Going to college right after high school was not an option for West Carroll football coach Abelardo Sustaita. But thanks to a chance encounter, he decided to join the U.S. military.

During a quick trip to a nearby gas station growing up in Corpus Christi, Texas, he was seen by a recruiter out on a drive with one of his friends. An ensuing meeting would eventually turn into a four-year term with the U.S. Marine Corps and a lifetime of memories and lessons learned.

“It was just by chance,” Sustaita said. “He just hit me at the right time.”

Sustaita served in the military from 1995-99 as an aviation ordnanceman and worked on a variety of military aircraft. He was stationed in New River Air Station near Camp Lejeune in Jacksonville, North Carolina. His unit was Marine Heavy Helicopter Squadron 464 (HMH-464).

Sustaita said he learned a lot about discipline while in the service.

“I use that as part of my coaching,” he said. “One of the things [the Marines] do is they break you down, and then they rebuild you. Discipline, integrity, accountability. Just different characteristics of being a responsible man.”

The Thunder’s second-year head coach tries to instill those values in his players.

“I try to be a strong mentor. I do have a military kind of style of running practices,” he said. “You need to be there in order to be successful. You have to show up, so I need you every day. If you don’t, these are some of the things you have to do. I hold them accountable in the classroom. We do community service.”

Sustaita teaches his players how to be leaders on and off the field.

“If you can develop young men, then football comes easier,” he said. “From the military, I learned you have to be strict, but you’ve got to be fair.”

Sustaita visited other countries such as France, Italy, Greece and Spain while in the military.

“It was all-around just an awesome experience,” he said.

Sustaita keeps in touch with an area recruiter. He knows the value , joining the military can bring as an option after high school.

“I’m always trying to open the door for kids,” he said. “‘You guys have to start planning for your life.’ That was the reason I ended up in the military, because I didn’t really plan when I was in high school. Then graduation just crept up on me, and there I was.

“Lucky for me, the recruiter found me. Have a plan. The service is a great opportunity. You can learn a lot of discipline there. You get to travel, you get to meet new people. You get to do things that you never thought you could.”

Sustaita also went on to earn a bachelor’s degree.

He said the military forges a strong brotherhood, much like football can.

“You have to be a family. That’s one of our breaks,” Sustaita said. “We’re family, we’re brothers. We help each other, we support each other. We build each other up.

“I tell the upperclassmen all the time, you guys have got to set the example for the underclassmen. And I tell the underclassmen, you’ve got to respect your upperclassmen.”

His philosophy has also led to success on the field as Sustaita guides the team during its first two years of playing eight-man football.

The Thunder were mired in a winless streak dating back to 2020 before moving to the eight-man class. West Carroll went 8-3 last season and has eight wins again this season under Sustaita.

“Once we set that high standard of what it is to be a West Carroll Thunder, we hold each other accountable for being up to that standard,” he said. “Once we raised that standard up high and everybody is reaching for it, we just kept getting better and better.”