Forrest Keeling Nursery president honored

After the untimely death of his father, Guadalupe Rios immigrated to the United States in 1995 hoping to find work so he could send some money to his mother and siblings back in Mexico. 

 

He was 17-years-old, poorly educated and spoke no English.   

 

Today, Sgt. “Lupe” Rios is serving with the Missouri Army National Guard in Afghanistan. He has a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice from Missouri Baptist College and speaks perfect English. And while his own hard work and determination is largely responsible for his success, Rios also credits the support of his civilian employer, Wayne Lovelace, the owner of Forrest Keeling Nursery in Elsberry, Mo. 

 

In recognition of that support, Lovelace was recently presented with a Patriot Award from the Missouri Committee for Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve. The award is given to employers who go above and beyond in supporting their workers who serve in the National Guard or military reserves. 

 

“Many people tend to call soldiers heroes, but I believe the real heroes are those who stay behind and keep things from falling apart while we are gone,” Rios wrote in a letter nominating Lovelace for the award. “The real hero for me is Wayne Lovelace. He gave his full support to a perfect stranger. He pushed me to move forward. He taught me the basics of business. He inspired me to a better life and to become a better father, husband, brother, son and Soldier.”  

 

After harvesting vegetables in California for three years, Rios moved east and “somehow ended up in Elsberry, Mo.” He quickly landed a job at Forrest Keeling picking weeds and tending to the nursery stock. Although he spoke very little English at the time, Rios’ coworkers recognized something special in him.

 

“Lupe was a standout among his peers,” Lovelace said. “He exhibited leadership qualities and his supervisor told me that I should take a closer look at him.” 

 

 

While doing research for a college assignment, Rios came across an article about the National Guard.

 

“I discovered that I could keep my civilian job, serve my country, and earn my citizenship all at the same time,” Rios explained. 

 

So with the support of his wife, Jessica, and Lovelace, Rios reported for basic Army training in June 2005. By that time he had two small children. After graduating from advanced individual training, Rios was assigned to the 3175th Military Police Company, headquartered in Warrenton, Mo. But there was a problem. 

 

“I was not qualified to become a military policeman because I was not a citizen,” Rios explained. “But the company helped me with my paperwork and held a slot open for me. In May of 2007 I graduated from college and in June I was granted my citizenship. Two months later I was on my way to Fort Dix to become a military policeman.” 

 

After MP school Rios was deployed to Kosovo. While deployed, Lovelace paid Rios 25-percent of his salary and even sent a landscaping crew to his house to cut the grass and prune the trees. 

 

When Rios returned from deployment and wanted to visit his family in Mexico, Lovelace was again supportive, paying Rios his full salary during the visit. When he finally returned to work, Rios was promoted. 

 

“Lupe now runs most of our production program,” Lovelace said. “He supervises the production of approximately one million trees.”