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Making a Difference — Military

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Sgt. Ivan Castellon

Age: 30
Job title: Retired U.S. Army staff sergeant
Family: Wife — Jennifer Castellon; three children — Xavier Ryan, Ivan Jr., and Sol Briana

Q: What motivates you in life?
A: My wife, children and family motivate me through my life. If it weren’t for their support, I wouldn’t be who I am today or done the things that I have accomplished.
 
Q: Why is military involvement important to you?
A: As a soldier, you serve a crucial function by defending our country. As tough as my tour in Iraq was, nothing has given me the pride and respect as when someone thanks me for my service.

Q: What does your culture mean to you?
A: My culture means knowing who I am and where I came from. My mother sacrificed a lot when she left Mexico to come to the United States to give me and my sisters a better life. She taught us that with hard work and determination in this country, you could become anything.

Q: Name a lasting moment that changed the course of your life.
A: My experience in the military has changed my life forever. Some of the experiences made me a better person, but when my tank was hit twice by a roadside bomb in Iraq last year, it changed life in unforeseen ways — not only for me, but for my family. As a result of my injuries in Iraq, I suddenly couldn’t do the same things ... When you see your life pass before you, or you see some of your comrades die, you are changed forever.
 
Q: Where do you want to be 10 years from now?
A: I want to go back to school to earn my college diploma. Only by example can I show my children how important an education is in this country — and it is the one thing that no one can ever take away from you.