MARINE CORPS BASE HAWAII, KANEOHE BAY, Hawaii -- “The Iraqi conflict was probably the best experience,” said Petty Officer 3rd Class Nester Lazo. “It gave me a new meaning of life. It brought people together to become good friends, the kind of friendship only being in a combat situation can bring.”
Lazo, corpsman, 3rd Marine Regiment, went into combat operations in Iraq on Oct. 23, 2004.
Lazo said that when he first heard word that he was being sent to Iraq his first thoughts were that he was thankful he was finally going.
“We always heard we were going to Iraq but they were always rumors,” said the 26-year-old Honolulu native. “We kept on hearing that we were going to leave any month at the time, but it never happened. So we did what we always do, which is train. Then we finally got the word.”
Lazo saw combat in Fallujah, Al-Asard, Abu Gradu, Korean Village, and Baghdad. But Iraq wasn’t the only deployment this corpsman has been on. Lazo has also been deployed to the Philippines, Australia, Guam, Korea, Malaysia, Thailand, Okinawa, Japan and Kuwait. But Lazo said that the best deployment he has been on was the one in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom.
“When I left Iraq, I was scared on how to act with civilians since I was in combat situations for eight months,” said Lazo. “When we came back I missed being in the limelight. We were the battalion that was always on the news.”
Lazo first checked into 3rd Battalion 3rd Marine Regiment in 2001 and was transferred to the Regimental Aid Station in 2003.
Lazo joined the Navy in 1998 after graduating Damien Memorial High School. The Navy was an easy choice for him.
“I was going nowhere after high school. So I drove down to the recruiting station to join the military and since the Navy’s office was the closest one to the parking lot I walked in,” said Lazo. “If I were to have parked on the other side of the building, I would probably have joined the Coast Guard.”
Lazo chose the medical job field because of all the occupations and the fact that health care will always be there. He said the training he has received will last him a lifetime because machines can’t be relied on to do everything — that a machine can’t heal someone who is injured.
Lazo is the eldest child of Lester Sr. and Regina Lazo. He has been married for six years and has two sons, one 4-year-old and a 1-year-old. When Lazo is not working, he spends all the time he can with his family. He said he always is up to playing basketball and paintball, even challenging his children.
Even though Lazo is a Sailor, he said that he loves being a part of the Marine community.
“The military is the best decision I have ever made,” said Lazo. “It’s easy and being a corpsman is the best job in the Navy especially if you’re stationed with Marines. Respect is hard to find at other duty stations, but here, everyone respects you.”