Military soldiers including a Delano campus administrator said their goodbyes Monday morning before being deployed on an 18-month mission. Numerous tears, hugs and laughs were shared amongst the soldiers’ friends, parents and boyfriends.
John Jaramillo and other fellow soldiers departed to San Luis Obispo. They will spend May 9-18 in San Luis Obispo and then in Fort Carson, Colo., for two to four months and finally will be deployed to Kuwait in August for 12 months.
Jaramillo, 42, was currently serving as the director of Bakersfield College’s Delano campus. This June would have been his fifth year as director.
He has served in both the Navy Reserve and Army National Guard for 17 years. He is assigned to Unit 115 ASG (Area Support Group) based out of the Sacramento-Roseville area.
Jaramillo will be making the dramatic transition from running a college center to serving overseas. “Since 9/11, my wife and I both knew that being deployed was a possibility,” he said.
He had very little notice prior to deployment but had been listed on battle rosters five times in the last two years.
A battle roster is a list that attaches you to another unit for deployment. Jaramillo said that, generally, because of his campus position, he was removed from the list, but that wasn’t the case this time.
Regardless of his deployment, Jaramillo continues to be optimistic. “Kuwait is always better than Baghdad,” said Jaramillo.
He will be leaving behind his wife and child. He has been teaching his son Shawn, 6, how to send e-mails.
Jaramillo recently received the Educator of the Year Award from the Delano Chamber of Commerce for his work at the BC Delano campus.
For five years he has been working on the Delano campus project, and just as it is about to be completed, he will be leaving.
“I put so much of myself into the Delano campus, both my personal as well as professional time, into my job that I kind of feel like I am leaving two children instead of just one,” Jaramillo said.
BC will hire an interim director while Jaramillo is gone. He will get his position back when he is done with his mission.
Adelena Castaneda, 36, was also deployed along with Jaramillo’s unit. Her family decided to drive her to San Luis Obispo instead of having her ride with the unit. Castaneda is a BC student majoring in administrative justice. Next semester would have been her last semester before graduating.
She has served in both the Navy and Army National Guard for 12 years. She is assigned to Unit 1114 Transportation Company based out of Bakersfield. Castaneda serves as a Sergeant Communications Specialist.
Castaneda said she joined the Navy because she needed to do something to get out of Bakersfield. She knew that she may be listed on a battle roster and as a result, she chose to volunteer instead of waiting to be called.
“I volunteered last year to go to Bosnia, but the mission fell through,” Castaneda said.
Now she has been assigned to complete an 18-month tour in Kuwait.
Castaneda is excited, but at the same she is sad. “I don’t like the thought of leaving my daughter Angelica,” said Castaneda.
Angelica is currently 16 years old and attends East High School. Her mother will be back in time for her high school graduation.
Before reporting for duty on May 2, Castaneda married her fiancÇ, Raul Moran.
Castaneda plans to keep in contact with her husband, daughter, family and friends through the Internet. Castaneda said she bought a laptop to take with her on her mission in order to send e-mails back home.
After completing her mission in Kuwait, Castaneda plans on completing her final semester at BC. She plans on graduating with a degree in administrative justice.