Alex | Pabon
Born in San German Puerto Rico. Alexis Pabon always was excited about listening to stories that his grandfather (Army cook in WW1) and his stepfather (Army Vietnam Veteran). At the age of 17, he enlisted in the Army Reserve unit as Mortuary Affair Specialist. He trained and served with the 311th Quartermaster Company Reserve Unit. His unit was the first called to serve to recover remains and personal effects at the Pentagon in 9/11. While serving at the Pentagon he realized the importance of his service and he continued his deployment for 12 months. After this deployment his unit started intensive training and preparations with a short deployment to Germany in 2005, returning to Puerto Rico to be ready to be deployed to Kuwait Theater Evacuation Point for 15 months (June 2005- Sept 2006). His job there was to receive the remains of all the different Forward Collection points, process remains and personal effects to be returned to the States. As his return, he decided to reenlist this time as an active duty and was place in Fort Lee VA in the unit 54th Quartermaster company Mortuary Affairs. He was deployed again in June 2007 in charge of 5 soldiers. His responsibilities there were and not limited to recovery, processing remains and personal effects, managing, inventory, and connections between collection point to return fallen soldiers and American citizens to their land, also served as liaison between US forces and Iraqi citizens. In this deployment they received a blast for a mortar dropping 10 mts away from them causing a laceration in the middle inner ear. He returned to the States in February 2008, continuing his duties as Mortuary Affairs Specialist, training, and preparing other platoons to be deployed. At the same time performing honor guard and detail in funerals. In February 2009 he starts suffering the sequels of the blast with severe episodes of vertigo and balance challenge which end up receiving surgery while active in his ear losing hearing from the right side. Because of this condition, he was not allowed to reenlist and for him to end his military career in 2009. He also sustains several other injuries including TBI and PTSD. He and his family moved to Dover, DE in that same year. He was medically retired in January 2012.
To the present, he is in constant treatment for all his conditions and in control. He is the father of 5 kids and a grandfather of a baby boy, married for 12 years. His family is his support, and his wife Silvia is being his caregiver since day one advocating for his health and conditions.