'The best decision I’ve made': Army veteran from Ocala reflects on his service

Joseph Concepcion, a retired Army sergeant first class, spent over two decades paying back what he once thought was a debt to Uncle Sam.

“My parents, Martha and Frank Concepcion, were both Japanese prisoners of war on Guam as children during World War II,” Concepcion said.

His father escaped being “tied to a tree” and possible execution, Concepcion said.“I wouldn’t be here if not for the U.S.,” he added.

Concepcion, 52, a native of the U.S. Territory of Guam, whose cultural background is of the indigenous Chamorro people, is a 22-year Army veteran who was deployed three times to Iraq and served as an Army recruiter for 10 years.

He will tell you he felt an ancestral debt to the United States, but in the long view he feels “the Army saved me” as a young man by providing direction and discipline.

The University of Hawaii at Hilo (Hilo.Hawaii.edu) article “Caught Between the Sun and the Stars: The Experience of the Chamorro people during the Second World War” explains that the people of Guam were “victims and resistors” during World War II.

“The Chamorros of Guam suffered immeasurable cruelty during Japanese rule, which lasted from December 1941 to August 1944. Chamorros suffered loss of property, liberty, incarceration, and in many cases, mass executions. However, they were more than victims. Chamorros displayed tremendous courage and heroism, continually resisting an enemy occupier for almost three years, oftentimes with deadly results.” the article states.

According to Guampedia.com, “During the nearly three years of occupation 1,170 Chamorros were killed, with another 14,721 suffering from atrocities of war.”

“Another danger late in the occupation was the American bombardment of Guam. Many people, their number unknown, were killed, victims of naval or aerial bombing,” the website indicates.

A song sung by the people of Guam had lyrics including the line: ”Oh, Mr. Sam, my dear Uncle Sam, Won’t you please come back to Guam?” an article at Guampedia.com states.

Concepcion said when he visited the Army recruiter in 1999 he was a “long haired kid looking for direction and opportunity.”

He said his recruiter obtained a waiver for him due to some legal issues, which allowed him to join that same year.

Concepcion soon shipped from Guam to Fort Leonard Wood in Missouri for basic training, and he was impressed by the sheer size of the U.S.

He bought a Ford Bronco with “big wheels” to help blend in, but eventually “earned” his peers’ respect.

Concepcion completed basic training, chemical training, and was trained to work with heavy equipment and keep all types of heavy equipment “mission capable.”

Concepcion was deployed to Iraq in 2002, 2003 and 2006 as part of Operation Iraqi Freedom and served as an Army recruiter for Ocala in 2009, 2010 and 2011 and in Long Beach, California from 2015 to 2021.

He was cited as the “top producing recruiter, Long Beach Recruiting Center” for the first quarter of 2016. He recruited 12 soldiers in that one quarter.

Concepcion has affected the lives of many recruits, just as his life was impacted.

Joe Zatko, 35, of Ocala, was Concepcion’s first recruit during his initial year on the job.

Zatko graduated high school in 2008 and decided to look into the military during a tight job market.

He found the Army recruitment office here “professional,” and when requirements at the time did not allow his visible crossed swords tattoo, Concepcion was quick to help.

Concepcion obtained a waiver to make an exception for the tattoo and he stayed in close contact with his recruit, even calling Zatko’s mother to discuss her son joining.

“(Concepcion) was great,” Zatko said.

Zatko joined the Army in 2009, was deployed to Iraq in 2010 and 2011, and served until 2013. His military occupation was 19D cavalry scout, forward observer. He served as a sergeant in the 6/8 Cavalry.

Zatko attended the College of Central Florida and Colorado Technical University online to earn his bachelor’s degree in business administration in 2020 and he’s currently working on his master’s degree in a related field.

He said earning the degrees would not have been possible without his Post-9/11 GI Bill Army benefits.

Zatko currently works in a management position with a defense contractor. The two veterans remain close friends and keep in touch.

Concepcion has been awarded Global War on Terrorism Medal and Meritorious Service Medal and has received the Army Commendation Medal (six times) and Army Achievement Medal (10 times.)

Anatomy of a rescue: Ocala Fire Rescue crew saved girl who was pinned under a huge tree

Concepcion met his wife, Frances, in Washington state, and they were married in 2007.The couple have three children: Maria, 17, Joseph Jr., 13, and Sophia, 11.

Joseph Concepcion gives back to the community as a member of Immaculate Heart of Mary Church in Candler and the Knights of Columbus.

“Joining the Army was the best decision I’ve made. It has meant a better life,” he said.

This article originally appeared on Ocala Star-Banner: Ocala veteran reflects on his service in the U.S. Army