Three days after graduating, he drove to Minnesota where a company had hired him as a welder. “Here, I felt like a member of a family again.”ĭanial graduated from WFW’s Welding I program in April 2020. “This program, unlike any other, gave me camaraderie, and that feeling of belonging that’s lacking in so many other avenues,” Danial said. He quickly found himself at home among fellow veterans and active-duty military. “I finally called Workshops for Warriors – they provided me with a living stipend to get me through until my VA started up.”ĭanial began training with WFW in January 2020. “They either wanted to put me in a home, or told me I had to basically go live on the streets for a few days before they could help me,” he said. He began calling organizations to seek financial assistance while he waited for his VA benefits to activate. He searched for a welding program online, found Workshops for Warriors, and enrolled in the Spring 2020 class.īefore the semester began, Danial’s VA benefits had not become active in time to help with his living expenses while he trained with WFW. “I always wanted to try welding,” he said. He left college, began working construction, and started therapy through the VA.įeeling like he was on a straightened path, Danial began thinking about his future. “I enrolled in a community college and started a four-year path, but that didn’t work for me,” Danial said. I think part of that was going from having a purpose to not, and lacking a support group of peers.” “I wasn’t prepared for all of the baggage I would have to deal with,” he said about his transition out of the military. “Around 2013 though, the effects of all of my deployments started to kick in, and my heart was no longer there.”ĭanial left the Army in 2013. He quickly became a Non-Commissioned Officer, and was honored as his division’s Soldier of the Year. Throughout his 10-year Army career, Danial completed four combat tours to Iraq and Afghanistan where he performed convoy security. In 2005, about 30 days after basic training, Danial deployed to Iraq. They told me I couldn’t join.” Six months later and 70 pounds lighter, Danial returned to the recruiting office and joined the U.S. “I went to an Army recruiting office, but I was extremely overweight. “I was more into partying with friends than taking school seriously,” he said.Įventually, Danial moved to New Mexico to live with his grandparents and to get a fresh start. He graduated from high school with a partial academic scholarship to Cal State San Marcos and enrolled, but dropped out two years later. Army, but Danial never thought about joining the military. Danial Monzon comes from three generations of San Diego-natives.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |