thedrifter
10-09-05, 06:10 AM
New Marine finds refuge in Corps after years of mourning lost sister
MCRD San Diego
Story by Pvt. Charlie Chavez
MARINE CORPS RECRUIT DEPOT SAN DIEGO, Calif. (Oct. 7, 2005) -- Disturbed by the loss of his sister, her boyfriend and his family at the age of 15, a Company G recruit lived through the traumatizing experience of a grieving loss at a young age, which ultimately compelled him to join the Marine Corps.
Pvt. Adam Boss, Platoon 2113, was impacted in several ways after his sister was murdered in one of several killings in their hometown, Muskegon Mich., Nov. 30, 1998.
The 21-year old spoke of the day vividly: "It was Thanksgiving weekend, and she went to eat another Thanksgiving dinner at her boyfriend's house," said Boss. "That's when it all went wrong."
Authorities in Muskegon said that the shootings began before 1:30 p.m., and the murderer, Seth Privacky's motive was that his father had threatened to kick him out of their home, according to "The Michigan Daily."
Privacky murdered his entire family, then he shot April Boss in the kitchen after she had come inside and witnessed the bodies on the floor.
Privacky then contacted a friend, who came to help him move the bodies to make it look like a robbery. Boss' parents, concerned for their daughter, drove to the Privacky home later that evening and found someone standing over the father Stephen Privacky's body, so they called the authorities immediately.
Authorities apprehended Steven Wallace, who was still at the crime scene, and Seth Privacky the next day after a thirteen-hour pursuit, according to the local paper.
"After my sister passed away, it was really hard for me to focus on school and my extra-curricular activities," said Boss. "We were really close."
Boss was in line for a football scholarship, but he started seeing his grades decline after his sisters passing.
"Things that seemed important before just lost their meaning to me. I just didn't care anymore," said Boss. "The way I treated people changed because I masked my emotions."
After losing his scholarship to players with better grades, Boss worked several jobs after high school. Not going to college took its toll on Boss, who went directly into the work force.
Originally, Boss had an idea to go to the Marine Corps out of high school, but his girlfriend didn't want him to go.
"My girlfriend is two-years younger than me. She didn't want me to leave, so I stayed around, despite my problems," said Boss.
Boss' girlfriend ended up joining the Marine Corps when she graduated high school.
"She and I decided that our life where we were was not going the way we wanted it to. We needed to get out of our town, so we did just that," said Boss.
Boss's father Gary backed up his son's decision to join the Marine Corps and supported him.
"I was hoping he would go to college, but instead he worked four or five different jobs," said Gary Boss. "He loves to work with his hands. That's probably why he wanted to become a combat engineer."
Working in a local body shop introduced and helped entertain the idea in his mind, according to Boss.
"I was just getting tired of working so much, I felt like I needed to do something else," said Boss. "I got this job working in a body shop and my boss, Hugh White, was a retired master sergeant. He influenced me."
Having had reoccurring feelings about joining the Marine Corps since high school, Boss said the respect he had for White went deeper than just respecting his authority.
"He told me that the man he is today is different from who he was before, and it was because of the Marine Corps," said Boss. "That made me think even more about what I wanted."
After attempting to join the Marines, Boss was held up due to medical problems.
"My teeth needed to be fixed," said Boss. "So it delayed me. My girlfriend left without me. I was supposed to go to Parris Island for boot camp, which didn't work out."
Despite the obstacles that Boss encountered, his determination brought him to San Diego where he has worked to earn the title Marine.
"He is an average recruit. He does what he has to," said Gunnery Sgt. Abel T. Leal, drill instructor, Platoon 2113. "He is an enforcer though. He makes other recruits get things done when they have to, and he has made it through."
Although still hurt by his experiences, his thoughts on what transpired on that particular weekend have helped him to work his way through boot camp.
"I get mad at what happened sometimes," said Boss. "I think that joining the Marines made me 10 times the man than the person who took my sister from me."
Ellie
MCRD San Diego
Story by Pvt. Charlie Chavez
MARINE CORPS RECRUIT DEPOT SAN DIEGO, Calif. (Oct. 7, 2005) -- Disturbed by the loss of his sister, her boyfriend and his family at the age of 15, a Company G recruit lived through the traumatizing experience of a grieving loss at a young age, which ultimately compelled him to join the Marine Corps.
Pvt. Adam Boss, Platoon 2113, was impacted in several ways after his sister was murdered in one of several killings in their hometown, Muskegon Mich., Nov. 30, 1998.
The 21-year old spoke of the day vividly: "It was Thanksgiving weekend, and she went to eat another Thanksgiving dinner at her boyfriend's house," said Boss. "That's when it all went wrong."
Authorities in Muskegon said that the shootings began before 1:30 p.m., and the murderer, Seth Privacky's motive was that his father had threatened to kick him out of their home, according to "The Michigan Daily."
Privacky murdered his entire family, then he shot April Boss in the kitchen after she had come inside and witnessed the bodies on the floor.
Privacky then contacted a friend, who came to help him move the bodies to make it look like a robbery. Boss' parents, concerned for their daughter, drove to the Privacky home later that evening and found someone standing over the father Stephen Privacky's body, so they called the authorities immediately.
Authorities apprehended Steven Wallace, who was still at the crime scene, and Seth Privacky the next day after a thirteen-hour pursuit, according to the local paper.
"After my sister passed away, it was really hard for me to focus on school and my extra-curricular activities," said Boss. "We were really close."
Boss was in line for a football scholarship, but he started seeing his grades decline after his sisters passing.
"Things that seemed important before just lost their meaning to me. I just didn't care anymore," said Boss. "The way I treated people changed because I masked my emotions."
After losing his scholarship to players with better grades, Boss worked several jobs after high school. Not going to college took its toll on Boss, who went directly into the work force.
Originally, Boss had an idea to go to the Marine Corps out of high school, but his girlfriend didn't want him to go.
"My girlfriend is two-years younger than me. She didn't want me to leave, so I stayed around, despite my problems," said Boss.
Boss' girlfriend ended up joining the Marine Corps when she graduated high school.
"She and I decided that our life where we were was not going the way we wanted it to. We needed to get out of our town, so we did just that," said Boss.
Boss's father Gary backed up his son's decision to join the Marine Corps and supported him.
"I was hoping he would go to college, but instead he worked four or five different jobs," said Gary Boss. "He loves to work with his hands. That's probably why he wanted to become a combat engineer."
Working in a local body shop introduced and helped entertain the idea in his mind, according to Boss.
"I was just getting tired of working so much, I felt like I needed to do something else," said Boss. "I got this job working in a body shop and my boss, Hugh White, was a retired master sergeant. He influenced me."
Having had reoccurring feelings about joining the Marine Corps since high school, Boss said the respect he had for White went deeper than just respecting his authority.
"He told me that the man he is today is different from who he was before, and it was because of the Marine Corps," said Boss. "That made me think even more about what I wanted."
After attempting to join the Marines, Boss was held up due to medical problems.
"My teeth needed to be fixed," said Boss. "So it delayed me. My girlfriend left without me. I was supposed to go to Parris Island for boot camp, which didn't work out."
Despite the obstacles that Boss encountered, his determination brought him to San Diego where he has worked to earn the title Marine.
"He is an average recruit. He does what he has to," said Gunnery Sgt. Abel T. Leal, drill instructor, Platoon 2113. "He is an enforcer though. He makes other recruits get things done when they have to, and he has made it through."
Although still hurt by his experiences, his thoughts on what transpired on that particular weekend have helped him to work his way through boot camp.
"I get mad at what happened sometimes," said Boss. "I think that joining the Marines made me 10 times the man than the person who took my sister from me."
Ellie