DAY 3: Military veterans who rock the Valley

Today these military veterans play on Rio Grande Valley stages --- but they'll never forget their experience in the theater of war. In honor of Veterans' Day on Wednesday, Nov. 11, Festiva tells the stories of six Valley musicians and entertainers who served in the U.S. military.

RAUL DELEON
Age: 28
Hometown: Hidalgo
Then: Sergeant, U.S. Marines
Now: Drummer for several local bands, including The Remedy, performing this Friday at Pepper's in McAllen

School was never really my thing. I was taught at a very young age how to work – not how to study. I also played drums for my father’s conjunto band, Los Fantasticos, since I was 6 years old. School wasn’t a priority for me.

One day I realized I had to pick a career of some kind, so I chose to join the Marines. Not because I always wanted to be a soldier, but because it was a practical choice, and I wanted to join The Commandant’s Own, the U.S. Marine Drum and Bugle Corps. I didn’t make it though. I was drafted into engineering.

I was enlisted as a Marine for four years and one month. I guess I sort of have a love/hate relationship with the Marines. There is nothing like the camaraderie you’ll experience in the military, but I also lost my identity there.

The great thing about being a drummer is that you can make music just about anywhere without an instrument. While in Iraq, I’d sit with my helmet between my legs and drum on it with two tent poles – at least, until the platoon sergeant told me to stop making noise.

When my service was over, I decided to stay in California. I joined the ‘80s band Down Boys as the drummer, and worked at Home Depot. Transitioning to civilian life wasn’t easy, and a motorcycle accident threw another wrench in my plans.

A minivan smacked into me as I drove around a curve. I got seriously messed up and spent several weeks in the veterans’ hospital in La Jolla. My left hand was useless.

I decided to move back home to Texas and recover at my parents’ house. It took months, but I was determined to play drums again. And I did. I started playing for different local bands like Latin Beat, the UTPA Salsa Band, Jake Cortez and the cover band The Remedy.

As a drummer, you drive a band. And when you find a really good groove, and you’re playing the pocket, it’s so satisfying. There’s something about drumming – no one can take it away from me. No one can ruin that for me. Somehow drumming is therapeutic.  

Now I’m working as a personal trainer, and I’m still drumming in bands and competitions. My military training has definitely helped me develop drive and self-discipline. I’m grateful for the strength I found in myself.

MARIO 'SUPERSTAR' SALAZAR
Age: 29
Hometown: McAllen
Then: U.S. Marine
Now: Stand-up comic 

My last year in the Marines, I was stationed in Okinawa, Japan, and there were some comics that came down.

We all went to watch them and they asked, “Who wants to get on stage and do some comedy?”

With my buddies, I was always joking around and stuff. They were like, “Why don’t you get up there and try that?”

I did, and I liked it. I kept doing it when I got out. At first I was pretty nervous, but I figured if I could make a bunch of marines laugh, I could make anybody laugh. I moved to L.A. my first year out of the Marine Corps, and it was tough at first. My foot wasn’t in the door yet. I wasn’t really polished.

So I came back home and I pretty much started perfecting my routines at barbecues with friends. They didn’t know it, but I was testing out material on them. They had no idea. They just thought I was trying to be the life of the party.

My big break came when Cine El Rey started doing Wednesday night comedy. I perform there every week and Fridays at Galaxy Center in Brownsville.

I’ve always told everyone that being on stage is easy because once I handled that crowd with those marines -- and boot camp and combat training -- being on stage shouldn’t be that hard.

>>Material from the Marine Corps: What always gets laughs is telling stories about boot camp and how I used to get called Salad Bar.

>>His nickname: Believe it or not, being in the military also made me grow the whole Superstar persona. The comedian that was on stage asked my name and I just thought of something real quick that rhymes with my last name. When I meet other comedians, they always take a liking to me. They tell me, “As soon as you get to L.A., I’ll put you in my shows,” because they have a lot of respect for military people. When I tell them I was in the Marine Corps, they usually look at my gut. Then I tell them it was a long time ago.

>>Military romance: I also met my ex-wife in San Diego while I was in the Marine Corps, and she’s provided me with a lot of material. But I knew it was never going to work out between us, because I’m a Scorpio … and she’s a (censored).

---As told to Zack Quaintance

OSCAR MORENO
Age: 20
Hometown: Hidalgo
Then: Master at Arms Seaman, U.S. Navy
Now: Performs under the stage name The Go-Getter

My uncle was in the Navy. He told me not to join.

I understand why, but I had my own reasons for going. And I did my own research. And I wasn’t doing anything here – just playing music. I needed to grow up, and be responsible. I knew joining the Navy Reserves would help me do that.

And yeah, it opened my eyes.

Boot camp was rough. You arrive in the middle of the night, and you instantly have people in your face yelling at you. I didn’t sleep for two days. I admit it – the first few days, I’d lie in my bunk and cry. I missed my family and friends.

If you know someone who’s joining the military, do them a favor and write to them. Not only that, send the letters with one-day shipping. It was three weeks before I got any letters. And those letters made it so much easier.

I missed my guitar, too. The only music you get at boot camp are the songs you sing when you’re marching. I would sing while I shined my shoes. The guys nicknamed me “Radio.”

One of my biggest fears was forgetting some of my songs, so I’d lay in my bunk and strum an imaginary guitar. I’d finger the chords to help me remember.

After boot camp, I was shipped off to Virgina Beach for “A” school, where I was trained for my job: master at arms, which is like military police, but for the Navy. Around Christmas we were given a couple days of leave, so I bought a $600 plane ticket to go back home for two days. Two days. I made sure to bring my guitar back with me.

Every day in “A” school I’d play my guitar. There wasn’t much else to do. So I’d play concerts all the time.

I wrote a lot of new music, but my songs didn’t have the same idealistic outlook they had before. It was more realistic. More positive, too. I still wrote love songs. They were just more real.

When I came back home, I had a new perspective. Everything had changed. My appreciation for the people in my life, my music and my freedom have all gone up. It’s not for everyone, but the Navy changed me for the better.

 --- As told to Amy Nichol Smith

DANNY LUERA
Age: 40
Hometown: Hidalgo
Then: E3 Postal Clerk, U.S. Navy
Now: Father, competitive cook

I think making music was always a dream of mine. I started singing when I was 2 years old. In elementary school I was in a musical Down by the Creek Bank, and in high school I joined the choir.

When I moved out of the house and went to college when I was 17, I just wanted to play in a band. It wasn’t long before I was playing keyboard for the country band Special Delivery. I also sang lead vocals.

Man, those were some good times. We toured the Texas-Louisiana circuit for a few years. An 18-year-old with no responsibility. We were playing the resorts and casinos, and just having fun.

I had a desire to serve my country, and take on more responsibility. I joined the Navy, but had no idea what I was getting myself into.

If you’re overweight they have a special program for you. Yeah, they put me in “fat boy camp,” but when I got out, I was so proud of myself.

For two months (I think it was) I was only allowed a small bowl of rice, one piece of bread with a tiny cup of peanut butter and all the water I wanted for each meal. Our basic training seemed like it was just a lot of running. They would have the Navy Seals run with us.

Also, in the first week, they ask if you have any musical talent. I told them I did, and I joined the marching band. I played trumpet. I really missed playing piano and keyboards. So I took advantage of band practice. About 10 minutes before and after each practice, I’d play the piano they had there.

Having musical talent wasn’t always a good thing. I remember one time the company commander had us on our hands and knees cleaning the floor. Each one of us had to polish one tile with a toothbrush.

“Can anyone here sing?” the CC asked us.

“I can,” I replied.

“Do you know the song, “God Bless the USA?”

“Yes, I do.”

“Stand there and sing until I tell you to stop,” he demanded.

I sang that song 32 times.

When I was assigned to my ship they allowed me to bring my keyboard with a small amp. So whenever I missed home, I’d play songs.

Sometimes the guys who had instruments, we’d all bring them to the flight deck and jam together. We called them “steel beach” parties. There was no alcohol or anything, but we still had fun.

While on board, I injured my knee. The ship’s doctor didn’t think it was a big deal, but it turned out I’d torn two ligaments. I spent six months in traction. My knee is still messed up.

After two years and nine months in the Navy, I had to figure out what I was going to do with the rest of my life. Readjusting to civilian life isn’t an easy thing. You can’t go back to mom and dad, and you have no income.

So I went back to what I knew and loved – I joined another country band. I realized soon that I needed to find something more stable, though. And since I was a postal clerk when I served in the Navy, it made sense to work at a post office. I did that for four years.

Something was missing though, so I went back to school and got my degree in culinary arts. Music was still my passion, but cooking had become another.

Music will always be a part of my life – once it’s in your soul, it doesn’t leave. I once sold every piece of equipment I had, down to the cables. Six months later I found myself in a music store buying it all again.

Country music wasn’t very popular in the Valley – not like tejano, anyway. So I figured I’d start up a tejano band with a friend of mine. I didn’t speak Spanish, but in choir I’d sing in several different languages. How hard could it be?

Our band La Razzon actually did really well. We recorded songs one by one and finally had enough to put an album together. We had a really good shot at making it. We even made a video. In the end though, the contracts we were offered weren’t what I had in mind, and I just let it fade away.

You know, as I get older I realize that there will be other dreams. I have two children now that I would give up everything in my life for – to know that my kids are happy.

--- As told to Amy Nichol Smith

CHRIS MARSHALL
Age: 32
Hometown: McAllen
Then: E-4 specialist in the U.S. Army
Now: Leads local country band Marshall Law

My dad was a big fan of the Rolling Stones, and I remember when I first heard “Jumpin’ Jack Flash.” That was back in ’88, and my dad pulled out his guitar from a closet, tuned it up and taught me a few chords. I just went from there – learning Clapton and Hendrix.

I always knew I’d join the military because it was a family tradition and I knew that was what I wanted to do. But when I was on that flight from Atlanta to Louisville, and there was a storm tossing the plane around, I realized, “Oh my God, I don’t have a guitar until September!” All these other guys were worried about going down in a ball of flame, but I’m worried about not having a guitar.

I’m surprised I survived the 14 weeks of training without my guitar. I watch TV and see these people sobering up and getting clean – shaking in a methadone clinic. That was me when I didn’t have a guitar.

But I was exposed to so many genres of music from the guys I was with at the Fort Irwin National Training Center in California.

We would do war games there. It was the ‘90s, so the threat was different back then. We’d set up scenarios that represented a Soviet-type threat. It was like one giant game of Laser Tag.

My last roommate was really big on the East Coast hip hop scene. He had this one Notorious B.I.G. cassette tape, and he’d listen to that all the time. There was another guy from Seattle who introduced me to Neil Young’s music.

I drove a tank in these war games, and over the radio I’d hear, “Enemy over in this area,” and in the background was Metallica or George Strait playing. I had one gunner who was really into this one Judas Priest album. Man, that was a soundtrack for war if I ever heard one.

When I got home to Texas, the first thing I said was, “Take me to Whataburger, and take me home to my guitar.”

It was like riding a bike. I had to re-learn my chords, but it came back.

Ever since, I’ve been in several bands, like Texas Heat. Now I have my band Marshall Law, a classic rock and country band. And a band is a lot like a tank crew – you have four people – the loader, driver, the gunner, and then the tank commander. So it was natural, I was at home in a band. I’m here with three other guys for a common purpose. If you put four common people together, who work together, you’ll get uncommon results.

The purpose of music is to tell a story and evoke an emotional response. I can listen to a Neil Young song now and I can smell the rain hitting the desert floor of California. I listen to Judas Priest and I see us out on the tank range. And I hear my gunner cussing up a storm when his machine gun jammed. He was a great gunner – he could put lead on a target. In that memory I can hear “Invader” in the background.

--- As told to Amy Nichol Smith

RAY SANCHEZ
Age: 28
Hometown: San Benito
Then: Aviation ordnanceman, U.S. Navy
Now: Rhythm guitarist for rock band ViperHeart (catch them Thursday, Nov. 12 at Copz Lounge in Harlingen)

At first I didn’t take Jesse seriously.

Why would anyone from L.A. want to leave California to play in a band here in the Valley?

I mean, we always talked about it when we were serving on the U.S.S. Carl Vinson back in 2001, but I never thought it’d actually happen.

Jesse’s the drummer in our band ViperHeart. I’m the rhythm guitarist.

He and I were both aviation ordnancemen, the guys in charge of inspecting and handling weapons and ammo on Navy aircraft. We were in the Persian Gulf when the World Trade Center got attacked on Sept. 11.

I remember I’d been working night check. I remember seeing all the guys huddled around the TV and thinking they were watching a movie. I went and washed up, and when I came back, everybody was still there. On the screen I saw a building on fire. Must be a good movie, I thought.

Suddenly, a supervisor told us to hurry up and get on deck.

It was total chaos. They canceled our flight schedule. Finally, our own supervisor came to talk to us. Right then is when we realized it was all real, even if we didn’t know what it had to do with us.

For a month we did nothing, just maintenance. There was a lot of angry people. They were like, “When the hell are we going to start bombing?”

Then, just like that, it happened. All along we’d just been running simulated missions. Suddenly on Oct. 9 all the missions said “strike,” and we started bombing Afghanistan.

Jesse and I would arm up the jets with whatever ammunition they were going to carry, and then they’d head out. Thirty minutes later the second mission would take off, and six hours later they’d come back.

By the time they told us we were going to Singapore for Christmas, we had been in the Persian Gulf for more than 100 days straight. We literally hadn’t seen land for months.

The night before we disembarked, we could see the lights of the city from the water. It was like a little teaser. Everything was so close: the hotel room, the decent shower I hadn’t had in so long.

“Why can’t we just pull into the pier already?” I thought.

We got back to San Diego on Jan. 19, 2002. I don’t really remember how it was before 9/11, but I noticed how friendly and nice everybody was. It seemed like a lot more people were patriotic now, but maybe that just wasn’t something I paid attention to before I left.

I know we did the right thing. I realize innocent people got killed, but innocent people got killed here, too. I’m still proud of everything I did out there.

---As told to Brandon R. Garcia.