Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point --
Born in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Cpl. Wilde Lariveaux had to
overcome the challenges of moving to a different country at the age of seven to
become the person he is today.
“At first, moving to Ft. Lauderdale [Fla.] was kind of hard
because I didn’t know the area,” said Lariveaux. “I stayed inside a lot, but
after a while I made friends from school and I fell in love with the city.”
Coming to the United States gave Lariveaux some
opportunities he may not have had in Haiti.
“Coming from another country, I saw all of the opportunities
in America,” said Lariveaux. “I was allowed to go to school a lot more, learn a
new language and work on my social skills.”
As time went on, Lariveaux contemplated the direction he
wanted to take his life toward.
“I was always interested in the military,” said Lariveaux.
“As the years went on, I looked at the Marine Corps and realized what it could
give me; an opportunity to go to school, have more money and have a job. I
could have a lot of skill sets coming out of the Marine Corps that will benefit
me in the work force. I thought ‘instead of going straight into college and
deal with a whole lot of student loans, why not take this path first?’”
Along the way, Lariveaux had a little help persuading him to
join the Marines.
“While I was in high school, I was in the Marine Corps Junior
Reserve Officer Training Corps,” said Lariveaux. “While I was there I learned a
lot. After a while I got really interested in it and I wanted to learn more
about it. Over time I joined the drill team and the marksmanship team they had.
I kind of got deeper into the program and over time that set me up on the path
to joining the Marine Corps without me even realizing it.”
Now, as an administrative specialist on Marine Corps Air
Station Cherry Point, N.C., Lariveaux is an essential part of his unit.
“I pretty much do any and all things dealing with
administration,” said Lariveaux. “Paperwork, promotions, cutting scores, Marine
online, all things that you can think administrative wise, that’s what I
handle.”
Not long ago, Lariveaux’s time in the Marine Corps led him
back to his native country.
“Recently I went down to Haiti to help with the humanitarian
relief after the hurricane,” said Lariveaux. “We provided for the families and
the people down there who have lost a lot. They lost a lot of loved ones. We
can’t bring those people back, but we tried to do something. We provided food,
clothing, tarps, and whatever we could to help them get back on their feet.”
Lariveaux was not required to go to Haiti, but he
volunteered when asked.
“I went down there with Combat Logistic Battalion 24, Combat
Logistics Regiment 27, 2nd Marine Logistics Group from Camp Lejeune,” said Lariveaux.
“II MEF needed translators and I ended up being one.”
Lariveaux said he is grateful for all of the opportunities
that the Marine Corps has awarded him along the way.
“The Marine Corps has honestly provided a lot to me,” said Lariveaux.
“It’s pretty much up to you what you make out of it. The Marine Corps is going
to give and it’s going to take, it just depends on you what you’re going to get
out of it.”
“I love what I do, and I love being a Marine. Whether I stay
in for 20 years or I get out in a couple of years, I wouldn’t change it for
anything.”