Biography Nick
Popaditch was born on July 2, 1967 in East Chicago, Indiana. The
youngest of 5 children in his Polish immigrant, working class family,
he enlisted in the United States Marine Corps at the age of 18.
He would spend
the next 3 years
rotating between Okinawa, South Korea, mainland Japan, and Camp
Pendleton
California.During
that time, Nick became
a Tank Commander.
Nick’s unit
was one of the first to deploy in
defense of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
During
Operation Desert Shield/Storm Sgt Popaditch served at the tip of the
spear in
Task Force Papa Bear. Commanding a main battle
tank, he participated in the clearing of 2 minefields and the
subsequent attack
through the heart of the Iraqi defense. Upon
returning home, Nick married April and began a family.
After 6
years of honorable and faithful service,
Nick chose to move on to the civilian world. The day after he
got out of the Marine Corps,
he went straight to work as a construction worker in La Mesa,
California. Soon after, he landed a job as a Correctional
Officer
for the State of Indiana Department of Corrections. Off he
and his family went for a better
opportunity. He quickly became the point
man on the Cell Extraction Team, a Team Leader on the prison’s elite
E-Squad,
and was assigned as the Officer-in-Charge of an entire inmate housing
unit. Despite his achievements in the Department of
Corrections, Nick and April missed life in the Marines. So in
the Fall of 1995, Nick reenlisted in the
Marine Corps.
After returning
to the Corps, Nick sought new
challenges. He
requested orders to
Marine Corps Drill Instructor School, one of the most challenging
schools in
the military. He
was an honor graduate
of the course. During
that assignment,
Nick was promoted to Staff Sergeant and wore the coveted black belt of
a Senior
Drill Instructor.
Following
the attacks on September 11, 2001,
Nick requested orders back to the tip of the spear. He
returned to the Fleet Marine Force and was
assigned as a Tank Commander and Platoon Sergeant. He
deployed to the Middle East and commanded a
tank in the initial invasion of Iraq and the March-up-to Baghdad in
2003. He
distinguished himself in numerous offensive
operations against enemy forces, was decorated for valor on the
battlefield,
and was the subject of a historic photo taken in Baghdad at the fall of
the
Saddam Regime. Nick
remained on the
streets of Baghdad and was a firsthand witness to the demise of a
dictatorship
and the rise of freedom.
Nick
returned to Iraq in 2004, and was again
assigned as a Tank Commander and Platoon Sergeant, this time in the
City of
Fallujah. Nick, now
a Gunnery Sergeant,
led the attack into the Jolan District, the most intense fighting of
the battle
for Fallujah, Operation Vigilant Resolve. For
his actions against enemy forces and valor
on the battlefield, Gunnery Sergeant Nick “Gunny Pop” Popaditch was
awarded the
Silver Star.
On
April 7, 2004, during an intense exchange of firepower, Nick “Gunny
Pop”
Popaditch was struck in the head by a rocket-propelled grenade and was
blinded
along with other serious life threatening injuries. After
returning home, the Navy Surgeons were
able to restore 8% of the sight in Nick's remaining eye.
Without
their brilliant expertise and care,
Nick would have remained totally and permanently blind.
Gunnery
Sergeant Popaditch was forced into
medical retirement from the Marine Corps after 16 years of arduous and
faithful
service. He also received the Purple
Heart for wounds sustained in combat.
After
his retirement from the Marine Corps, Nick
quickly moved onto his next mission to rehabilitate and once again
serve his
fellow man and this great Nation. His
new mission was to become a high school teacher. In
the Spring of 2011, Nick graduated Magna
Cum Laude from San Diego State University. Along
the way, Nick Popaditch wrote his memoir
Once a Marine. The
book was the
2009 Military Writers Book of the Year. It
was also selected to the Commandant of the Marine Corps Official
Reading List
for 3 consecutive years and is currently on the Sergeant Major of the
Marine
Corps Reading List. Nick's
book is
considered by many to be a leadership manual, a "must read" for
leaders both in and out of the military. Nick's second book, The
Ultimate Marine Recruit Training Guidebook was recently
released. In
this book, Nick Popaditch draws on his experience at Marine Corps basic
training as a recruit, a drill instructor and that of a combat seasoned
Marine to create a practical, comprehensive guide to success for every
new or prospective recruit.
Nick and
April currently reside in Chula Vista. Nick is a highly
sought
speaker across the nation. He speaks
predominately to multiple law enforcement agencies as well as schools,
corporations, and churches. He serves
his community as a Mentor/Instructor at the Midwest Marines Focus
Program. Nick is currently pursuing a Master’s Degree
in Education.
He was the GOP nominee
for Congress in 2010 for California’s
51st District.
Nick’s
drive to serve our nation continues as he is now a candidate for the
United States House of Representatives in California’s 53rd
Congressional District.
Nick and April Popaditch
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"
As a career Marine, I have
dedicated my life to service to this Nation. In combat, I fought for
all Americans and alongside every race, creed, and color of this great
Nation. I will take that same ethic to Washington DC, representing the
53rd District.
I have also worked in the private sector, working for a small
construction company in La Mesa. I knew then, as I do now, that raising
taxes on my employer or adding restrictions on him just meant lower
wages and less work for me, the workingman.
I am of the working class, and I know the reality of tough
financial
choices. Today, our Nation faces similar difficult decisions to balance
our federal budget. I have witnessed first hand the best in Americans
and know that our federal government often best serves us by getting
out of our way. Leave revenue here in our community where it can grow
jobs. I believe in one set of rules and one set of civil rights for
everybody.
I graduated with honors from San Diego State University. My
home is in
Chula Vista, where I earn a modest living as an author while I complete
my teaching credential. I live in this community and know solutions are
found here, not in Washington DC. I reject politics of division. As
your Representative, I will serve all in this community, not just those
of one political party."
Nick
Popaditch ~ California Congressional Election 2012 ~ California
District 53 ~ California Congressional Candidate ~ California Elections
2012 ~ California Vote
Nick
Popaditch ~ California Congressional Election 2012 ~ California
District 53 ~ California Congressional Candidate ~ California Elections
2012 ~ California Vote 
MEET
NICK 
