Local Marine meets a Mighty Morphing Power Ranger

RICHMOND — Thousands of fans from around the area crowded the Richmond Raceway Complex for the VA Comicon Summer show on June 25. Some came in costume, dressed as any number of colorful comic book characters, others came to browse the vendor stalls, looking for any bit of merchandise that might catch their eye.

For Matoaca resident Juan Laureano, his mission was far simpler. He was going to meet a Power Ranger.

One of the summer show’s special guests is Austin St. John, a martial artist and actor best known for playing Jason Lee Scott, the Red Ranger on Mighty Morphin Power Rangers. Like countless kids who came of age in the 90s, Laureano grew up watching St. John and his fellow cast mates punch and kick their way through a horde of monsters every weekday afternoon after school. Now, years later, as a Marine veteran with children of his own, Laureano looked forward to getting to meet and get the autograph of one of his childhood heroes.

“I grew up watching Power Rangers, and my kids watch the Power Rangers show they have now,” said Laureano. “It’s kind of amazing to think they look up to these guys as much as I did.”

Along with his kids, Laureano waits in line, before the moment finally comes, and he’s face to face with the Red Ranger, Austin St. John himself. Laureano got ready to pay for an autograph, but upon finding out he served in the Marine Corps though, St. John tells him to put his wallet away.

“You paid already the moment you put on the uniform,” said St. John. “This one’s on the house.”

St. John has more of an appreciation for what men and women in uniform go through than most, having seen and experienced for himself it first hand. After hanging up the Red Ranger spandex, Austin St. John finished his GED, earned his Bachelor's Degree in Sports Medicine and got his EMT training, going on to work as a firefighter and emergency medical technician in Washington DC, and for several years, he served alongside the U.S. military overseas as a paramedic for the Department of Defence.

“These guys have such tough jobs, and they sacrifice so much on any given day, so every one of them is a hero to me,” said St. John. “To know that some of them look at me and think the same thing? It’s incredibly humbling.”

Standing next to each other for a photo-op, with his kids posing in front of them, it's hard to tell whose smile is bigger, that of the former Marine, or that of the former Mighty Morphin Power Ranger. Watching them shake hands, one thing is clear:

Whether they wear dinosaur masks and red spandex, or combat fatigues and kevlar helmets, everyone has a hero, and getting to meet them is a very special thing.

•Sean CW Korsgaard may be reached at skorsgaard@progress-index.com, or at 804-722-5172.