PFC Taimanao completes Army Basic Training

PFC Lee Marvin Maratita Taimanao of Rota was among the hundreds of soldiers to take their oath to the United States Army on Dec. 9, 2005.

Taimanao graduated from the U.S. Army’s Basic Combat Training and is now assigned to the service’s 2nd Battalion, 485th Regiment out of Fort Jackson, South Carolina.

Taimanao is the son of Abraham R. Taimanao and Rosita M. Taimanao of Sinapalo Village. He is a graduate of Rota High School class of 1999 and was a member of the Rota High School Junior Reserve Officer Corps and was drill team commander from 1995 to 1999.

On behalf of the Office of the Resident Representative, staffer Walter Villagomez attended the graduation. Taimanao successfully completed nine weeks of the U.S. Army’s rigorous, demanding, and proven training process that meets the standards of developing the nation’s 21st century soldiers.

“During my Basic Combat Training I have learned the seven Army values which outline (LDRSHIP) Loyalty, Duty, Respect, Selfless service, Honor, Integrity, and Personal Courage. Within that trait I took loyalty to be my personal favorite, since loyalty plays a big and important role in each of us and also to our country,” stated Taimanao.

“It is also my four warrior ethos that drives me proud to be an American soldier in the U.S. Army. I have taken to heart and learned that I will always place the mission first, I will never accept defeat, I will never quit, and I will never leave a fallen comrade. Being a soldier from the islands, I stand ready to deploy, engage and destroy the enemies of the United States of America in close-combat. I am a guardian of freedom and the American way of life. I am an American (island) soldier,” he added.

“I congratulate and extend an honorable appreciation to PFC Taimanao for his sense of service, dedication, and patriotism as a soldier in our nation’s Army. PFC Taimanao represents the untiring commitment of many of our men and women soldiers from our Commonwealth who are abroad defending, protecting, and contributing to our nation’s freedom and democratic ideals,” said Resident Representative Pete A. Tenorio.

Following graduation, Taimanao will head to the U.S. Army Aberdeen Proving Grounds in Maryland for further training as a light-wheeled vehicle mechanic. (PR)