thedrifter
11-08-04, 07:47 AM
'I want to support my country'
By Rebecca Deusser
sentinelandenterprise.com
PARRIS ISLAND, S.C. -- Lunenburg native Steven Toomey Jr., always wanted to be a Marine. "My two cousins are in the Marines and I heard about it and got inspired," Toomey said with a grin. "Now here I am."
Toomey, who graduated from St. Bernard's Central Catholic High School in Fitchburg in June, said the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001, influenced his decision to join the Marine Corps. "I come from a very patriotic family, and I want to support my country," said Toomey, 19.
Toomey is working his way through boot camp at the U.S. Marine Corps recruit depot on Parris Island in South Carolina, where he spoke to the Sentinel & Enterprise last week. He will be starting his fourth week of training in the 12-week program, and so far Toomey has no regrets.
"It's not as bad as I thought," Toomey said of his boot camp experience. "I like it -- it's tough."
His most difficult moment was the long wait before heading down to Parris Island. Outside his barracks on Parris Island, hundreds of miles from home, Toomey stood at attention with his eyes looking forward. But the 19-year-old could not hold back a smile while talking about loved ones back home.
"I miss my family and time with friends," he said. "I miss raking the leaves and jumping in (the pile)."
Toomey hopes to go into the infantry in the Marines after he completes his initial training. Toomey is content to be on his way toward a military career, but his journey to get to Parris Island was not easy.
"He was 17 when he enlisted, and I cried," said Bonnie Toomey of Lunenburg, Toomey's mother. "I tried to talk him out of it."
Bonnie Toomey said in retrospect, her son's choice was no surprise. "Halloween, his pictures and artwork ... he was definitely interested (in the military)," she said. "He was always the first one down the hill -- adventurous."
Barbara McGuirk, an English teacher at St. Bernard's, described Toomey as "gifted and talented."
"Most of our kids are college-bound, and he certainly would have done well in college," McGuirk said of her former student. "But that was not his mission; his mission was to go to the Marines. I hate the thought of him going off to war, but he'll be a great soldier."
McGuirk said Toomey was "a bright spot in every teacher's day."
"He was the kind of kid who always wanted to know about other people," she said. "He has a warm and loving personality."
Tommey suffered a leg injury while playing football during his senior year at St. Bernard's. The injury required surgery, which temporarily disqualified him from serving in the Marines. "He could have walked away, but he did everything he could to get back in," said Bonnie Toomey.
Bonnie Toomey said her son hopes to go to college during his service and aspires to be an officer. "He wanted to work up through the ranks," she said. "He wanted to become a man like this, and he wanted to save a lot of money on college."
Bonnie Toomey and her husband, Steven Toomey Sr., encountered criticism from friends and family for allowing their son to join the Marines. "We got a lot of flack because of the military," Bonnie Toomey said. "Like (the military) was a lower thing, a step down. I just wish more people would just appreciate what these kids go through for them -- realize the sacrifices these men and women are making."
The ongoing war in Iraq and Afghanistan is never far from Boonie Toomey's mind. Approximately 133,000 American troops are stationed in Iraq and 16,000 are stationed in Afghanistan, according to the Department of Defense. As of Nov. 1, at least 1,122 members of the military have died since the United States invaded Iraq in March 2003. More than 8,000 American soldiers have been wounded.
Toomey Sr., a strong supporter of President George W. Bush, believes the war in Iraq is just one step in a greater military effort in the Middle East.
"I tell people all the time, there's a bigger picture than this immediate war in Iraq," he said. "People ask, how can you send your son? My response is it's hypocritical for me to say take someone else's son."
His son has no misgivings about possibly going to war, although it would be at least six months before he goes overseas.
"Whatever I need to do, it's no problem," he said. "I have a cousin in Iraq and I wouldn't mind going there."
Toomey is set to graduate from basic training on Jan. 8. Bonnie Toomey expects at least a dozen family members will attend the ceremony on Parris Island.
The Drifter's Wife
Ellie
By Rebecca Deusser
sentinelandenterprise.com
PARRIS ISLAND, S.C. -- Lunenburg native Steven Toomey Jr., always wanted to be a Marine. "My two cousins are in the Marines and I heard about it and got inspired," Toomey said with a grin. "Now here I am."
Toomey, who graduated from St. Bernard's Central Catholic High School in Fitchburg in June, said the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001, influenced his decision to join the Marine Corps. "I come from a very patriotic family, and I want to support my country," said Toomey, 19.
Toomey is working his way through boot camp at the U.S. Marine Corps recruit depot on Parris Island in South Carolina, where he spoke to the Sentinel & Enterprise last week. He will be starting his fourth week of training in the 12-week program, and so far Toomey has no regrets.
"It's not as bad as I thought," Toomey said of his boot camp experience. "I like it -- it's tough."
His most difficult moment was the long wait before heading down to Parris Island. Outside his barracks on Parris Island, hundreds of miles from home, Toomey stood at attention with his eyes looking forward. But the 19-year-old could not hold back a smile while talking about loved ones back home.
"I miss my family and time with friends," he said. "I miss raking the leaves and jumping in (the pile)."
Toomey hopes to go into the infantry in the Marines after he completes his initial training. Toomey is content to be on his way toward a military career, but his journey to get to Parris Island was not easy.
"He was 17 when he enlisted, and I cried," said Bonnie Toomey of Lunenburg, Toomey's mother. "I tried to talk him out of it."
Bonnie Toomey said in retrospect, her son's choice was no surprise. "Halloween, his pictures and artwork ... he was definitely interested (in the military)," she said. "He was always the first one down the hill -- adventurous."
Barbara McGuirk, an English teacher at St. Bernard's, described Toomey as "gifted and talented."
"Most of our kids are college-bound, and he certainly would have done well in college," McGuirk said of her former student. "But that was not his mission; his mission was to go to the Marines. I hate the thought of him going off to war, but he'll be a great soldier."
McGuirk said Toomey was "a bright spot in every teacher's day."
"He was the kind of kid who always wanted to know about other people," she said. "He has a warm and loving personality."
Tommey suffered a leg injury while playing football during his senior year at St. Bernard's. The injury required surgery, which temporarily disqualified him from serving in the Marines. "He could have walked away, but he did everything he could to get back in," said Bonnie Toomey.
Bonnie Toomey said her son hopes to go to college during his service and aspires to be an officer. "He wanted to work up through the ranks," she said. "He wanted to become a man like this, and he wanted to save a lot of money on college."
Bonnie Toomey and her husband, Steven Toomey Sr., encountered criticism from friends and family for allowing their son to join the Marines. "We got a lot of flack because of the military," Bonnie Toomey said. "Like (the military) was a lower thing, a step down. I just wish more people would just appreciate what these kids go through for them -- realize the sacrifices these men and women are making."
The ongoing war in Iraq and Afghanistan is never far from Boonie Toomey's mind. Approximately 133,000 American troops are stationed in Iraq and 16,000 are stationed in Afghanistan, according to the Department of Defense. As of Nov. 1, at least 1,122 members of the military have died since the United States invaded Iraq in March 2003. More than 8,000 American soldiers have been wounded.
Toomey Sr., a strong supporter of President George W. Bush, believes the war in Iraq is just one step in a greater military effort in the Middle East.
"I tell people all the time, there's a bigger picture than this immediate war in Iraq," he said. "People ask, how can you send your son? My response is it's hypocritical for me to say take someone else's son."
His son has no misgivings about possibly going to war, although it would be at least six months before he goes overseas.
"Whatever I need to do, it's no problem," he said. "I have a cousin in Iraq and I wouldn't mind going there."
Toomey is set to graduate from basic training on Jan. 8. Bonnie Toomey expects at least a dozen family members will attend the ceremony on Parris Island.
The Drifter's Wife
Ellie