KNOWvember Day Seven: Sgt. JAcob

To piggy-back off of yesterday’s TV theme, one might say Jacob is a Great American Hero. At 33 years of age, he has spent his entire adult life serving our country.

​Married right out of high school, he and his bride decided to enlist. He joined the Marines while went into the Navy. Four years later they made another big decision, he would sign up for six more years and she would have kids. 

​Originally from Inglewood, Jacob has also lived in Maryland, Hollywood, and now Sherman Oaks. Three area’s I know well.

He also has three kids – a boy the same age as mine, and two little girls. His son was barely one when he did his tour in Afghanistan. 

"It's what we do."  And thank you for doing it.

I asked him what that was like to be so far away from his wife and child. He said it wasn’t too bad. They had built a compound that housed over 50,000 people from all over the world. It was winter so there wasn’t much fighting. And the only thing he really didn’t like were the sand storms that constantly blew through. 
 
Trained for combat, this Marine worked in the media department as a war photographer. He also spent time in Washington DC and the White House doing “media related stuff” like State Dinners and Funerals. His dress blues got a lot of use. But today, it was a black Marines t-shirt and athletic shorts. Working as a recruiter now, Jacob spends his mornings and afternoons at the local park making sure the next group of soldiers are ready for boot camp.  
 
His friendly smile, gentle demeanor, and inquisitive curiosity will certainly help Jacob reach his goal to one day run for office. But tonight, it was about making sure others could run to their full potential. There is something to be said about a person who takes the time to make sure others succeed.  He began with himself, and wanting to succeed in something that would be both meaningful and true. Such good wisdom from such a young man.

He might be training furture Marines but he offers us all a good lesson in that we all have the potential to be a hero to those in our communities who need a little help to succeed.