The Legendary Manny Dume
Manny with his Korean Orphan students in Korea 1977
Manny outside 1st/75th Ranger Headquarters 1979
Korea 1977 -to 1978, U.S Army Ranger 1979-1980, Korea 1980 to 1988
...After serving 12 months in Korea he returned to the U.S in 1978 volunteered and was selected to become a U.S Army Ranger and serve in the 1st/75th Ranger Battalion, the most elite Airborne anti-terrorist military unit of the time. He was the first Dominican to serve as a Ranger in the history of the Modern day Ranger Battalion, and the first in its early beginnings (1979) to be recycled and do the Ranger Indoctrination Program twice.
He returned to Korea in 1980 and was chosen to be the Administration Sergeant and Instructor of Ration Control and Status of Forces Agreement Law for the Non-Commissioned Officers Academy. In 1981 when Seoul, Korea was chosen to host the 1988 Olympics he was flown to the State of Hawaii and expeditiously granted American citizenship.
In 1982 he honorably separated from the U.S Army and began an assignment with the U.S Department of Defense, responsible for ensuring the safety of U.S military and Embassy staff dependent children in Seoul. In 1983 he left Department of Defense to dedicate his complete attention to his duties as the full time English language instructor for the Lotte Hotel, honorary Cultural Attache for the Dominican Republic and VIP security consultant and ultimately the Foreign Service.
On April 7, 1986 he received his first Presidential appointment from his native country the Dominican Republic as Cultural Attache' and First Secretary.
On February 25th 1988 he represented the Dominican Republic as a special delegate and Charge De Affairs A.I for the Presidential Inauguration of the newly democratically elected Korean President. This allowed for possibly the first time in history two U.S citizens were Heads of Mission in the same Diplomatic Corp as Korea transitioned to Democracy. One month short of the opening ceremonies of the 1988 Olympics The Director of Protocol of the Korean Ministry of Foreign Affairs arranged a farewell audience with the President and a week of social farewell activities with Ministry staff. He had arrived to Korea as a 20 year old soldier, teacher to orphan children and was departing as a 31 year old Foreign Diplomat specializing in International Cultural Exchange. Manny told everyone "I will leave part of my Heart in Seoul" and promised to come back, he departed and has yet to return.
The Caribbean 1988 to 1990
He arrived in the Dominican Republic turned in his Diplomatic Passport and headed for the duty free zone territory of the country, for two years (1988 to 1990) his actions resulted in changes in the foreign companies treatment of factory workers and the policies they had established for their supervisors who arrived in the country to train Dominican workers. Policies considered to be violations of human rights. While serving in the Foreign service he had introduced the benefits of the Free Trade Zones to a number of the foreign companies that established their manufacturing operations in the Dominican Republic. Until now Twenty-eight years later those that were part of the development of the Duty-Free Zone in the Dominican Republic talk about his actions and the positive changes it created. He was credited with improving the working conditions of the factory workers and the social interaction with their foreign colleagues.
Mexico and South America 1992 to 2003
He returned to the United States in 1990 and settled his family in the Space coast Port. St. John's Florida, two miles from his Mentor's residence retired Sergeant Major of the Army Glen E Morell. The following two years he was educated in criminal justice in the State of Florida Department of Corrections, in Logistics and Personnel property management at the now Joint Base Langley-Eustis, and in other specialized training while serving in the active U.S Army Reserves. In 1992 two years before the North American Free Trade Agreement came into effect and four years before the first American Super Retail store would open its doors south of U.S borders, he was on an airplane on the way to Mexico/Latin America. This decade long tenure of activities while serving as an International Business and security consultant make way for enjoyable and entertaining conversation. In Mexico, Millions of Dollars of the products Manuel introduced during the years of the North American Free Trade Agreement are still being sold today. In 2003 after eleven years he left Mexico & Central America and has not returned.
United States 2003 to Present
In 2003 he returned to the U.S and settled in a remote town in Northern California where he developed and coordinated community programs for high-risk Latino young men. In March of 2004, he entered Mexico found and negotiated the rescue of the Garcia sisters who were being held by a group of human traffickers in Tijuana. Kept secret for 12 years the family has given the consent for the story to be told. Immediately after the Tijuana rescue, he departed the United States to the U.S Embassy in the Dominican Republic where he served in a Foreign Service National position as assistant GSO receiving warehouse supervisor. Utilizing the logistical training he received at joint base langley Eustis prior to his departure to Latin America in 1992 he successfully prepared the receiving warehouse of the U.S Embassy for its Inspector General Inspection.
He returned home once again in 2005 and with support from visible and anonymous fellow veterans and Alumni of those taught by the Brothers of Christian Instruction he independently initiated Cultural Travel Programs in an effort to promote & establish International friendships that last a lifetime. 2023 marks the 17th year anniversary of this particular endeavor where he has created an Alumni Group of over 2,000 young men and women from more than 40 countries with whom he has traveled throughout the United States on World United Cultural Travel Programs. The founder lives and manages World United under a policy of non-accumulation and the vow of poverty.