There are many reasons people call him G.I. Joe. My hope is that after you read this story, you too will think of him as one determined, dedicated, courageous and a bit crazy, “Devil Dog”.
It was the 80’s and Joe was stationed at Camp Lejeune in North Carolina. On a military salary, he stashed away his extra cash for years, and finally he had enough cash to buy his dream car, a bright red Pontiac Trans Am Firebird K.I.T.T….just like the one on TV. After proudly displaying it to half of the military base, Joe decided to take his ride on a real journey and drive it from Camp Lejeune to Costa Rica!
Well, like I said earlier, he was young and a bit crazy. But with the courage and determination of a bull, he set off. He gave himself a week with an extra day in case he got into trouble. When he got into Mexico, the trouble found him. He was stopped several times and hit up for cash at gunpoint. This made the travel treacherous and dangerous, but with enough time, money and fast talking, Joe finally made it to Guatemala! Surprisingly, he made it through in record time with no real problems. The people were kind and as you can imagine, in awe of his real American Muscle Car. Wherever he went, the local people gathered around the car and were in awe. Many people took pictures with their families in front of the car.
In Nicaragua the journey became interesting but with no real drama, because when Joe showed his American passport with his Camp Lejeune address, a military officer ordered a soldier to escort him to Costa Rica. It was along this journey that Joe put the details of his dream into a plan. A business plan. He asked himself,
“If time and money were not an issue, what would I really want to do with the rest of my life?”
He knew in his gut that he was a leader and a dreamer. He was also patient, when it came to the big picture.
He knew as a Marine, he would get a nice pension after 20 years. If he could use those years as a resource, a way to make lifelong connections with those people that he already worked with, he could make it to the top and provide a privileged life for his business partners and his family. He would hold his troops to a standard above the competition and be the “Best of the Best” in whatever he chose to do. Just like the Corps. It was a winning strategy; work hard, be disciplined, be dependable and surround yourself with the right people. Thoughts of the future guided him, just like the stars above guided him throughout his life.
In the darkness of the night, he slowly navigated his way through the mountains and followed the river which led him to his hometown, the village of Tucurrigue, Costa Rica and to his mother’s doorstep. As the day broke and word got out that Jose Antonio was back in town with a real American Muscle Car, the crowds started to gather outside his mother’s home. It was a hero’s homecoming. Joe realized that the Marine Corps gave him more than discipline and financial stability. It gave him something that HE belonged to and it gave him contacts and the ability to network. Together, with his son Juan and other likeminded and determined Marines, Joe would eventually grow his dream into a $20 million dollar company. He grew more than a business, he grew a family legacy.
We Call Him G.I. Joe of North County Part 1
