thedrifter
01-09-05, 10:39 AM
Deli worker heads for Marines
By Michelle J. Lee
Poughkeepsie Journal
Last year, Owen Daly did research on former Prime Minister Winston Churchill amid the dreamy spires of Cambridge University in England.
This year, the 22-year-old Poughkeepsie native and recent Marist College graduate is ready for the next step: the Marines.
Daly will head down to officer candidate school next weekend at the Marine Corps Base in Quantico, Va. He will train for 10 weeks, then enter basic school for six months. Afterward, he might go to flight school or be deployed.
Daly said he was fortunate to attend college and becoming a Marine was a way to give back to his country. His decision to enlist happened in his first year of college, when he spoke with two recruiters in late September 2001.
However, Daly remained modest during an interview Saturday, his last day of work at the Roma Deli on Hoover Avenue in the City of Poughkeepsie.
''Guys like me, I don't feel like I should be telling this story,'' he said. ''The guys overseas, the ones who have been maimed, who died ... they are the real heroes.''
Daly said he was motivated by childhood friend Cpl. Thomas Reynolds, 21, who served 17 months in Iraq. Reynolds made encouraging phone calls and wrote e-mails from Iraq while Daly attended summer training sessions.
''The conversations with him made it easier,'' he said.
Feet on the ground
Reynolds, who is at Camp Pendleton in San Diego, called Daly goal-oriented.
''I think Owen's a fine example of a patriot that knows what he wants and very politically, he knows a lot about it,'' Reynolds said. ''He's one of the guys who thinks he can make a difference ... and he knows one person actually can make a difference.''
Roma Deli owner Mario Colantuono said Daly worked for him for five months, and it was hard to watch him go. Daly was helpful with customers and did numerous tasks, such as making sandwiches and mopping the floors, and always with pride.
''It's very hard to see young people going into the military. You wish them safety and that they come back,'' said Dutchess County Clerk Colette Lafuente, a family friend.
For a farewell present, Colantuono and Lafuente gave Daly $370, raised with donations from deli staff and customers.
Michelle J. Lee can be reached at mlee@poughkeepsiejournal.com
Ellie
By Michelle J. Lee
Poughkeepsie Journal
Last year, Owen Daly did research on former Prime Minister Winston Churchill amid the dreamy spires of Cambridge University in England.
This year, the 22-year-old Poughkeepsie native and recent Marist College graduate is ready for the next step: the Marines.
Daly will head down to officer candidate school next weekend at the Marine Corps Base in Quantico, Va. He will train for 10 weeks, then enter basic school for six months. Afterward, he might go to flight school or be deployed.
Daly said he was fortunate to attend college and becoming a Marine was a way to give back to his country. His decision to enlist happened in his first year of college, when he spoke with two recruiters in late September 2001.
However, Daly remained modest during an interview Saturday, his last day of work at the Roma Deli on Hoover Avenue in the City of Poughkeepsie.
''Guys like me, I don't feel like I should be telling this story,'' he said. ''The guys overseas, the ones who have been maimed, who died ... they are the real heroes.''
Daly said he was motivated by childhood friend Cpl. Thomas Reynolds, 21, who served 17 months in Iraq. Reynolds made encouraging phone calls and wrote e-mails from Iraq while Daly attended summer training sessions.
''The conversations with him made it easier,'' he said.
Feet on the ground
Reynolds, who is at Camp Pendleton in San Diego, called Daly goal-oriented.
''I think Owen's a fine example of a patriot that knows what he wants and very politically, he knows a lot about it,'' Reynolds said. ''He's one of the guys who thinks he can make a difference ... and he knows one person actually can make a difference.''
Roma Deli owner Mario Colantuono said Daly worked for him for five months, and it was hard to watch him go. Daly was helpful with customers and did numerous tasks, such as making sandwiches and mopping the floors, and always with pride.
''It's very hard to see young people going into the military. You wish them safety and that they come back,'' said Dutchess County Clerk Colette Lafuente, a family friend.
For a farewell present, Colantuono and Lafuente gave Daly $370, raised with donations from deli staff and customers.
Michelle J. Lee can be reached at mlee@poughkeepsiejournal.com
Ellie