GABE GARCIA

Sergeant First Class, U.S. Army
Bachelor of Business Administration in Finance from Arizona State University

Gabe enlisted in the Army right after his high school graduation. He served two tours in Iraq, first for 15 months and then for 12. He deployed for a third time, this time to Kandahar, Afghanistan. During that third deployment, Gabe was conducting a dismounted patrol when a suicide bomber struck him. The explosion took his right arm above the elbow, left him blind in his right eye, caused severe hip and knee trauma, and fractured his pelvis. Gabe was awarded the Bronze Star and Purple Heart.

He spent two long years of recovery in the hospital where he received a prosthetic arm and months of physical therapy. While in the hospital, Gabe met with a Sentinels of Freedom (SOF) ambassador and was accepted into the program.

SOF was there to help Gabe with rent, networking, and mentoring assistance while he attended Arizona State University for his Bachelor of Business Administration in Finance.

Sentinels of Freedom was instrumental in pairing Gabe with a special internship opportunity at General Dynamics C4 Systems in Scottsdale. From that relationship, he gained full-time employment and now works as a program finance analyst.

Gabe and his wife, Christina, currently live in Phoenix, where they stay terribly busy raising their three sons.

Throughout her journey, Marlene continues to be involved in her community and volunteers with Heroes Baseball and Camp Capers.

Marlene is one of only 500 women who have been awarded the Purple Heart, and she is the first woman to join the Military Order of the Purple Heart. She also plans to become the first female Purple Heart recipient to climb Mt. Everest.