thedrifter
01-09-06, 07:59 AM
01/9/06 - Posted from the Daily Record newsroom
Three friends, one future: Boot camp
Bound by a calling and unafraid of war, Jefferson H.S. grads turn to the Marines
BY ABBOTT KOLOFF
DAILY RECORD
Jessica Velez told her boyfriend that he was stupid, so stupid, to be joining the military during a war.
She worried about his safety. She begged him not to join the Marines. He started talking about what it would be like to be a Marine and she told him to please stop.
"I don't want to hear about it!"she was known to scream.
Velez, 18, of Jefferson, said she is against the war in Iraq and wants American military personnel brought home. She said she was angry when her boyfriend and another friend joined the Marines last year. Then she started hanging out at the Marine recruiting office in Rockaway and worked out with some recruits. She went to her boyfriend's boot camp graduation. She got to thinking.
Much to her surprise, not to mention friends and family, the young woman who is against the Iraq war and who opposes hunting signed on to learn how to use a rifle and become a wartime Marine reserve.
"Yeah, I know, it's weird," she said the other day. "None of my answers make sense."
She is one of three 2005 Jefferson High School graduates, all longtime friends, who plan to board a plane Jan. 23 to be flown to South Carolina where they will begin basic training with the Marines on Parris Island.
The three teenagers have disparate opinions about the war in Iraq. They had different career goals. But now they have come to similar conclusions about their futures. They all said they were looking for something, perhaps a "sense of belonging." They all said some friends tried to talk them out of joining the Marines. They said some of their parents were not exactly thrilled when they first announced their plans.
Military recruiting officers acknowledge that it has become harder to get young people to join the military because of the Iraq war. Numbers provided by the Marines this past week show statewide enlistment took a dip last year, with 873 young people enlisting in 2005. That's down 18 percent from the previous year and more than 100 short of the Marines' recruiting goals for the state. Local recruiters said they haven't had trouble getting young people to join the Marines in Morris County, but added that many potential recruits ask the same question:
"Will I go to war?"
Combat an option
Master Sergeant Jonathan Cooper, a recruiter in the Marines' Rockaway office, said he tells potential recruits that they are all going to be trained as rifleman, so yes, combat is an option. Recruits said Cooper doesn't sugarcoat the war, that he tells them about the possibility of combat and also focuses on the pride of being a Marine. He said he tells them Marines are family, always ready to help one another, even long after they hang up their uniforms.
That appears to be the main attraction for Velez and two friends from Jefferson --Jonathan Shaw, 19, and Eduardo Rivera, 18. They all said they weren't always the most obedient of students. They all said they weren't known for listening to authority figures. So why did they decide to join an organization where chain of command is all important, where disobeying orders is not an option? They all said they want to make changes in their lives, to meet challenges, to grow up.
Velez said she was scared when her boyfriend, Dennis Kucevic, 20, a 2004 Jefferson High graduate, joined the Marines last year. Kucevic recently completed combat and job training, and will be stationed part-time in Red Bank as a reservist -- although he said he knows he could be sent to war. Velez said she tried to talk him out of joining but something clicked when she attended his graduation from boot camp this past September. She had been going to the Rockaway recruiting office to work out with other recruits and her friends say she was as tough as anyone there. She started talking to Cooper about the possibility of becoming a Marine.
"I never saw that one coming," Cooper said.
Friends who worked with her at a pizzeria told her she was crazy. Some of her friends suggested she was "too girly."One friend told her that she was the type to go shopping at the mall, not the type to carry a weapon. Her father supported her decision but Velez said her mother told her to go to college. She has been taking classes at County College of Morris and said she plans to continue in about six months -- after she completes boot camp, combat training and job training. She had been thinking about becoming a social worker. Now, she will work as an administrative clerk in the Marines, and she talks about taking criminal justice courses.
Six-year enlistment
She signed up to be a Marine reserve for six years and will be stationed part-time at Red Bank, same as her boyfriend. She knows there's a chance she will be sent to Iraq. She said that did not affect her decision to join the Marines. She opposes the Iraq war, and said there is little point to the fighting "because there will never be peace there." Yet, she did not hesitate to answer when asked if she was prepared to risk her life in Iraq.
"Yes, weirdly enough," Velez said.
She said she is excited and nervous about the 13-week Parris Island boot camp. She won't get to see much of her friends there, she said, because men and women are segregated. She said she joined the Marines because it appears to be the most challenging of the military services. She said some of her notions about life in the Marines come from the movies, and the rest from her boyfriend and recruiters. She said her boyfriend seemed more serious when he came back from boot camp. That was appealing, the notion of change, becoming more serious, overcoming obstacles to reach a goal.
"The Marines are the toughest and it would be awesome to be part of it," Velez said. "My dad said, 'Why don't you join the Navy?'-- but if I'm going to go, I'm going to go all out."
One of her other friends, Jonathan Shaw, had signed on to become a Marine earlier last year. Shaw said he wasn't sure what he wanted to do with his life. Then Kucevic, Velez's boyfriend, started talking to him about the Marines. Shaw kept passing a Marine recruiting table in the Jefferson High School cafeteria last year until one day Cooper noticed him and they started talking. Shaw said he was thinking about going to college but added that school was not really his thing. He said he wasn't sure he had the discipline to get through college. He figures he will be a different person by the end of boot camp. He appears eager to make some changes.
"I know that having discipline will help me," he said.
Shaw said he has no objections to the war in Iraq, but a part of him appears to be conflicted. He said "I don't 100 percent support the reasons we went to war." Then he said that while Bush administration officials were wrong about Iraq having weapons of mass destruction, they weren't lying. He said none of that matters now. He went on to say that bringing troops home now, as Velez advocates, before the job is done, would turn Iraq into a haven for terrorists that would lead to more violence later on.
"I think the focus should be on the people over there, and what they need," he said. "People should stop worrying about why we went."
Shaw, who sells cell phones at the Rockaway Townsquare mall, said he didn't go to boot camp after signing last March because he wanted to get into better shape. Unlike his friends who signed up for six years in the reserves, he signed up for four years of active duty. He said he might want to make a career out of the Marines, to attend officer's school if he decides to re-enlist. He said that he expects to go to Iraq. His job specialty is combat support.
"Anybody who's not nervous about going over there has to be crazy," Shaw said. "But somebody has to do the job."
Rivera signed up with the Marines right before Thanksgiving last year, a month after Velez. He said he had an idea about what he wanted to do with his life. He's always dreamed of owning his own music recording studio. Then he started taking some classes at CCM. He said they were too abstract, that he couldn't wait to start doing something tangible with his life. Shaw and Velez talked to him about the Marines. He went to the recruiting office to talk to Cooper. Then he talked to his parents.
"Are you crazy?" his mother said, according to Rivera.
"You know how moms are,"Rivera said.
He signed a six-year contract to be an electrician with the Marine reserves, but said he might switch to full-time active duty after two years. He said he wants to go to Iraq "to see what it's like over there." He said he wants to support his "fellow troops." But he also seems to have some conflicted views on the war. He said he wasn't sure whether it was about oil. He also said he likes the idea of helping to rebuild another country. He said he has been both against the war, and for it. Yet, when he talks about going to Iraq, he doesn't seem conflicted at all.
"I worry about dying, but then again, it's part of your job, your duty to your country," he said.
Iraq debate
They have known one another for years, working on school projects together, going snowboarding together. They have different views on the war and politics. Rivera said he would have voted for George Bush had he been old enough to vote in the last presidential election. Velez said she never would have voted for Bush. Shaw would not say what candidate he supported. As they prepare to go to boot camp, they use similar words to describe their expectations. They talk about pride, discipline, and belonging to something important. They are being driven more by their similarities than their differences. They still debate Iraq but said they have figured out a way to smooth things over when the discussion gets too heated.
They stop talking about the war.
Abbott Koloff can be reached at (973) 989-0652
Ellie
Three friends, one future: Boot camp
Bound by a calling and unafraid of war, Jefferson H.S. grads turn to the Marines
BY ABBOTT KOLOFF
DAILY RECORD
Jessica Velez told her boyfriend that he was stupid, so stupid, to be joining the military during a war.
She worried about his safety. She begged him not to join the Marines. He started talking about what it would be like to be a Marine and she told him to please stop.
"I don't want to hear about it!"she was known to scream.
Velez, 18, of Jefferson, said she is against the war in Iraq and wants American military personnel brought home. She said she was angry when her boyfriend and another friend joined the Marines last year. Then she started hanging out at the Marine recruiting office in Rockaway and worked out with some recruits. She went to her boyfriend's boot camp graduation. She got to thinking.
Much to her surprise, not to mention friends and family, the young woman who is against the Iraq war and who opposes hunting signed on to learn how to use a rifle and become a wartime Marine reserve.
"Yeah, I know, it's weird," she said the other day. "None of my answers make sense."
She is one of three 2005 Jefferson High School graduates, all longtime friends, who plan to board a plane Jan. 23 to be flown to South Carolina where they will begin basic training with the Marines on Parris Island.
The three teenagers have disparate opinions about the war in Iraq. They had different career goals. But now they have come to similar conclusions about their futures. They all said they were looking for something, perhaps a "sense of belonging." They all said some friends tried to talk them out of joining the Marines. They said some of their parents were not exactly thrilled when they first announced their plans.
Military recruiting officers acknowledge that it has become harder to get young people to join the military because of the Iraq war. Numbers provided by the Marines this past week show statewide enlistment took a dip last year, with 873 young people enlisting in 2005. That's down 18 percent from the previous year and more than 100 short of the Marines' recruiting goals for the state. Local recruiters said they haven't had trouble getting young people to join the Marines in Morris County, but added that many potential recruits ask the same question:
"Will I go to war?"
Combat an option
Master Sergeant Jonathan Cooper, a recruiter in the Marines' Rockaway office, said he tells potential recruits that they are all going to be trained as rifleman, so yes, combat is an option. Recruits said Cooper doesn't sugarcoat the war, that he tells them about the possibility of combat and also focuses on the pride of being a Marine. He said he tells them Marines are family, always ready to help one another, even long after they hang up their uniforms.
That appears to be the main attraction for Velez and two friends from Jefferson --Jonathan Shaw, 19, and Eduardo Rivera, 18. They all said they weren't always the most obedient of students. They all said they weren't known for listening to authority figures. So why did they decide to join an organization where chain of command is all important, where disobeying orders is not an option? They all said they want to make changes in their lives, to meet challenges, to grow up.
Velez said she was scared when her boyfriend, Dennis Kucevic, 20, a 2004 Jefferson High graduate, joined the Marines last year. Kucevic recently completed combat and job training, and will be stationed part-time in Red Bank as a reservist -- although he said he knows he could be sent to war. Velez said she tried to talk him out of joining but something clicked when she attended his graduation from boot camp this past September. She had been going to the Rockaway recruiting office to work out with other recruits and her friends say she was as tough as anyone there. She started talking to Cooper about the possibility of becoming a Marine.
"I never saw that one coming," Cooper said.
Friends who worked with her at a pizzeria told her she was crazy. Some of her friends suggested she was "too girly."One friend told her that she was the type to go shopping at the mall, not the type to carry a weapon. Her father supported her decision but Velez said her mother told her to go to college. She has been taking classes at County College of Morris and said she plans to continue in about six months -- after she completes boot camp, combat training and job training. She had been thinking about becoming a social worker. Now, she will work as an administrative clerk in the Marines, and she talks about taking criminal justice courses.
Six-year enlistment
She signed up to be a Marine reserve for six years and will be stationed part-time at Red Bank, same as her boyfriend. She knows there's a chance she will be sent to Iraq. She said that did not affect her decision to join the Marines. She opposes the Iraq war, and said there is little point to the fighting "because there will never be peace there." Yet, she did not hesitate to answer when asked if she was prepared to risk her life in Iraq.
"Yes, weirdly enough," Velez said.
She said she is excited and nervous about the 13-week Parris Island boot camp. She won't get to see much of her friends there, she said, because men and women are segregated. She said she joined the Marines because it appears to be the most challenging of the military services. She said some of her notions about life in the Marines come from the movies, and the rest from her boyfriend and recruiters. She said her boyfriend seemed more serious when he came back from boot camp. That was appealing, the notion of change, becoming more serious, overcoming obstacles to reach a goal.
"The Marines are the toughest and it would be awesome to be part of it," Velez said. "My dad said, 'Why don't you join the Navy?'-- but if I'm going to go, I'm going to go all out."
One of her other friends, Jonathan Shaw, had signed on to become a Marine earlier last year. Shaw said he wasn't sure what he wanted to do with his life. Then Kucevic, Velez's boyfriend, started talking to him about the Marines. Shaw kept passing a Marine recruiting table in the Jefferson High School cafeteria last year until one day Cooper noticed him and they started talking. Shaw said he was thinking about going to college but added that school was not really his thing. He said he wasn't sure he had the discipline to get through college. He figures he will be a different person by the end of boot camp. He appears eager to make some changes.
"I know that having discipline will help me," he said.
Shaw said he has no objections to the war in Iraq, but a part of him appears to be conflicted. He said "I don't 100 percent support the reasons we went to war." Then he said that while Bush administration officials were wrong about Iraq having weapons of mass destruction, they weren't lying. He said none of that matters now. He went on to say that bringing troops home now, as Velez advocates, before the job is done, would turn Iraq into a haven for terrorists that would lead to more violence later on.
"I think the focus should be on the people over there, and what they need," he said. "People should stop worrying about why we went."
Shaw, who sells cell phones at the Rockaway Townsquare mall, said he didn't go to boot camp after signing last March because he wanted to get into better shape. Unlike his friends who signed up for six years in the reserves, he signed up for four years of active duty. He said he might want to make a career out of the Marines, to attend officer's school if he decides to re-enlist. He said that he expects to go to Iraq. His job specialty is combat support.
"Anybody who's not nervous about going over there has to be crazy," Shaw said. "But somebody has to do the job."
Rivera signed up with the Marines right before Thanksgiving last year, a month after Velez. He said he had an idea about what he wanted to do with his life. He's always dreamed of owning his own music recording studio. Then he started taking some classes at CCM. He said they were too abstract, that he couldn't wait to start doing something tangible with his life. Shaw and Velez talked to him about the Marines. He went to the recruiting office to talk to Cooper. Then he talked to his parents.
"Are you crazy?" his mother said, according to Rivera.
"You know how moms are,"Rivera said.
He signed a six-year contract to be an electrician with the Marine reserves, but said he might switch to full-time active duty after two years. He said he wants to go to Iraq "to see what it's like over there." He said he wants to support his "fellow troops." But he also seems to have some conflicted views on the war. He said he wasn't sure whether it was about oil. He also said he likes the idea of helping to rebuild another country. He said he has been both against the war, and for it. Yet, when he talks about going to Iraq, he doesn't seem conflicted at all.
"I worry about dying, but then again, it's part of your job, your duty to your country," he said.
Iraq debate
They have known one another for years, working on school projects together, going snowboarding together. They have different views on the war and politics. Rivera said he would have voted for George Bush had he been old enough to vote in the last presidential election. Velez said she never would have voted for Bush. Shaw would not say what candidate he supported. As they prepare to go to boot camp, they use similar words to describe their expectations. They talk about pride, discipline, and belonging to something important. They are being driven more by their similarities than their differences. They still debate Iraq but said they have figured out a way to smooth things over when the discussion gets too heated.
They stop talking about the war.
Abbott Koloff can be reached at (973) 989-0652
Ellie