Meet Julian Perez of Houston Marines in SouthWest Alief

Today we’d like to introduce you to Julian Perez.

Thanks for sharing your story with us Julian. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
As a high school senior at Chavez High School, I was given in school suspension for going to Jack in the Box during lunch the third week of school. The night prior to serving my sentence a good friend gave me a book to read called Jarhead. Of the two day sentence it took maybe six hours for me to finish the book and want to be a Marine. Upon release back to class, I approached a Marine recruiter the next day (Wednesday). That afternoon the Marine recruiter and myself went to my mother’s house so she could give consent for me to enlist. The following day I took the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery (ASVAB) and following day, I took the physical qualification examination at the Houston Military Entrance Processing Station downtown.

After graduating from Chavez, I attended Recruit Training July 2007 in San Diego, CA and have been serving since. In my first enlistment, I deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan then reenlisted in Afghanistan. Shortly after reenlistment, I was given orders to Marine Corps Recruiters School and became a Marine Recruiter in Galveston County, TX from December 2011 – December 2014. Upon completion of the tour, I changed duty stations to Okinawa, Japan and a few years later Aurora, Colorado. February of this year, I went back to Marine Corps Recruiters School and joined Houston Marines May of this year.

Has it been a smooth road?
The road I’ve chosen has definitely not been the path of least resistance. Initially, I was drawn to the Marines because I wanted to be challenged and have sort a rite of passage into becoming an independent man. My family has had a high regard for those who have previously served as Marines so I looked up to them and wanted that same prestige.

My first time leaving Houston (or just the southeast area really) for more than a week was to attend Boot Camp in San Diego. This was an obstacle I underestimated for a few reasons. First it gets down to 60 degrees at night so being the native Houstonian, I am that was basically freezing. Second the young men I attended boot camp with spoke in a dialect of English that is not spoke in our great state. Those two obstacles were tough initially but took a few weeks to adjust to.

As I’ve continued my career, moving from place to place has been a challenging obstacle/ memorable experience at the same time. At this point in life, I’m married with children (3rd was just born a premie July 31st) and moving has allowed my children to face challenges I never did at their age. As a child, I went to a small school then Chavez. The students for most part were from same area and had similar experiences. My children have gone to school in Japan, Colorado, and now Katy. Starting a new school is a challenge and hasn’t always been the greatest experience but I feel like it’s allowed us to appreciate where we are at more.

Please tell us about Houston Marines.
The Marine Corps’ mission is to make Marines, win battles, and return quality citizens. Houston Marines seek out the most highly qualified young men and women seeking to earn the title Marines from the greater Houston area. We carry the highest standards of military virtue and follow a long history established by Marines we cannot let down.

Is our city a good place to do what you do?
Houston is an amazing city that has citizens that appreciate the military and want to make a difference. Houstonians are resilient. We display the 3 most important values the Marine Corps is known for; Honor, Courage, and Commitment during the most difficult times of its history. Due to this, many amazing Marines come from Houston.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.marines.com/rshou_wh
• Phone: 8326545391
• Email: julian.perez@marines.usmc.mil
• Instagram: @realjulianperez
• Facebook: facebook.com/GySgtJulianPerez
• Twitter: @GySgtJPerez

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