Romeo was born in Orlando, Florida, as his father was an active-duty Navy submariner at the former McCoy Naval Annex. (Prior to his birth, Romeo’s father transitioned from the Marine Corps infantry into the Navy.) Romeo was the first child to his young parents, although his brother, Justin, would arrive just 18 months later. His father completed his second military enlistment when Romeo was three or four.

 

Also around this time, Romeo’s parents separated and divorced. He moved between his mom and dad’s homes, living in Texas, Culpepper, Spotsylvania, Fredericksburg, and Stafford. He attended nine different schools throughout his K-12 education. Both his parents remarried and grew their families. His mother and stepfather welcomed Kaliana and Zachary. His sister, Rachel, was born to his father and stepmother, Lisa. Early in her childhood, Rachel was diagnosed with autism. Romeo ended up as the oldest of five children in the blended families, caring and supporting for them all. Although the changes throughout his youth were challenging at times, he credits all those who raised him with helping him become who he is today: his mother cultivated his love for his family; his father provided him with pride in his family and nation; his stepmother taught him organizational skills and his personal foundation; his siblings gave him an understanding of patience and care for others.

 

Despite attending many different schools, Romeo did well with his academics and got involved with sports. He found school to be fairly easy. He didn’t have a favorite subject, although he did prefer STEM classes to the humanities. He remembers several educators who made a strong impact on his success, including a sixth-grade educator who had also taught his mother in middle school.

 

During his sophomore year in high school, Romeo enrolled at Colonial Forge High School. Although he didn’t join the Army JROTC program right away, he knew he was interested in joining the military. It seemed like a good option for his future, as he knew a college education would provide a financial burden to his family. He also knew he wasn’t ready to pursue higher education at that time. Many of his family members had committed themselves to service to the country: his grandfather is a retired Marine Corps Major, his father had served in both the Navy and the Marine Corps, and his uncles are Marine Corps veterans. Along with this familiar pride, the September 11 attacks occurred during his formative years, so he felt a strong sense of pride in the military.

 

After joining the JROTC group during his junior year, Romeo quickly earned several leadership roles, taking on the Command Sergeant Major position and serving as the Captain of the teams. He scored high enough on his ASVAB to join any branch, but he wanted to follow in the footsteps of his family members in the Marine Corps. Although Romeo’s mom was reluctant to provide parental permission for his enlistment, she eventually relented when she saw how passionate he was about the Marines.

 

Even though Romeo’s paperwork was completed when he was 17, his father encouraged him to wait for the MOS he wanted to have: a 02/26 option for an intelligence specialty. In the meantime, Romeo worked at the local Target after graduation.

 

Military History

In January of 2009, Romeo received the call that there was an opening for his MOS. He headed out on the bus with a group of recruits bound for Parris Island in South Carolina. He was there for 13 weeks, experiencing both the cold January air and the relentless sand fleas as the weather warmed in April. The training was intense, testing the physical and mental stamina of the recruits. He scored first in his platoon for marksmanship and third in his company.

 

Once boot camp was complete, Romeo headed to Camp Geiger in North Carolina for Marine Combat Training (MCT). This combat training for "persons other than grunts” lasted a month, providing him with much more relaxed experience than his time at Parris Island.

 

From there, he headed to Corry Station in Pensacola, Florida. He was in a holding platoon for a few months and found himself "raking dirt for a living.” Aside from the Zen-like gardening, he also got his first military vehicle license. Eventually, he received further schooling in communications intelligence. After five months there, he was told he would be heading to North Carolina.

 

After arriving to Camp Lejeune in 2010, Romeo was there for about four years. He was promoted to E-3 upon his arrival and spent his first six months in training learning the specifics of the job. He also started dating one of his friends from high school and—despite reservations from everyone—they married after a few months.

 

His company soon learned that they would be deploying to Afghanistan. He arrived in country in January of 2011. Romeo was assigned to be a driver and oversaw the specs of their computer gear to be sure it would perform properly to accomplish their missions. As part of a four-man team in the Helmand Province, they lived in the truck and took day/night shifts. On the noon-midnight shift, Romeo spent his time driving and supporting different operations. As they were in remote locations, they appreciated the baby wipes and baby powder sent in care packages, since showers were not available. He also used his tinkering skills to build a chair, table, cubby system, and water holders using HESCO and bolt cutters.

 

In February of 2011, Romeo’s friend from Camp Lejeune, SGT Luke Pyeatt, was killed when he stepped on an IED. It was a difficult time for Romeo, and he still grieves the loss of his friend today. This tragedy made him more acutely aware of the dangers that surrounded him during the remaining months of the deployment.

 

Romeo was promoted to E-5 and went to another four-month deployment in 2013 as a team leader. Although he was in the same area as before with a similar mission, he was able to stay at Camp Leatherneck. The facilities were "infinitely nicer,” as he had a real bed, air conditioning, showers, and a chow hall.

 

In Spring of 2014, Romeo went B-School in San Angelo, Texas. He spent a few months there learning more advanced information about his military specialty. He also enjoyed time riding his motorcycle, visiting country bars, and socializing at concerts.

 

That summer, Romeo received orders to Hawaii. He started in the HQ Platoon there, organizing training coordination for a year. After that, he took a role with the NSA in Wahiawa. His brother, Justin, was in the Marine Corps by this time and was also stationed in Hawaii. The two enjoyed riding their motorcycles, working out, and soaking up the beautiful weather. Romeo also got involved with the Fleet Reserve Association and the Marine Corps League, two of the many Veteran Service Organizations in Hawaii.

 

As Oahu has a vibrant country-western scene from the military members and the paniolos (Hawaiian cowboys), Romeo learned how to two-step and line dance at some of the popular country bars. It was there that he periodically danced with a local teacher, Elizabeth, as they had several mutual friends. After over a year of sporadically dancing, they started dating. Although there were some bumps along the way in their relationship, as Romeo was "known to have a couple girlfriends during that time,” his motorcycle buddy—justly known as Preacher—was able to smooth things out between them. Preacher eventually married them when they decided to elope at Magic Island in Honolulu.

 

In July of 2017, Romeo unexpectedly received orders that would send him to Utah, as the assignment personnel were insistent that Romeo was the only Marine of his rank and experience in the military who was qualified to fill the position. As he felt like this would be a natural time to conclude his military career anyway, he decided not to continue with his enlistment. He took terminal leave and finished his time in the military in February of 2018.

 

After leaving Hawaii, Romeo spent some time in Fredericksburg with his father while Elizabeth finished the academic year teaching in Hawaii. He was hired at BAE as an analyst and stayed with the company for just under two years.

 

Right before the pandemic started, Romeo transitioned to a local company named NET. He wore many hats in this position, taking on responsibilities as the Office Manager, FSO, HR, and the organization of company contracts. After a year at NET, he went through a staffing contract and found Acuity. The company liked him so much that they also asked if he would help with a mentee company, Akumen. This led Romeo to form his own LLC in November of 2021. He is still partnering with Acuity and Akumen today as an AFSO consultant, working with their technology and process improvement.

 

In addition to being involved with Post 1503, Romeo recently became a Director of Dog Tags 4 Life to help support Robert Adamczyk’s new project of spreading awareness of the Veteran Crisis Line. All veterans can receive immediate mental health support by calling 988 and selecting option 1. Romeo knows what it’s like to face challenges with one’s mental health during and after the military, especially as this is an additional way that he can honor the life of his friend and brother-in-arms, Luke Pyeatt.

 

Romeo and Elizabeth enjoy their time together, whether they are out dancing or relaxing at home with their three cats. They look forward to many happy years together in the area, especially as they are grateful for the wonderful community at Post 1503

 

• As his high school hosted an Army JROTC team, his family joked that he was the first Marlowe to bring home an Army uniform. He remembers insisting that it was "just pretend,” knowing he aspired to join the Marine Corps.
• Despite Romeo being the Captain of some teams in his JROTC group, he didn’t want to wear an officer rank. Instead, he insisted on retaining his Command Sergeant Major ranking instead. He had a lot of "enlisted pride” from growing up around Quantico and seeing the enlisted military service in his own family.
• Although Romeo didn’t earn his nickname until his later years, he did have two dates to his junior prom.

• On the way to boot camp, the bus stopped off to get the new recruits some food. Unfortunately, Romeo contracted food poisoning, which made his first couple days at boot camp even more miserable with some not-so-understanding drill instructors.
• Romeo was given the option of an "inside” or "outside” job after MCT, as he was told the inside job would be sitting at a computer. He chose the outside job, which brought him to Florida. The other position turned out to be a linguist position.
• Although Romeo had not been present when the rest of the Marines were asked where they wanted to go after the completion of their schooling in Florida, he was quite pleased that North Carolina had been chosen for him, as he didn’t want to go to the West Coast, nor did he want to be assigned to a boat.
• Despite having limited availability for phones or computers during his first deployment, Romeo still saved the day when he was overseas. His ex-wife stated that she didn’t remember where she had taken their cat to the vet. As luck would have it, a computer was available nearby, Romeo narrowed down the potential options and was able to help her find the forgotten clinic.
• While Romeo enjoyed his time in Texas, he wasn’t able to drink any of the water in San Angelo, as it was contaminated. One of the first questions he asked upon leaving on orders from the Texas airport, "How’s your water?”
• Since they met while dancing, Romeo decided to propose to Elizabeth on the dance floor after he stated their song to be played at Whiskey Dix, one of their favorite local dance spots.
• Romeo was promoted to an E-5 rank twice. While in Hawaii, he was caught not wearing his helmet while riding his motorcycle by one of his commanding officers. He was demoted for a few months before being re-promoted in March of 2017. He was affectionately known as "Master Corporal” during the impacted time.

• Both Elizabeth and Romeo really enjoyed the fantastic weather in Hawaii. Whether it was running in some of the many weekend races, spending time with a group of hiking friends, or enjoying a relaxing motorcycle ride, they spent plenty of time exploring the islands.
• While Romeo is very handy, Elizabeth must specify how items need to be built or fixed. Anything that is "Marine Corps-ed” will technically work as needed, but it probably won’t look pretty—like a MacGyver project.
• Romeo loves the local-area sports teams, including the Washington Nationals, the Capitals, and the Commanders. However, he also loves the Baltimore Orioles, as he was a huge fan of the team and the legendary Cal Ripkin while growing up and playing baseball himself.