So close by, yet so far away

By ROBERT K. TIMMONS

Fort Jackson Leader

One father and son on Fort Jackson trained so close to each other, they could have met every day. Yet they saw each other only twice - the first time by happenstance and the second, at the father's graduation.

Staff Sgt. Angel Martinez, who just completed training at the Drill Sergeant Academy, didn't like that his stepson, Pvt. Nathaniel Blake Ortiz, could have been just down the block but out of sight.

Ortiz is in the final stages of Basic Combat Training with Delta Company, 2nd Battalion, 60th Infantry Regiment and is scheduled to graduate today.

"I had mixed emotions," Martinez said, after his wife Nancy pinned his drill sergeant badge on him while his stepson and daughter watched Nov. 9. "It's really frustrating knowing he is just down the street, and I can't go see him,"

The chances of a father and stepson attending training at Fort Jackson at the same time are rare, but being able to see other is like finding the Ark of the Covenant by accident. Still, the coincidences kept coming: To begin with, the two left for training 48 hours apart.

"When I received my orders, he asked where I was going and when I would leave," said Ortiz, the oldest child in a family with two other boys and two girls. "I said I would be leaving at this date, and he said he would be leaving two days earlier."

When Martinez left, it was difficult, Nancy Ortiz said, but when Staff Sgt. Ortiz left for Fort Jackson, things became even more difficult for her and her 2-year-old daughter, Angelys.

"When Blake left, it was very emotional with my daughter," she said, noting her husband and son helped a lot around the house and with Angelys.

The pin-on ceremony wasn't the first time Martinez and Ortiz met each other at Jackson -- they had met briefly during early-morning physical training.

As part of the drill sergeant course, candidates help units conduct PT and other tasks.

Ortiz didn't know his stepfather was even at his formation until midway through the bend-and-reach exercise.

He could hear the drill sergeants telling Soldiers how to perform better and didn't know anyone was talking him in particular until he heard his name called.

"I was in the middle of an exercise when I heard someone say, 'Pvt. Ortiz, look between your legs.' I looked between my legs as I reached my arms back and saw him smiling at me."

Many Soldiers find inspiration from parents in uniform, but for Ortiz, things go far beyond that. From his stepfather, he learned how to handle stress and prepare for life as a Soldier.

Ortiz is a good Soldier "who never broke under stress," said Pvt. Bryant Alvarez, Ortiz's closest friend in his platoon. "He is always calm, collected and very respectful. It's partially played a factor because his personality" is so even.

Having a father in the service allowed Ortiz to have "better insight than most people" coming into basic training, Alvarez said.

For his part, Ortiz said he just tried to do everything right and follow his stepfather's example.

"Every day, I tried my best," said Ortiz, who will be going to Advanced Individual Training to become an Army cryptologist. "I did everything I was supposed to."

Before joining, Ortiz had bounced around from post to post as his stepfather was transferred. The Family made stops at Fort Irwin, California - which Ortiz wasn't overly fond of - and spent two years in Germany, which he loved.

"I feel proud of him," Martinez said of his stepson. "Growing up, he was always a good kid. He had good habits and didn't get into trouble."

After the pin-on ceremony, Martinez looked at Ortiz and smiled.

Ortiz "should work hard and seek to get better," advised Martinez, a 16-year veteran. "Don't get complacent like some E4s" -- those who ride out their careers at a lower grade so avoid added responsibility.

"You have to stay hungry," he said. "It makes a big difference."

Martinez has taken a few days' leave so he can attend his stepson's graduation today.