By David N. Krough, TJJD Communications —
Every year, as we recognize Veterans Day, TJJD is proud to honor the veterans among our staff and administrators who have served, putting themselves at risk to keep us safe.
TJJD currently employs 230 people with veteran status. The majority of them, 112, work at the five secure facilities with another 26 working in the Office of Inspector General, 17 at halfway houses, 14 in Education Services and the rest are spread across all departments.
These veterans bring tremendous skills and leadership ability to our programs. Today, we’re highlighting one dedicated military veteran, Eduardo Garza, the superintendent of Edna Tamayo House in Harlingen. He is an active member of the Texas State Guard and has served in the U.S. Army and Navy Reserve.
Garza comes from a military family. His father was a migrant worker who volunteered for the U.S. Army in the 1960s before he even had a high school degree and soon earned his GED. Garza’s father did a tour in Vietnam and went on to be a career soldier, retiring in 1991 as a Sergeant Major.
“I was born in Washington then I went to Panama . . . my dad was stationed over there and then we went to Minnesota, Kansas, Oklahoma. And then when my dad retired in 1991, he wanted to come back home (to Texas)” Garza said.
Moving all over as a military family showed Garza at a young age that one has to decide whether “you’re going to not mingle with anybody or you’re going to enjoy the experience.”
Garza joined the U.S. Army in 1995, discharged in 1998 and joined the National Guard, serving until 2007. He later also served two years in the Navy Reserve. Currently, Garza is a Sergeant E5 and does search and rescue with the Texas State Guard. He served on recent border missions and on emergency tracking teams.
During his time in the Army, Garza deployed to Kuwait and Iraq. He was a gunner on a Bradley Fighting Vehicle with anti-aircraft artillery capabilities.
All these experiences, encountering such a range of cultures and personalities around the world, helped shape his ability as a juvenile corrections officer.
The military life taught him to be open-minded and recognize that people come from many different backgrounds, he said.
“I got to work with some of the United Nations guys, the French, Germans, Koreans, Saudis. One of my big introductions to the Middle East was my dad, since he was in the Army and we were stationed in Oklahoma. Some of (his) Air Force buddies were from Saudi Arabia. We were able to learn different cultures and of course, in the military, you run into everything,”
In 2007 Garza started as a JCO at Evins Regional Juvenile Center, in Edinburg. He was promoted to JCO shift supervisor, then to dorm supervisor of all dorms. He moved to the director of security before becoming a case manager supervisor, assistant superintendent, and finally interim superintendent at Evins.
Now, as superintendent at Tamayo House, Garza says his military experience helped him as a leader working with a team.
“One thing I can say that I took from the Army, was working with people as a supervisor,” he said, and learning to interact with people “alongside you, above you and below you” and “take care of each other.” Those lessons have translated to work at TJJD, where the wellbeing of the staff directly impacts the wellbeing of the kids.
Garza said he often compares military service to an individual’s investment in themselves – putting forth efforts to a greater good that pays off in dividends to the person and society at large. Community service is a big part of those on parole and probation at the halfway house and one of the best ways to do just that.
“I (ask the youth) you’re doing a crime or beating somebody up … it might give you satisfaction, but it’s not giving you any pleasure,” he said. “But helping these people (in the community) they seem energized.”
Often Garza will ask the youth how they felt doing a community service project. They respond with “Oh man, the lady was really thankful.”
Garza tries to relay to youth that “You guys help these people – you don’t have to always do something bad,’”
He works with the youth to think about the difference between doing harm and doing good in the community.
“Nine times out of 10, these kids had never gotten an opportunity to even do that (community service),” Garza said. “I think that even to this day that helps me deal with kids, because I look at them as giving them a chance, having that little trust, that initial trust and try to build off that.”
Garza said referencing a youth’s past influencers can be a good way to show that a better path is possible.
He’ll ask a youth who was involved in criminal behavior simple questions such as ‘What kind of retirement (plan) are you getting out of these friends? Have they been contacting you while you’re here? Are they putting money in your pocket?’”
“I try to tell them that ‘you can do some of those things that you think that you need in a gang, but you can do it in the right way towards something better.”
(Garza’s staff at Tamayo includes several military veterans: Assistant Superintendent Armando Mendiola, JCOs Nemecio Macias, Alexander DeLeon and Joel Lara and teacher Bradley Dandurand.)