1 00:00:00,040 --> 00:00:03,860 well I grew up in Russia for my 2 00:00:03,860 --> 00:00:07,680 first eight years . By the 3 00:00:07,690 --> 00:00:10,100 time I turned five I was I was turned 4 00:00:10,100 --> 00:00:14,100 to a orphanage . Reason I had to go 5 00:00:14,100 --> 00:00:17,590 to the orphanage was because my father 6 00:00:17,590 --> 00:00:19,960 was , I was in jail . He wasn't around 7 00:00:19,960 --> 00:00:22,560 to take care of us . My mother wasn't 8 00:00:22,560 --> 00:00:24,690 working or anything . She didn't want 9 00:00:24,690 --> 00:00:27,910 to take care of me and my sister . I 10 00:00:27,910 --> 00:00:29,799 didn't even get dropped off by my 11 00:00:29,799 --> 00:00:31,688 parents and I didn't really get a 12 00:00:31,688 --> 00:00:33,743 chance to say bye to them either . I 13 00:00:33,743 --> 00:00:33,540 felt like I was never gonna see anybody 14 00:00:33,540 --> 00:00:37,180 ever again . It was difficult because I 15 00:00:37,180 --> 00:00:39,460 didn't know anybody . I felt alone . I 16 00:00:39,460 --> 00:00:41,404 felt alone most of the time . Like 17 00:00:41,404 --> 00:00:43,571 nobody was really , nobody really knew 18 00:00:43,571 --> 00:00:46,040 me . Where am I except for my sister 19 00:00:46,050 --> 00:00:49,340 life at the orphanage . It was better 20 00:00:49,340 --> 00:00:51,507 than it's better than being out on the 21 00:00:51,507 --> 00:00:54,730 street . All alone now . Also you know 22 00:00:54,730 --> 00:00:56,841 there was there was rough times where 23 00:00:56,841 --> 00:00:59,063 you know you couldn't go to the dentist 24 00:00:59,063 --> 00:01:01,174 because no one can pay for you or you 25 00:01:01,174 --> 00:01:03,341 couldn't go to the hospital because no 26 00:01:03,341 --> 00:01:05,860 one could pay for you in other aspects . 27 00:01:05,870 --> 00:01:09,190 I was a fairly small child so I got 28 00:01:09,190 --> 00:01:11,134 bullied a lot . He pushed around , 29 00:01:11,134 --> 00:01:13,310 shoved around , you know , but like I 30 00:01:13,310 --> 00:01:15,477 said I had my sister by my side so she 31 00:01:15,477 --> 00:01:17,810 would go get somebody else to stop that . 32 00:01:19,060 --> 00:01:21,060 I didn't think I could ever leave . 33 00:01:21,060 --> 00:01:23,227 Like when the time came when I did get 34 00:01:23,227 --> 00:01:25,393 adopted I didn't I didn't even want to 35 00:01:25,393 --> 00:01:27,671 leave . I don't know what was going on , 36 00:01:27,671 --> 00:01:30,400 luckily I had my sister and she had , 37 00:01:30,400 --> 00:01:32,890 she made that decision for me . I was 38 00:01:32,890 --> 00:01:34,940 adopted by my mother and father 39 00:01:34,950 --> 00:01:37,630 specifically robert and Debra pace . 40 00:01:37,640 --> 00:01:40,190 None of the best people I could ever 41 00:01:40,190 --> 00:01:43,120 ask for to take care of me . Yeah . My 42 00:01:43,120 --> 00:01:45,120 life has definitely gotten better . 43 00:01:45,120 --> 00:01:47,342 Ever since I got to America , I got the 44 00:01:47,342 --> 00:01:49,342 care that I needed . I had very bad 45 00:01:49,540 --> 00:01:53,060 dental hygiene . I was malnourished 46 00:01:53,740 --> 00:01:57,060 and nobody really wanted to take care 47 00:01:57,060 --> 00:02:00,580 of me . So thanks to my parents that I 48 00:02:00,590 --> 00:02:03,980 got everything that I needed , I needed 49 00:02:03,980 --> 00:02:06,900 a center for fulfillment and purpose . 50 00:02:07,250 --> 00:02:09,417 You know , serving others and fighting 51 00:02:09,417 --> 00:02:11,528 for this country is the highest on my 52 00:02:11,528 --> 00:02:13,694 scale of purpose . Nothing really more 53 00:02:13,694 --> 00:02:15,917 important than like if you live in this 54 00:02:15,917 --> 00:02:17,917 country , why not serve it and help 55 00:02:17,917 --> 00:02:19,917 others out . That's what my parents 56 00:02:19,917 --> 00:02:22,028 taught me to do . The reason I wanted 57 00:02:22,028 --> 00:02:24,250 to join the Marine corps other than the 58 00:02:24,250 --> 00:02:26,417 other branches would be because go big 59 00:02:26,417 --> 00:02:28,417 or go home . I felt that the Marine 60 00:02:28,417 --> 00:02:30,528 Corps was the best and the toughest . 61 00:02:30,528 --> 00:02:32,820 So I strive for the best . 62 00:02:34,540 --> 00:02:36,540 A lot of times I think about how my 63 00:02:36,540 --> 00:02:38,596 life would be if I never had came to 64 00:02:38,596 --> 00:02:41,460 America and those aren't good times 65 00:02:41,470 --> 00:02:44,160 because if I had never came here , 66 00:02:44,960 --> 00:02:48,350 I'd either be on the street or or dead . 67 00:02:49,590 --> 00:02:52,610 I didn't have anybody and it took a 68 00:02:52,620 --> 00:02:54,770 while to learn that because you know 69 00:02:54,780 --> 00:02:57,058 growing up being a teenager , I didn't , 70 00:02:57,058 --> 00:02:59,169 I didn't feel appreciate appreciative 71 00:02:59,169 --> 00:03:02,050 of my situation , but as time went on I 72 00:03:02,050 --> 00:03:04,106 felt blessed to be here . Life would 73 00:03:04,106 --> 00:03:06,328 have been completely different if I had 74 00:03:06,328 --> 00:03:08,272 stayed in Russia . I don't know if 75 00:03:08,272 --> 00:03:09,160 there would be life at all for me .