Marine Corps Base Hawaii -- His first memory of soccer was waking up at 4 a.m. one morning, hearing the faint sound of the television playing in the other room.
He wandered towards the sound and saw his father seated on the couch watching the World Cup, rooting for America. He climbed up next to his father and watched his first soccer game. From then on, Lance Cpl. Rodolfo Medinaortiz Jr. lived for the sport.
“I started playing as a little kid,” Medinaortiz said. “I would roll up socks and play soccer with them. I remember when my dad bought me my first soccer ball.”
Medinaortiz, a personal property clerk with the Distribution Management Office, said his father was his biggest supporter, signing him up for the city league, Denton Soccer Association, when he was barely 8 years old. He started his soccer career in Denton, Texas. He watched the sport with his father religiously but actually playing the game was new to him.
“At first I started out rough because I was new to it,” Medinaortiz laughed. “I was afraid I’d score in the wrong goal or something.”
Medinaortiz was quick to pick up the rules and way of the game, it didn’t take long before he was picked up by a private selective soccer club. He was given a full scholarship that paid for uniforms, travel and other team-related expenses. The team traveled throughout Texas to play.
He has many short memories from his first few years of playing soccer. He recalls a proud moment when he scored four goals on his father’s birthday when he was eight years old.
He also played in Mexico, experiencing the game in a different culture, which fueled his passion for the game even more.
“I remember after I played select soccer we moved to Mexico for six months,” Medinaortiz explained. “The culture is so different over there because here everyone stays inside and over there everyone is always outside, playing soccer in the streets. We would play for sodas. Whoever lost had to buy sodas or chips or something.”
Life revolved around soccer for the residents of Mexico, and Medinaortiz felt right at home. The local kids lived for simple things like playing outside in the streets and making up different ways to play the game. He played daily in the streets of Mexico for fun, never for a real league or team, but that was the norm for the town residents. Everyday the streets were full of kids playing with actual soccer balls or other kickable objects.
Once back in Texas, Medinaortiz was given a scholarship to play for a college in Illinios, but turned down the opportunity to join the Marine Corps. He wanted to join the All-Marine Soccer Team, a traveling soccer team of select Marines. The team is very exclusive, only holding tryouts every two years.
“I wanted to better myself in a different way,” Medinaortiz said. “I had a good job at a collision shop. I didn’t have to join but I worked with people who were prior military, and they told me it would be a good experience. And I figured I could do school for free and play soccer.”
He said his family was behind him 100 percent with his decision to join the Marine Corps. It was actually his mother who told him not to join any other service; she told him to be a Marine. It wasn’t easy for his brothers, Angel, 11, and Jessie, 15, but his choices have positively impacted them.
“My little brother Angel wants to be a Marine,” Medinaortiz said. “He just wants to follow in all my footsteps. He plays soccer and wants to join the Marine Corps.”
He said his brother is on a higher level of soccer than he was at his age. Medinaortiz strives to be a good role model for his younger brothers.
“Before I went to boot camp I played with my brother Angel who was nine at the time,” Medinaortiz remembered. “I would play with him on my level and he would get mad and I was like ‘I’m going hard on you on purpose so that you can get better.’”
He was the first person in his family to join the military. On top of that he was the first person in his family to graduate high school.
“I remember when I first checked in (at Marine Corps Base Hawaii) I told everyone I wanted to play soccer,” Medinaortiz said. “Sgt. Campos asked me if I wanted to play on his team (the next day) and I said ‘yes.’ I remember Sgt. Campos gave me shin guards and I bought socks and soccer cleats. It was my second day in the fleet and we went to play. We played some Navy team in the base league’s semi-finals, and I remember we were down 1-and-0 and I remember Sgt. Campos passed me the ball and I scored.”
Medinaortiz said he was sure to make it known he wanted to play soccer and he was going to find a way to do it. The team may not have won, but Medinaortiz made a name for himself on the field. He played soccer every chance he could, on the Headquarters Battalion Warriors base team and the 101 Days of Summer short competitions.
But things are a little different now. Although Medinaortiz began this year’s soccer season strong, his playing time was cut short by an injury to his back, causing spondylosis and sciatica. He is now unable to finish the season.
“I want to play,” Medinaortiz said. “I feel like I can play because I can just suck it up. I’ve been sucking it up the whole time but I don’t want to get held accountable for (his injury) for playing soccer. I’ve been told specifically there’s no soccer for me.”
He can no longer play the sport he once basically played in his sleep. He’s not giving up hope that one day he will play again but his priorities have changed for now. He is focusing on finishing out his enlistment in the Marine Corps.
“Once I finish my enlistment I won’t regret any of it,” Medinaortiz explained. “Because people will look back and they will thank you no matter what. If you do four years or 20 years, people will respect you, especially being a Marine.”