Local Military Support Group Holds Annual Rally

Staff Sergeant Guillermo Tejada has no plans to end his Marine Corps career anytime soon, and take into account he gets around on prosthetic legs.

Tejada lost his legs when he was struck by an IED on Veterans Day of 2010 in Afghanistan.

He’s served almost 13 years in the Marine Corps and wants to log at least another 7 years to reach the 20 year mark.

“I know there’s plenty more I can give back to the Marines Corps,” said Tejada. “Just because I don’t have any legs doesn’t mean I don’t have leadership.”

And Tejada knows how to keep good company.

At the Vintage Club in Indian Wells on Tuesday, Tejada and Colonel Austin Renforth spoke to the local military support group, the American Friends of Our Armed Forces.

Renforth is the commanding officer of the 7th Marine Regiment, based in Twentynine Palms.

It didn’t take long for the Colonel to become a Guillermo Tejada fan.

“It’s absolutely amazing when I meet guys like the Staff Sergeant,” said Colonel Renforth. “He makes me feel even more proud about what I do as a Marine officer.

While Colonel Renforth and the 7th Marine Regiment will soon be leaving for Afghanistan, Tejada is thinking about training to become a gunsmith in the corps.

He said, he’ll always be an infantry platoon sergeant at heart, but knows those days are over.

At the same time, it’s clear he still has the heart of a Marine.

“That’s what Marines do. Marines just keep on going through all types of adversity. We just keep on going,” said Tejada.

At its annual Rally for the Troops on Tuesday, the American Friends of Our Armed Forces presented a check for $20-thousand to the Semper Fi Fund and a check for $35-thousand dollars to the Twentynine Palms Single Marine Program.