NYPD Officer Serves in Afghanistan as Marine

NYPD Officer Serves in Afghanistan as Marine
Military.com
American Forces Press Service
by Cpl. Paul Peterson
Sep 03, 2013

CAMP LEATHERNECK, Afghanistan – Before the War on Terror, the toppling of the oppressive Taliban regime in Afghanistan, or the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, a young boy from the Bronx knew one thing: he wanted to help.

Marine Corps Sgt. Jonathan L. Vasquez was that boy in New York City. Today, Vasquez is a Marine Corps reservist currently serving with Combat Logistics Regiment 2, Regional Command-Southwest, in Helmand province, Afghanistan.

“I’ve been that way since I was young,” said Vasquez, who spent four years persistently applying to become a New York City police officer after joining the military at the age of 17.

“Both the career choices I made happen to help people. It’s the best of both worlds, I say,” he said.

While already committed to the idea of public service, the attacks on the World Trade Center changed things for the then-12-year-old Vasquez.
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