thedrifter
04-25-06, 09:43 AM
TUESDAY, APRIL 25, 2006 12:00 AM
Three years later
Ink considers issues of Iraq and the military with a special section
BY KATIE OWENS
Ink contributor
In April 2003
A month after the Iraq invasion began, Ink ran a story on "The Next Marines," which profiled high school seniors, including Anthony Rosamond and Jared Singleton, who would be headed to boot camp instead of college. It was a time of shock and awe, when the U.S. hoped the war would be measured in months, not years. Since then, though, Anthony has served two deployments in Iraq, while Jared has worked on Marine One, the presidential helicopter. Here, Ink catches up with them.
At first glance, Anthony Rosamond and Jared Singleton seem like average guys. They share jokes, pick on one another and belittle each other's jobs. But you soon notice that these guys are different from most their age.
Singleton, who is about to turn 21, sits with good posture and a solid stature unusual for a guy relaxing on his free time, and Rosamond, 20, bears a tattoo on his arm of a machine gun, not to mention a scar at the top of his head.
Their jokes are about uniforms. They pick on one another about where they've been stationed and they laughingly depict each other's duties as worthless.
They are Marines, back home in the Lowcountry in mid-April, but only visiting. Singleton is stationed at Quantico, Va., and Rosamond is at Camp Lejeune, N.C. They sit down for an interview in the classroom of one of their former teachers at the Academic Magnet High School in North Charleston, from which they both graduated in 2003.
Rosamond and Singleton took a much different path than many of their high school classmates, most of whom went on to college.
Rosamond attributes his decision to enlist to his father, who served in the Navy, while Singleton says he always wanted to serve and originally was inspired by his uncles, who served in the Army and Marines. The friends made their decisions together the summer before their senior year, and they followed through that spring despite the initiation of the war in Iraq in March 2003.
Now, Rosamond is a machine gunner with the rank of lance corporal. He's served two tours in Iraq, including time in the Al Anbar province, where the insurgency has been especially strong, living in tight quarters with dozens of fellow Marines and narrowly avoiding death in some hairy situations.
Bullets have missed him by inches, bombs have gone off too early, rockets have whizzed overhead, and he has dodged flying mortar.
He also has lost many close friends in Iraq, sometimes witnessing their deaths firsthand. One of the most frightening and intense moments for Rosamond came at the end of one of his tours of duty in September 2004. A Humvee he was riding in was struck by an IED, or improvised explosive device, destroying the engine, tearing the machine gun off its mount, lacerating the vehicle commander and Rosamond and leaving the other passengers with minor injuries. Rosamond received seven staples in the back of his head, leaving him with a scar. But he remained in Iraq, finishing the time left in his tour of duty.
As a result of his time in Iraq, Rosamond says, he doesn't take the simple things for granted anymore, "like rooming by myself instead of with 30 people, or going to Wendy's for lunch, or wearing anything I choose to."
He is scheduled to return to Iraq in January.
Singleton is a helicopter electrician, also with the rank of lance corporal. He works specifically for Marine One, the official helicopter of the president, and his duty has taken him to places such as Denmark, Sweden and Mexico.
He is proud of his job and works hard at it, but admits to feeling a bit guilty at times for not serving in combat like other Marines do. Yet his job carries great responsibility and helps ensure the president's safety and ability to communicate while on Marine One.
With time, Rosamond and Singleton have realized that there are advantages and disadvantages to joining the military. "My experiences over the past years have been different than my friends who went to colleges," Singleton says, "but they're still good, just in a different kind of way."
Maturity comes faster than it does in college, and they agreed that the hours can be odd, strenuous and keep them away from home for months at a time. Their relationships with their families, they say, remain as strong as they were before they enlisted, but Rosamond admits that his first few trips home after training were difficult. "They expect the old you, but after being in the Marines, you're changed, and you don't have the same habits or priorities."
Even when they are away from home, they are not alone, because they both have developed long-lasting friendships with fellow Marines from across the nation.
When it comes to military recruitment and the need for young men willing to serve, Rosamond says he believes that "almost everyone" should serve. "It provides perspective and gives value to your life that you wouldn't have otherwise."
Singleton advises those who are interested in the military to investigate and learn about all the branches of the military before signing a contract. That way, they keep all of their options open and ensure that they are making the proper decision for the right reasons.
Rosamond has more than a year left in his contract, and Singleton has more than two. Neither one knows whether he will continue to serve or pursue other things once his contract is over, but they both are considering all possibilities at the moment.
They are proud of their country, they say. Wearing their uniforms and knowing they contribute to the nation's safety and security give a sense of meaning and satisfaction that may be lacking in other careers.
They attribute the past few years of success in their adult lives to the Marines. Singleton says a fellow Marine summed it up the best for him by saying, "The military doesn't change you. It just gives you the tools and means to better yourself and push yourself further."
Katie Owens is a senior at Academic Magnet. Contact her at amhscheergirl@yahoo.com.
Ellie
Three years later
Ink considers issues of Iraq and the military with a special section
BY KATIE OWENS
Ink contributor
In April 2003
A month after the Iraq invasion began, Ink ran a story on "The Next Marines," which profiled high school seniors, including Anthony Rosamond and Jared Singleton, who would be headed to boot camp instead of college. It was a time of shock and awe, when the U.S. hoped the war would be measured in months, not years. Since then, though, Anthony has served two deployments in Iraq, while Jared has worked on Marine One, the presidential helicopter. Here, Ink catches up with them.
At first glance, Anthony Rosamond and Jared Singleton seem like average guys. They share jokes, pick on one another and belittle each other's jobs. But you soon notice that these guys are different from most their age.
Singleton, who is about to turn 21, sits with good posture and a solid stature unusual for a guy relaxing on his free time, and Rosamond, 20, bears a tattoo on his arm of a machine gun, not to mention a scar at the top of his head.
Their jokes are about uniforms. They pick on one another about where they've been stationed and they laughingly depict each other's duties as worthless.
They are Marines, back home in the Lowcountry in mid-April, but only visiting. Singleton is stationed at Quantico, Va., and Rosamond is at Camp Lejeune, N.C. They sit down for an interview in the classroom of one of their former teachers at the Academic Magnet High School in North Charleston, from which they both graduated in 2003.
Rosamond and Singleton took a much different path than many of their high school classmates, most of whom went on to college.
Rosamond attributes his decision to enlist to his father, who served in the Navy, while Singleton says he always wanted to serve and originally was inspired by his uncles, who served in the Army and Marines. The friends made their decisions together the summer before their senior year, and they followed through that spring despite the initiation of the war in Iraq in March 2003.
Now, Rosamond is a machine gunner with the rank of lance corporal. He's served two tours in Iraq, including time in the Al Anbar province, where the insurgency has been especially strong, living in tight quarters with dozens of fellow Marines and narrowly avoiding death in some hairy situations.
Bullets have missed him by inches, bombs have gone off too early, rockets have whizzed overhead, and he has dodged flying mortar.
He also has lost many close friends in Iraq, sometimes witnessing their deaths firsthand. One of the most frightening and intense moments for Rosamond came at the end of one of his tours of duty in September 2004. A Humvee he was riding in was struck by an IED, or improvised explosive device, destroying the engine, tearing the machine gun off its mount, lacerating the vehicle commander and Rosamond and leaving the other passengers with minor injuries. Rosamond received seven staples in the back of his head, leaving him with a scar. But he remained in Iraq, finishing the time left in his tour of duty.
As a result of his time in Iraq, Rosamond says, he doesn't take the simple things for granted anymore, "like rooming by myself instead of with 30 people, or going to Wendy's for lunch, or wearing anything I choose to."
He is scheduled to return to Iraq in January.
Singleton is a helicopter electrician, also with the rank of lance corporal. He works specifically for Marine One, the official helicopter of the president, and his duty has taken him to places such as Denmark, Sweden and Mexico.
He is proud of his job and works hard at it, but admits to feeling a bit guilty at times for not serving in combat like other Marines do. Yet his job carries great responsibility and helps ensure the president's safety and ability to communicate while on Marine One.
With time, Rosamond and Singleton have realized that there are advantages and disadvantages to joining the military. "My experiences over the past years have been different than my friends who went to colleges," Singleton says, "but they're still good, just in a different kind of way."
Maturity comes faster than it does in college, and they agreed that the hours can be odd, strenuous and keep them away from home for months at a time. Their relationships with their families, they say, remain as strong as they were before they enlisted, but Rosamond admits that his first few trips home after training were difficult. "They expect the old you, but after being in the Marines, you're changed, and you don't have the same habits or priorities."
Even when they are away from home, they are not alone, because they both have developed long-lasting friendships with fellow Marines from across the nation.
When it comes to military recruitment and the need for young men willing to serve, Rosamond says he believes that "almost everyone" should serve. "It provides perspective and gives value to your life that you wouldn't have otherwise."
Singleton advises those who are interested in the military to investigate and learn about all the branches of the military before signing a contract. That way, they keep all of their options open and ensure that they are making the proper decision for the right reasons.
Rosamond has more than a year left in his contract, and Singleton has more than two. Neither one knows whether he will continue to serve or pursue other things once his contract is over, but they both are considering all possibilities at the moment.
They are proud of their country, they say. Wearing their uniforms and knowing they contribute to the nation's safety and security give a sense of meaning and satisfaction that may be lacking in other careers.
They attribute the past few years of success in their adult lives to the Marines. Singleton says a fellow Marine summed it up the best for him by saying, "The military doesn't change you. It just gives you the tools and means to better yourself and push yourself further."
Katie Owens is a senior at Academic Magnet. Contact her at amhscheergirl@yahoo.com.
Ellie