In their three years stationed at Fort Irwin, they’ve traveled across states and southern California, he has been apart of his unit’s champion softball team and his children have flourished scholastically and socially. “When I found out that I was going to California as my first duty station, I talked to my wife and said‘we’re going to treat this like a vacation,” he said. He enlisted into the Army Reserve for six years, changed his military occupational specialty (MOS) from 19K to 88M, and will be able to work with the Customs and Border Protection and possibly transfer back to the United States.Ĭortes said he, his wife Ivelisse Espanol and his three daughters (17, 14 and seven years old) have enjoyed their time in Fort Irwin and now his family doesn’t want to leave. He also wants to return to complete his bachelor’s degree.īefore Cortes joined the Army, he was working with the Puerto Rican police department for about ten years. “The reason why I want to go back is because I want to be with them,” Quinones said. He will remain an 11B in the Puerto Rico National Guard for three years and is happy to return to his mother and sister. “Both soldiers are fine examples to the Fort Irwin community and the United States Army,” he said.īefore entering the military, Quinones worked with manufacturig prescription medication as an engineer. We’ve experienced so much together.”īuchmann shared their story with others who also thought it was pretty unique. “We came all the way together from Puerto Rico to Fort Irwin. Cortes I was going to reenlist and sign a contract with again,” he said. “That was pretty cool because when I get to the office, I found out it was Sgt. “So when we get there, I find out that the ‘other guy’ was Spc. Buchmann called me and said ‘hey Cortes, tomorrow, if you have time, we can do the reenlistment ceremony, and by the way, I have another guy that we’re going to reenlist,’” Cortes said. “I got both of them lined up for continued service in the Army Reserve and Puerto Rico Army National Guard.” Quinones was from the same town in Puerto Rico and was also interested in continuing his service,” Buchmann said. “I didn’t know at the time that his friend Spc. In March 2021, both Cortes reached out to Master Sgt. “We’re pretty much neighbors in the company.” “I’m at Dealer Company and he’s in Assassin Company,” Cortes said. They are both apart of the 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment as an 19K Tanker (Cortes) and 11B Infantry (Quinones) and said they get to chat everyday at work. Quinones arrived at Fort Irwin just two weeks before Cortes during the summer of 2018. They were in different basic training units in Fort Benning, so didn’t get to communicate much but Cortes said, “I remember, once I got out of basic, after graduation, I called him.” “We were talking about the ASVAB test because we didn’t think we were ready for the test…we tried to get calm and pass the test.” Quinones said they bonded during their first encounter because they tried to calm eachother. I remember he parked his car right next to mine.” “We went to the same recruiting office and they gave us an appointment and told us to be at the office early in the morning and we were the first two to get to the office,” Cortes said. The two recounted when they first met back in their home of Puerto Rico. “I told him I’m going to Fort Irwin, I just got done at Basic Training and he was like, wait, I’m here already!” “I remember, once I got out of basic (training), after graduation, I called him,” Cortes said. together, shipped to their first duty station of Fort Irwin together, and recently re-enlisted together with plans of both returning to their families in Puerto Rico…together. Hector Quinones, 31, enlisted together in Puerto Rico in 2018, took the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery (ASVAP) and Military Entrance Processing Station tests together, went to basic training and advanced individual training (AIT) in Fort Benning, Ga. But two Army soldiers have somewhat defied the odds and been able to say “hello” and serve together throughout their entire service. When it comes to military service, you learn to say “goodbye” far too often, as you move every one to three years in many cases. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL 2 / 2 Show Caption + Hide Caption –įort Irwin soldiers are now friends headed back to their PR homes Hector Quinones saying their oath together in 20.
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