17-04-2025
VA police officer shares his journey through Marine Corps, SAPD
SAN ANGELO, Texas (Concho Valley Homepage) —Veterans Affairs Police Officer Joe Villalobos shared how his journey through the Marine Corps and time with the San Angelo Police Department helped him to his current position during Military Appreciation Night at the 2025 San Angelo Rodeo.
Villalobos shared with Carolyn McEnrue that he enlisted in the United States Marine Corps after graduating.
'I knew college wasn't for me and I wanted to just try something a little bit harder,' he said.
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Villalobos did two tours in Iraq and two tours in Afghanistan during his eight years of service. While talking with McEnrue, Villalobos shared it would be so hot on the flight line in Iraq that their boots would melt to the ground while crews worked on aircraft if they stood in place for too long.
'The first time I stepped off a plane, I felt like somebody had a blow dryer just in my face,' he said. 'It was dry heat, all the time.'
During his tours in Afghanistan, Villalobos went from working on planes to helicopters, specifically ammunition.
After leaving the military, Villalobos moved to San Angelo with his family and began work as a patrol officer at SAPD.
When asked why he started working at the VA as a police officer, Villalobos said, 'Being a veteran myself, I wanted to work closer to veterans and still be a police officer, so it was a great opportunity for me to shift over that way.'
Villalobos is the only police officer that is assigned to the VA clinic in San Angelo near Sunset Mall. While on the job, he secures the location and talks with other veterans as they come in.
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