"If something goes bad in Iraq, the press focuses on it and everybody sees it. But sometimes they don't see all the good things that are getting better." (Video Interview, 21:25)

Joseph Valentino Medina

Joseph Medina [2007] War: Peacekeeping forces--Bosnia and Herzegovina; Kosovo, 1999; Afghanistan and Iraq Wars, 2001-present Branch: Marine Corps Unit: 3rd Battalion, 2nd Marine Regiment; Headquarters, US European Command (EUCOM); Headquarters, US European Command (EUCOM); 3rd Marine Regiment; Expeditionary Strike Group Three (ESG 3); Task Force 58; Task Force 79; 3rd Marine Division Service Location: California; Hawaii; Virginia; North Carolina; Okinawa, Japan; Italy; Germany; Bosnia; also: Germany; Kosovo; also: Persian Gulf; Iraq Rank: Colonel; Brigadier General Place of Birth: CA

Following in the military tradition of his family dating to the 15th century in Spain and later in Mexico, Joseph Medina entered the U.S. Naval Academy in 1972. He worked his way through the ranks, starting out as a platoon commander in charge of forty Marines. By 1995, he was a battalion commander, deploying with his Marines to Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, for Operation Sea Signal, housing and caring for 15,000 refugees. During the Bosnia and Kosovo conflicts, he acted as the chief planning officer for the U.S. European Command. In 2003, Medina was promoted to Brigadier General, one of the first Hispanics to hold the rank in the U.S. Marine Corps. More recently, he commanded the Expeditionary Strike Group Three during Operation Iraqi Freedom, during which he was responsible for developing the Iraqi Coastal Defense Force. This experience and others allowed him to see first hand not only the deterioration of the Iraqi infrastructure under Saddam's regime, but also the challenges faced due to our cultural differences. In contrast, he also saw the many positive changes being made around the country due to the Marines' efforts.