Voices of Veterans: Corporal Joseph Esparza Shares His Story of Service in the United States Marines During the Iraq/Afghanistan War
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AUSTIN, Texas— Today, Texas Land Commissioner and Veterans Land Board (VLB) Chairwoman Dawn Buckingham, M.D., is proud to introduce the next installment of the series highlighting the VLB’s Voices of Veterans Oral History Program. This week, we highlight the service of Corporal (Cpl.) Joseph Esparza who served in the U.S. Marines during the Iraq/Afghanistan War.
Born in Midland, Texas in March 1980, Esparza said that his “family history comes from West Texas” where his father worked in agriculture. Esparza said military service is nothing new to his family, pointing to the historic conflicts his family has been a part of. He said, “We’ve got a long history here in Texas, going back to the Texas Revolution, to having family members in the military here.”
Even with a strong family history of military service, Esparza admitted that he had “no inclination of joining the military […] when I was in high school,” but said that changed while he was in Lubbock attending Texas Tech.
“I remember working for an entomologist out in cotton fields counting boll weevils for the summer time and I guess I got a lot of time to daydream and wonder and try to find out where I am and where I’m going,” he recalled. At the end of summer, he started thinking of joining the military. “I knew that school was hard and I knew that working was hard and paying for it was just going to be taking out student loans, so I was already kind of behind the eight ball on there,” he explained. “So, I kind of, I didn’t have a question of if I was going to join, I was joining the Marine Corps.”
Esparza said when he made the decision to enlist, things moved pretty quickly. “I think it was October 7, and then October 11 was my first day at the Marine Corps Recruit Depot (MCRD) in San Diego,” said Esparza. “I kind of just said yeah, put me down for whatever. They said well our next ship out is going on Monday. And so yeah, I was on a bus for the Military Entrance Processing Station (MEPs) in Amarillo.”
He found out during boot camp that he would be going back to Lubbock to the reserve station. Esparza would spend about two months in Lubbock before he came down to the Weapons Company in Austin as a mechanic. He was in Austin when 9/11 happened.
“I remember being with my sister-in-law Lea, and my nephew at their house
when it all happened. So, me and Lea were watching TV the whole time and we were just wondering what’s coming next,” Esparza said about the events of 9/11. “We kept the phones open, but I think there was something, there was a work-up to Afghanistan pretty quick after that and then we’d end up, we ended up training into Iraq.”
Esparza said he was working for the Texas General Land Office in Corpus Christi, calling it, “One of the coolest jobs I ever had,” when he was called up to active duty and learned that he was heading to Iraq. He said, “I made arrangements to head back to Austin, moved all my stuff into a trailer or into a storage unit, just made sure somebody was taking care of my dog and gave my truck to my brother.”
For the next two and a half months, he trained for his deployment and said he considered that time “as just one step” because, while at home in the states, he wasn’t going to “try and imagine what Iraq was like at the time.” He explained that, “As far as the Marine Corps goes, don’t get too comfortable doing one thing. Be flexible.”
Once in Iraq, Esparza said the first time he went out on patrol, it was to assist in recovering vehicles. He recalled, “It was always good to have a mechanic” on those patrols who was able to help as needed and make sure everybody was still mission capable.
“You pass the gates and it’s just you and your rat patrol team I guess, and
whatever trucks were with you,” Esparza said when talking about leaving on his first patrol. “I totally remember thinking the first time that we went off road, thinking it was like driving off the side of the earth.”
To listen to Corporal Joseph Esparza tell his story, click the button below:
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RELATED: Voices of Veterans: Maj. Rosa Kissling Shares Her Story of Her Service in the U.S. Air Force
RELATED: Voices of Veterans: SPC Mason Leist Shares His Story of Service in the U.S. Army
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Veterans can email VoicesofVeterans@glo.texas.gov to tell their stories. Please note that the Veteran must be a resident of Texas at the time of their interview.
Voices of Veterans is a state agency’s first Veteran oral history program. It records the stories of Texas Veterans through their time in service and after returning home from combat.
The VLB records interviews with Veterans over the phone or in person. Their interviews are then permanently archived in the Office of Veterans Records at the GLO, where they join the historical documents of other Texas heroes such as Sam Houston, Davy Crockett, Jim Bowie, and William Barret Travis.
Veterans’ interviews are also available to researchers, historians, genealogists, and the public. These precious records inspire future generations and remind us of our Veterans’ sacrifices.
To listen to the over 500 archived stories of Veterans documented through the GLO’s Voices of Veterans oral history program, click the button below:
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Texas Land Commissioner Dawn Buckingham, M.D., brings a lifetime of experience to the Texas General Land Office (GLO). In 2016, she became the first Republican elected to the Texas State Senate from Travis County and the first woman to represent Texas Senate District 24. She made history again in 2022, winning a statewide election to become our state’s first female Land Commissioner.
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