Oaksterdam University is proud to introduce the first recipient of our OU & Ed Rosenthal Scholarship for Veterans. We found United States Marine Corps Veteran Paul Lombardo through the Weed for Warriors Project and he’s enrolled in our Horticulture Fast-Track Program this spring. Here, meet Paul and learn why he joined the military and cannabis movement.
Paul Lombardo
Paul “Bardo” Lombardo grew up in New York City and was inspired to join the military after seeing the destruction of 9/11 firsthand.
At the time, he owned a moving company and was working in Midtown. He felt the explosion under his feet but didn’t realize what was going on until he stopped at a bodega and saw live footage on TV.
He ran outside and was soon swept into the exodus of people trying to get out of the city, not knowing what would come next.
“People were jumping out of the towers. People were covered in white plaster and concrete. The only thing you saw was their tears,” he says. “What I saw on September 11th really disturbed me. I lost a lot of friends who were police officers, EMS, people who worked in the towers and around there. It was a really terrible day for me.”
Paul decided to follow in his father’s footsteps and enlisted in the Marines at age 26.
“That was my calling,” he says.
USMC Sgt. Paul Lombardo was inspired to join the military after 9/11.
Healed through Cannabis
Paul served for eight years throughout the U.S. and Japan, where he worked his way up to Sergeant and supported flying squadrons by fixing hydraulics on all the ‘birds.’ He also volunteered to teach English to students in Okinawa.
Although he didn’t see combat, he was medically separated from the military with a range of physical injuries, pain, and problems sleeping. He underwent a series of surgeries, and that’s where cannabis came in.
“The Marine Corps really banged up my body,” he says. “I’m so passionate about cannabis as medicine. I didn’t know how much my body needed it.”
USMC Sgt. Paul Lombardo and his wife, Rocio, who served as Master of Arms in the Navy.
Warrior for Weed
Paul now lives in Los Angeles with his wife, Rocio, who is also a Veteran, and their two children, Romeo, 5, and newborn Rosalia. He began volunteering with the Weed for Warrior Project, helping deliver free cannabis to veterans in need.
It was through his work at WFW that Paul was nominated to receive the OU & Ed Rosenthal Scholarship Award. He says he’s already taken several of OU’s free courses and can’t wait to take Oaksterdam’s full Horticulture Certification Program.
He looks forward to learning more about the plant and how it can help people medicinally, especially vets. Paul says he has seen too many veterans get addicted to opiates and hopes to advocate for the Veterans Health Administration to prescribe cannabis medicinally.
“This is something I’ve always wanted to do,” he says. “These laws need to change. There’s an opioid crisis. I’ve noticed more Marines stepping up to decriminalize the plant, and talking to the VA about giving Veterans cannabis as medicine. I would like to help more with that.”
Help Fund Scholarships
The OU & Ed Rosenthal Scholarship is funded through purchases of Ed’s Cannabis Grower’s Handbook. Use code EDOAK2022 at checkout, and OU and Ed will donate $10 to the cause. In addition, you’ll receive $5 off.
There are a few spots left to attend Oaksterdam’s Horticulture Fast-Track Semester. The 8-week program starts March 21, 2022. Learn more here.
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