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thedrifter
03-13-06, 06:12 AM
‘Best day of my life’ for new Marines officer
By TODD MCHALE
Burlington County Times

SOUTHAMPTON — From the halls of Montezuma to the shores of Tripoli ...

Matthew Gersbach is familiar with the first line of the hymn of the U.S. Marine Corps, and with this line: We are proud to claim the title of United States Marines.

If Gersbach had sung a personalized version of that line yesterday, if could have gone like this: I am proud to claim the title of United States Marine second lieutenant.

“This is the best day of my life,” Gersbach said yesterday after he was commissioned as an officer in the U.S. Marine Corps during a service at the Trinity Episcopal Church.

“This is a very big day for Matt-hew,” U.S. Marine Capt. Sharon Dubow told the congregation, which included friends and family of Gersbach. “Today, Matthew starts his Marine Corps career. This is the culmination of a lot of hard work and training completed by Matthew.”

Gersbach, a 24-year-old Tabernacle native, said he felt his childhood church was the perfect place for the commissioning ceremony.

“I've been going to this church for my whole life,” Gersbach said. “Father (Peter) Molnar has always been in my corner.”

While Gersbach has been committed to serving in the military for years, it wasn't until recently that he turned to the Marines.


He attended the Air Force Academy in Colorado for three years, then returned to New Jersey and earned a bachelor's degree at Thomas Edison State College. He said he decided to join the Marines in part because they could guarantee him that he could pursue his dream of flying.

“I'd love to fly a fighter, but chances are I will be flying a helicopter,” said Gersbach, who earned a private pilot's license while he was a student at Shaw-nee High School in Medford. “It's cool, though, because the air mission is to provide close air support for the grunts on the ground.”

His parents, Jane and Charles, said they could not be more proud of their son's accomplishments.

“I'm proud because he's worked so hard to get here,” Jane Gersbach said. “... He finally got what he wanted.”

Dubow said she believes Gersbach will do well in the Marines.

“He will do good because he's motivated,” Dubow said. “He's in it for the right reasons.”

He'll have some big responsibilities resting on his shoulders soon enough.

“His responsibility first and foremost is that he is a leader of Marines,” Dubow said.

Ellie