Downers Grove Native Takes Next Steps To Become Judge Advocate General

DOWNERS GROVE, IL — Captain Ramarro Lamar was born on Chicago's west side when his mother was just 16 years old, but he credits his family's move to Downers Grove with what helped put him on the path to his illustrious career in the U.S. Marine Corps. Lamar was recently selected to take part in the Marine Corps's highly selective Funded Legal Education Program (FLEP), the first step in his dream of becoming a Judge Advocate General.

“It's been such a blessing to be able to have been a benefactor of the incredible resources here in the northwest suburbs, Downers Grove specifically," he said, "that have set me up for the career path I’m on."

Lamar and his family moved to Downers Grove when he was around 11 years old, he told Patch. The shift quickly saw Lamar and his brother excelling in school and sports, he said.

“We relocated to Downers Grove and the trajectory of our lives completely changed," Lamar said. "The way that we’ve been embraced has been second to none."

Lamar, who graduated from Downers Grove South in 2016, was heavily involved in wrestling and football, along with the African American Student Union.

He credits his high school wrestling coach Sean Lovelace with helping him develop a "winner's mentality" that has been useful in his career in the Marine Corps.

“He really held me to a standard that’s higher than anyone else did," Lamar said. "He held me accountable and made sure I stayed on top of my studies."

That focus paid off when Lamar received a Naval Reserve Officer Training Corps Scholarship for $180,000 in his senior year of high school. He then attended the University of Nebraska and earned a political science degree.

In 2020, Lamar was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the Marine Corps. He told Patch he "chose and volunteered for various deployments to help beef up my resume for the [Judge Advocate General program] application."

Lamar attended the Marine Corps Defense Information School and became part of the 1st Marine Division. In 2023 became the Deputy Director of Communications and Strategy for Marine Rotation Force Darwin, which is based in Australia.

According to Lamar, this deployment brought him to Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Thailand and other countries that helped him understand more about the “incredible global neighbors that we have to keep peace and prosperity within the Pacific.”

"We have a lot of the same values and laugh at the same dumb jokes," he said.

These experiences representing the U.S. on an international stage inspired Lamar to go "full press" in pursuing his current career path.

He said he saw how the United States fits in as an “instrument of foreign power” and how much “global neighbors look up to America to do the right thing.”

He told Patch, though, that the journey has been full of "unspeakable" sacrifices, including the death of his father.

Then, the disappointment of having his first application to the FLEP denied. Instead, he became the operations officer at the recruiting station in Chicago.

Lamar said it was “an honor and privilege to be selected for it, even though it hadn’t been what I really wanted at the time."

Undeterred, Lamar applied for the JAG Corps program again and was accepted this year.

He said he was at one of the Downers Grove-area high schools working with potential recruits when he found out he had been selected. Lamar said he turned on his phone to find several messages of congratulations before he saw the news himself.

He said, "It still feels like a dream; it doesn’t feel real."

Lamar will attend law school for two years before attending Naval Justice School. He hopes to eventually prosecute war criminals and run for public office.

Lamar said, "Humanitarian outreach has been a large reason for joining the marine corps in the first place."

He also hopes to empower young people in Downers Grove, Chicago and beyond to step into their full potential.

“Your environment does not dictate the life you’re going to have," Lamar said. "Controlling your effort and attitude, the way you treat people, your actions and your efforts is what matters.”

He said, “Growing up is becoming the hero you needed as a child.”

"That kid is proud of who I am becoming today. That kid is looking at someone that they’re proud of."