It’s rare to find a Marine Corps recruit that has combat experience prior to commencing recruit training, but for one new Marine, war was a reality long before stepping on the yellow footprints to embark on a new journey of becoming a U.S. Marine.
MCRDSD Sayeed Montazeri was born and raised in Logar Province, Afghanistan, where he spent the first eight years of his life before he and his family relocated to Kabul, the capital of Afghanistan. Growing up in Logar Province, he experienced the realities of conflict firsthand, seeing his father and brother serve alongside U.S. Special Forces whilst he stayed back to defend his village against the Taliban.
New U.S. Marine Pfc. Sayeed Montazeri with India Company, 3rd Recruit Training Battalion, graduated from Marine Corps recruit training at Marine Corps Recruit Depot San Diego, California, Oct. 25, 2024.
“There were times during my childhood when I had to defend my village by any means necessary, engaging enemy forces with small arms and mortars to ensure the safety of those around me,” Montazeri said.
Growing up surrounded by war, seeing violence and carnage at a very young age, and having to do things children shouldn’t have to do, Montazeri still saw the positive impact the Marines had in his village and knew he wanted to be a part of something like that.
“I chose to join the military to secure a better future for myself and to equip myself with the skills to assist communities in hardship, much like the support my town received from the military,” Montazeri said.
When Sayeed Montazeri was 11 years old, he and his family immigrated to the United States, where he started to go to school and learn English. Adapting to the cultural shock, he gravitated toward athletics, playing a variety of different sports. Additionally, he joined the Marine Corps Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps program at his school where he developed a lot of the character traits he will keep with him along his journey. U.S. Marine Corps Staff Sgt. Joshua Mitrano, a senior drill instructor with India Company, 3rd Battalion also attributed to these qualities.
“He was an exceptional recruit from the start, demonstrating consistent improvement throughout his time. His maturity set him apart, allowing him to navigate challenges with a level of composure that belied his experience,” Mitrano said.
After graduation, he will continue his training at The School of Infantry West, for Marine Corps combat training before attending follow-on training for his military occupation specialty, 6000 Aviation Mechanic. Upon completing training as an aviation mechanic, he hopes to be stationed back in California to be close to his family. “I have to take care of my mom and dad, because when I was a kid, they took care of me,” Montazeri said.
Good to see. I wish him every success.
However, I would like to see Islam lose the right under freedom of religion. I’d like good moslems to be educated that Islam such as in Afghanistan is the root cause of poverty, mental illness & death & that if they want to migrate to western countries that it’s time to renounce Islam to join the free world.
If he & his family fought against the Taliban, they aren’t true Muslims.
It was a muslum USN SAILOR who gave berthing information to Al Qaida to facilitate the bombing of the USS Cole. It was a muslum soldier in one of the US Airborne divisions who fragged members of his own platoon while they slept. I was a muslum soldier in the medical corps who shot up his fellow soldiers at Fort Bragg (I believe, it was Fort Bragg, it might have been Fort Hood as well). I’m sure the Visegrad countries aren’t stupid enough to let muslums join their armed forces.
It was Ford Hood and the shooter was Nidal Hasan. Well, as I said, the good ones are few and far between, but we just never hear about them.
Pray he stays loyal to the US and doesn’t turn on our men and women.
One sees a lot of debate now days about ‘Who is a US citizen?’ or to rephrase, ‘Who is an American?’. I think the answer to these questions depends not on race or gender or whatever you’re born with or wherever you’re born. As far as I am concerned, the answer to these questions depends on one’s chosen values. For me, this guy is American regardless of where he came from.
I agree.
If he’s still a Muslim, I don’t believe a word he says.
Agreed! He said he joined the Marines because he wanted “to secure a better future for himself.“ I didn’t see anything in the quotes how he loves American wants to be an American. I am hoping that maybe there is more to his interview. But all the same very disappointing.