Sarah/Herman Wallace

COMMUNITY MANAGER

Transcript:

Sarah: 00:00:04 - My name is Sarah Wallace. I live in Jacksonville, Florida, and I’m the mother of Sergeant Monique Wallace. As a child, Monique was kind of on the quiet side, a little bit shy. She was never one to play with dolls. She liked sports. Mr. Wallace: We tried to have her well-rounded in whatever she has to do. Sarah: 00:00:30 - We were always on the go. It was a violin concert or a basketball game. There’s a lot of discipline in music. It entailed her learning how to stand, how to sit, rhythms, of course. Basketball, you’ve got to be a team player and you learn to be aggressive, aggressive enough to help win a game. So I think that the two of those activities when she was little helped to develop her into the person that she is now. She did well in college. She made the Dean’s List a few times–not all the way through, but a few times. Graduation rolled around and we were very, very proud because we never graduated from college, so we were really proud of her. But then the shocker came when she told me, guess what, I think I’m going to join the Marines. And I said, you’re going to do what? Mr. Wallace: 00:01:37 - She says, I’m going to join the Marines. I said, you’re going to do what? She says, yeah. Sarah: I couldn’t believe that I was alive and hearing these words come out of her mouth. It really just knocked me out. Mr. Wallace: I says, well, if that’s what you want, then go for it. I’ll give you all the support we can. Sarah: When the time came for her to leave for boot camp, I cried and I cried and I cried. Graduation came and we were right there, like always, following behind her and cheering her on. And when I saw her in that uniform, oh, man, it doesn’t take much for me to start crying anyway, but I just couldn’t believe–my little girl, look at her. I was so proud of her. Mr. Wallace: 00:02:37 - It brought tears to my eyes to see my baby girl, but I was so proud of her. Sarah: And not only was it a good decision, she’s furthering her education. She’s started working on her master’s. Mr. Wallace: There’s a lot of opportunity in the service, and especially in the Marine Corps. Sarah: There’s always a class that she’s attending. Mr. Wallace: 00:03:06 - I’m just delighted to know that–the progress she has made so far in the Marine Corps. When she was called up to go to Iraq and I was trying to help her take her equipment, she said, no, I’m a Marine, and she picked up that stuff. I’m so proud of her. Sarah: I am more comfortable now, a lot more comfortable, because I feel that the Marine Corps is like an extension of her family. What’s the saying, Always Faithful? Yeah, and they’re always family. Mr. Wallace: To this day, I’m still proud of her to know that she has…from my little baby girl that I hold in my hand until today, so I’m--hoo-rah. 00:04:03 END

Sarah and Herman Wallace, parents of Sergeant Monique Wallace, discuss how their daughter’s love of team sports and music set her on the path toward joining the Marines. They talk about how the Marine Corps has become an extension of their family.

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