San Marcos — Daniel De La Cruz has traveled the world twice, living in places and conditions that most would never want to experience. 

From the barren heat of Somalia to the extreme cold of seven degrees below zero in remote parts of Alaska, De La Cruz proudly served in the U.S. Army for 23 years.  First as a cook and later as manager of various kitchen facilities at military bases around the world, he learned skills and lessons that went way beyond food preparation.

“Discipline along with honesty and dedication, those stick with me foremost,” De La Cruz said.  “You have to be dedicated and motivated. Be proud of yourself and who you are.”

“And I learned the importance of specific writing in the military,” he said.

Today De La Cruz is retired and the executive manager of Taco Bueno in San Marcos.  Here he passes on his life lessons to employees.

“He has taught me a lot, and he knows a lot, too,” Anna Garcia, an assistant manager, said.

“From Daniel I’ve learned to set my goals, what I’m looking for. He teaches all of us in a positive way and demonstrates leadership daily.”

In 1992, De La Cruz was among the first to deploy to Somalia. 

“There were so many war lords down there, no one was in control of that country really,” he said.  “And talk about isolated.  We had no communication with the outside world, didn’t even know the Cowboys had won the Super Bowl until days later.  All the food was rationed, no fresh meat during our six months there and water was strictly limited to two bottles per day.”

With the intense heat most of the troops suffered bad headaches routinely due to dehydration.

Random gunfire was constantly around them, and there was the stench of dead bodies piling up in areas outside their perimeter from warring between the tribes. De La Cruz also talked about the young age that many children began participating in the fighting.

Besides later being stationed in remote Korea along the DMZ, Somalia was one place De La Cruz was all too happy to leave and never return.

At the other extreme of his military experience, De La Cruz lived in a very cold climate, running a kitchen at the appropriately named Cold Region Training Center, Fort Greeley, Alaska.

“Temperatures of seven below zero were not uncommon.  You had to wear gloves outdoors at all times ‘cause your hands would stick to poles and things, otherwise,” De La Cruz said. 

“But in many ways, that was a great place to live.  We’d go to fish  a lot, hunt buffalo, caribou, unbelievable wild life.  I was there two years and really enjoyed it,” he said.

Military troops there were always in a training mode, many times alongside Russians, NATO troops and even military from Nepal at one point.

“Like you hear about, we had six months of day and six months of night, that’s how far north we were.   So part of the year we had to put foil on the windows to sleep since it was like daylight 24 hours.  But it was also nice because you could go fishing in the middle of the night without lights,” De La Cruz said.

With leadership skills and a proven track record, De La Cruz had several options after military life, but had no doubts he wanted to stay in food service.

“Food will always be around, in demand, a part of life,” he said. “And it’s a chance to deal with all kinds of people, all walks of life.  It gives me the opportunity to interact because by meeting people here, they become friends for life in many cases.”

Since his retirement from the Army in 1898, De La Cruz has worked with a few different food company employers and believes in looking at the company itself beyond just what it offers employees.

“I think you need to look at the structure of the company itself, where it’s going, the progress they’ve made and is there room for advancement,” De La Cruz said. “And the ownership, you want to see how they are, are they giving back to the community and employees, and are they are helping management. By that I mean, do they work closely with management to see that you are successful.”

As he reflects back he says without question he’d choose the same path over again.

“I’d recommend military service to any young person, even with the hardships and rough duty at times, it is a great career if you make it one,“ De La Cruz said. “And with food service, if you get to know your customers, take care of your staff and produce a quality product, the financial rewards are great.”