Photographer

Carlo was born in the Philippines to Paquito and Gemma Tacderas on January 13, 1982, the youngest of three boys. He moved to the U.S. in 1990 after his mother passed away and started living with his mother’s sister and her husband. His aunt and uncle would later adopt Carlo and his brothers. He attended Cypress High School in Cypress, CA and graduated in 2000. In 2003, he enlisted into the U.S. Army as a 46Q, Public Affairs Specialist. Carlo conducted Basic Training at Fort Knox, KY, and attended Advanced Individual Training for the Army Basic Journalism Course at Fort Meade, MD. Upon completion of AIT, his first assignment was in Korea with the 2nd Infantry Division Public Affairs Office where he served as a staff writer for the Indianhead newspaper.

After his first duty station, Carlo PCSed to Fort Stewart, GA, as a member of the 50th Public Affairs Detachment and served on the 3rd Infantry Division’s Frontline newspaper. In 2006, the 50th PAD moved to Fort Bragg where it deployed to Kuwait in 2007 in support of Operations Iraqi and Enduring Freedom. In Kuwait, the 50th PAD was attached to the 3rd Army, “Patton’s Own,” where Carlo served as the editor of the Desert Voice magazine.

Upon returning from a 15-month deployment, Carlo was then assigned to Fort Irwin, CA, in 2009, where served as the noncommissioned-officer-in-charge of the 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment Public Affairs Office. In 2011, Carlo received an Honorable Discharge from the U.S. Army and began working as an official photographer for Fort Irwin, where he currently still works taking historical documentation photos and video.

In 2015, Carlo was introduced to the Veteran Suicide Awareness Project during a Run for the Fallen event at Fort Irwin in which Evita attended. Carlo has been on several marches with VSAP since then, including the annual 40-mile Memorial Day march. He has also volunteered to photograph various VSAP events. He has seen the effects suicide has after a person’s death through the countless surviving family members he has met through VSAP. “I now understand suicide, suicidal thoughts and depression doesn’t just affect the servicemember. It affects family members, friends and other servicemembers as well. I want to do my part to let people know if they need help, to ask for help, don’t be afraid to reach out and ask for help. If anyone wants to talk to me, I’ll lend an ear, I don’t care what time it is.”