KARLOVAC, Croatia – Minnesota National Guard Spc. Jesse Mendiola says he joined for the love of country, service and family.
Mendiola, a father of two kids under a year old, is serving in Karlovac with nearly 30 other members of the Minnesota Air and Army National Guard.
He is with the 851st Vertical Engineer Company out of Camp Ripley, Minnesota, and joined the Guard just a few short years ago.
"I always wanted to serve and I wanted to go to college," said Mendiola, a masonry/carpenter specialist.
"I love it, I love the weather, people and food," said Mendiola of his deployment. Back home, he works at US Distilled Products in Princeton, Minnesota.
The project is a Humanitarian Civic Assistance project made possible by the U.S. European Command in partnership with the U.S. Embassy in Zagreb, Croatia. Mendiola and other Soldiers of the Minnesota Army National Guard's 851st Vertical Engineer Company, along with Airmen from the Minnesota Air National Guard's 148th and 133rd Civil Support Squadrons and the Croatian Army Engineering Horizontal Construction Company are working side-by-side to repair and to rebuild parts of a primary school.
Minnesota and Croatia have been paired in the State Partnership Program for 20 years.
"I don't get to do this every day - you get to learn and experience new things," said Mendiola. "For example, the metrics vs. American measurement system is something we are required to work with during our time here."
Family is a huge driving factor for his desire to serve. His wife and mother to his two children is supportive of his desire to serve in the military.
"She likes that I am serving and it means a lot to have her support," said Mendiola. I get up every day to support her and my family and her willingness to support me through times away from home makes missions like this a little easier to do."