served with both of them. I think that was the toughest thing that I’ve ever had to do.

Both of them had bachelor’s degree. Their goal was to be enlisted first and became officers. Well, she did that. I think she’s at least a major now, so maybe even higher.

Very proud of her. Glenn Martinez.

Kim Monson
We owe so much. We take so much for granted. And we owe so, so much. Pepe, as you were the keynote speaker at the USMC Memorial Foundation’s event for Veterans Day, you shared a message that I thought was so inspiring.

So share that with our listeners.

Pepe Ramirez
Well, like I said, it’s a time to remember. And we talk about the Marine Corps being innovators, amphibious landings and so forth like that. General Gray instituted MPS ships, basic warrior training, General Krulak, strategic corporal, the crucible. I remember being the drill instructor of the crucible.

We were the first company, Charlie Company, in San Diego to do that. I had two recruits, actually two new minted Marines, and they were coming back from our celebration, from the pinning of the Eagle Globe and Anchor. And they were broken. I didn’t know that at the time.

They came after we had our foot checks, they disappeared, came back, and they were in crutches. They had stress factors. And so that’s the tenacity, that’s the will to accomplish the mission. That’s the Marines that we’re actually making this time, rather than making the boot camp a little bit different.

Thank you to the Vietnam Vets. Thank you so much for You know, you weren’t respected when you came home, but you made sure never again will that happen to other service members when you came home. It’s you that helped us travel and be respected. It’s because of you.

So now, all I can tell you is it’s time for healing. Tactics, we know tactics. We understand tactics. The devil plants seeds in your mind.

So there was a Vietnam vet who came up to me one day and he said, you know, I did some horrible things in my life. And I said, sir, you know, do you have a wife? And he said, yes. Do you have children?

Yes. Do you have grandchildren? I said, yes. Well, those are signs God has already forgiven you.

and he’s giving you those gifts. Those are gifts. Please understand that. So now that we understand the tactics and the weapon of the seed of doubt from the devil, now let’s go ahead and use our weapons from God.

And the first thing is love. Love yourself. You deserve it. Next one is peace.

Find peace in your heart, your mind, your body and spirit. You deserve that as well. You’ve served. Again, God has given you those gifts.

That’s another weapon to fight that seed of doubt that the devil is planting in our minds. Next one is kindness. Kind to yourself. You deserve it.

You deserve to be kind to yourself. Live life. You need to enjoy life. Last thing in the most heaviest arsenal weapon that we could ever have is forgiveness.

Forgiveness of ourselves and others. I think that’s the most important part. You have to forgive yourself. And again, look at all the signs.

Like I talked about the $38.83. The signs are there. Don’t be blinded. Don’t be blinded by all these things that’s going on around you.

And again, God bless you all so much. You are being protected. You’re here for a reason. That’s why you’re here.

Kim Monson
I so agree. I do say it on my other show that we were made for this moment in history. Pepe Ramirez, remarkable story, remarkable man, remarkable wife, remarkable family. Thank you for my freedom.

Thank you for loving America. And thank you for all that you do for us.

Pepe Ramirez
Well, it was an honor and it’s a humbling experience to be here. Thank you so much for giving me this opportunity. I am writing two books. One of them is Understand Military Culture for Therapists.

The other one is for Leadership. Well, stay tuned. We

Kim Monson
have to do a part three, okay? Hopefully, they’ll

Pepe Ramirez
be ready by

Kim Monson
Memorial Day. Okay. It’s a date. And again, Pepe Ramirez, thank you so much.

My friends, indeed, we stand on the shoulders of giants. So God bless you and God bless America.

Announcer
Thank you for listening to America’s Veteran Stories with Kim Monson. Be sure to tune in again next Sunday 3 to 4 p.m. here on KLZ 560 and KLZ 100.7.

Speaker 9
The views and opinions expressed on KLZ 560 are those of the speaker, commentators, hosts, their guests, and callers. They are not necessarily the views and opinions of Crawford Broadcasting or KLZ Management, employees, associates, or advertisers. KLZ 560 is a Crawford Broadcasting

Speaker 2
God and country station.