thedrifter
05-05-06, 05:06 AM
Ready to take on the world
Prep athletes honored to pick military careers
SAM MELLINGER High schools
Stephen Green is a senior at Bishop Miege, but really, he could be at any school in the Kansas City area. He’s 6 feet tall, 175 pounds, bright, a member of National Honor Society.
He’s also pretty decent in the javelin — third at the Miege Invitational — but that’s not why you should get to know his story.
Exactly one month from today, Green will ship off to perhaps the most important and life-changing 13 weeks of his life: Marine Corps boot camp.
“I’m really looking forward to it,” Green says. “I’m excited for the challenge.”
Green is fully capable of getting into most any college he wanted, but all he’s ever wanted was to join the Marines. He has always looked up to his big brother, John, who hopped in mom’s car one day after cross-country practice his freshman year and announced, “I’m going to be a Marine.” Now Stephen wants to do the same thing, food service, just like his older brother.
For the next few weeks, state championships will be won and lost on both sides of the state line. Boys and girls will dress up and pin each other with flowers for prom night, they’ll toss their caps on graduation day. Some of them will take on more than most.
Green and a handful of others from the Kansas City area will, literally, take on the world. Regardless of what you think about the war effort, theirs are the stories that matter most.
Austin Bills is a catcher for De Soto High. He’s hitting .455 with eight stolen bases for a 12-3 team (through Wednesday), and at one point held out hope he’d be able to play football or baseball in college.
He’s since decided to join the Navy. His eight-week boot camp starts Aug. 23, and he’ll have a commitment for five years active duty and three years inactive. He’ll be an aviation structural mechanic, which means he’ll be working on the outside of airplanes, mostly in Florida.
He comes from a military family. An uncle was in the Marines, an aunt in the Air Force, a grandfather in the Navy, a cousin even did a stint in Iraq.
He plans on using the Montgomery G.I. Bill to pay for college. He’s always liked animals, maybe he’ll study zoology.
“Why did I pick the Navy? I wanted to get out and see the world,” Bills says. “I wanted to do something that people would be able to be proud of me for.”
Brandon Lassiter is a senior at Lawrence High, a standout both with the football and track teams. He’s one of three Kansas City-area kids who signed to play football at the Air Force. His motivation is more football field than battlefield.
He chose Air Force over Yale, where he also could have played, and Miami (Fla.) and Kansas, where he couldn’t have. His father was in the Navy, mom was in the Marines, so he feels like he has a decent idea of what his life will be like.
He’ll study engineering and spend much of his days with football. But he also keeps an eye on the news about the war on terror, and says he thinks about the worst every time he hears of another soldier dying.
The next chapter of his life begins June 29, with boot camp in Colorado Springs.
“I don’t think I’m looking forward to it,” Lassiter says. “It’s something I’m going to do and put forth my best effort.”
It’s impossible not to applaud these boys and each of the other 50,000 or so graduating high school seniors who plan to enlist in the military this summer. Their pending sacrifices put the proper perspective on any sporting event — high school, professional, whatever — you’ll see.
It’s also impossible not to worry. This war has already gone on longer than most expected. Polls show the American public growing more and more doubtful of the reasons we’re there in the first place. The death count among our troops has passed 2,000 — more than the four-year enrollment of all but four Kansas City-area high schools.
Marijane and Andy Green, Stephen Green’s parents, have all these thoughts. They check the news constantly. When the stories come out describing the soldiers who died, each time the Greens see their sons in the articles. The quotes from friends and family members always seem to talk about how the kids had other options but felt a greater calling to serve their country.
It’s a strange mixture of terrified and proud running through their minds.
“First off, I should qualify by saying I’m not taking a political position on the war or anything with you,” Andy says. “Anybody doing this, I give them my full support, always. But I do have some concerns about how long it’s taking and what the outcome is going to be. You hate to think, ‘Are we really going to make a positive difference when it’s all over?’ People are losing their lives over this.
“I’m very proud of them for risking everything for their country. I just have to hope and pray our leaders make informed decisions with our best interests in mind.”
Ryan Whipple is already two years deep in this. Four times he made all-state in cross country while at Kearney High and got honorable mention in The Star’s scholar-athlete program. He could have done most anything with his post-high-school life.
He chose to go into the Navy. He originally wanted to fly, but he has a problem with his color vision, so now he’s looking into intelligence. He briefly drove a frigate in the Gulf of Mexico, took a submarine in the ocean, and this summer will fly in some of the world’s most advanced jets and helicopters.
“Not to say I wouldn’t be happy back home at (Missouri) with all my friends, which is probably what I’d be doing,” Whipple says. “But this is giving me all kinds of opportunities.”
Whipple’s first year in the Navy meant daily 6:30 a.m. wakeup calls, no music, no movies, no games, basically no freedom. Even now, at the end of his second year, Whipple’s days are mostly planned out.
No frat parties. No skipping class to have a beer. No sleeping in. They march in formation to lunch at the Navy.
Whipple says he wouldn’t trade his lifestyle for anything. Knowing he’ll soon be part of the war effort gives him a greater sense of purpose, not a reason for an ulcer. It’s not for everyone, of course.
But for Whipple, it sure beats anything else he could imagine doing.
“It’s important for people to live in a free world,” he says. “People have to fight for that.”
To reach Sam Mellinger, high school sports columnist for The Star, call (816) 234-4389 or send e-mail to smellinger@kcstar.com
Ellie
Prep athletes honored to pick military careers
SAM MELLINGER High schools
Stephen Green is a senior at Bishop Miege, but really, he could be at any school in the Kansas City area. He’s 6 feet tall, 175 pounds, bright, a member of National Honor Society.
He’s also pretty decent in the javelin — third at the Miege Invitational — but that’s not why you should get to know his story.
Exactly one month from today, Green will ship off to perhaps the most important and life-changing 13 weeks of his life: Marine Corps boot camp.
“I’m really looking forward to it,” Green says. “I’m excited for the challenge.”
Green is fully capable of getting into most any college he wanted, but all he’s ever wanted was to join the Marines. He has always looked up to his big brother, John, who hopped in mom’s car one day after cross-country practice his freshman year and announced, “I’m going to be a Marine.” Now Stephen wants to do the same thing, food service, just like his older brother.
For the next few weeks, state championships will be won and lost on both sides of the state line. Boys and girls will dress up and pin each other with flowers for prom night, they’ll toss their caps on graduation day. Some of them will take on more than most.
Green and a handful of others from the Kansas City area will, literally, take on the world. Regardless of what you think about the war effort, theirs are the stories that matter most.
Austin Bills is a catcher for De Soto High. He’s hitting .455 with eight stolen bases for a 12-3 team (through Wednesday), and at one point held out hope he’d be able to play football or baseball in college.
He’s since decided to join the Navy. His eight-week boot camp starts Aug. 23, and he’ll have a commitment for five years active duty and three years inactive. He’ll be an aviation structural mechanic, which means he’ll be working on the outside of airplanes, mostly in Florida.
He comes from a military family. An uncle was in the Marines, an aunt in the Air Force, a grandfather in the Navy, a cousin even did a stint in Iraq.
He plans on using the Montgomery G.I. Bill to pay for college. He’s always liked animals, maybe he’ll study zoology.
“Why did I pick the Navy? I wanted to get out and see the world,” Bills says. “I wanted to do something that people would be able to be proud of me for.”
Brandon Lassiter is a senior at Lawrence High, a standout both with the football and track teams. He’s one of three Kansas City-area kids who signed to play football at the Air Force. His motivation is more football field than battlefield.
He chose Air Force over Yale, where he also could have played, and Miami (Fla.) and Kansas, where he couldn’t have. His father was in the Navy, mom was in the Marines, so he feels like he has a decent idea of what his life will be like.
He’ll study engineering and spend much of his days with football. But he also keeps an eye on the news about the war on terror, and says he thinks about the worst every time he hears of another soldier dying.
The next chapter of his life begins June 29, with boot camp in Colorado Springs.
“I don’t think I’m looking forward to it,” Lassiter says. “It’s something I’m going to do and put forth my best effort.”
It’s impossible not to applaud these boys and each of the other 50,000 or so graduating high school seniors who plan to enlist in the military this summer. Their pending sacrifices put the proper perspective on any sporting event — high school, professional, whatever — you’ll see.
It’s also impossible not to worry. This war has already gone on longer than most expected. Polls show the American public growing more and more doubtful of the reasons we’re there in the first place. The death count among our troops has passed 2,000 — more than the four-year enrollment of all but four Kansas City-area high schools.
Marijane and Andy Green, Stephen Green’s parents, have all these thoughts. They check the news constantly. When the stories come out describing the soldiers who died, each time the Greens see their sons in the articles. The quotes from friends and family members always seem to talk about how the kids had other options but felt a greater calling to serve their country.
It’s a strange mixture of terrified and proud running through their minds.
“First off, I should qualify by saying I’m not taking a political position on the war or anything with you,” Andy says. “Anybody doing this, I give them my full support, always. But I do have some concerns about how long it’s taking and what the outcome is going to be. You hate to think, ‘Are we really going to make a positive difference when it’s all over?’ People are losing their lives over this.
“I’m very proud of them for risking everything for their country. I just have to hope and pray our leaders make informed decisions with our best interests in mind.”
Ryan Whipple is already two years deep in this. Four times he made all-state in cross country while at Kearney High and got honorable mention in The Star’s scholar-athlete program. He could have done most anything with his post-high-school life.
He chose to go into the Navy. He originally wanted to fly, but he has a problem with his color vision, so now he’s looking into intelligence. He briefly drove a frigate in the Gulf of Mexico, took a submarine in the ocean, and this summer will fly in some of the world’s most advanced jets and helicopters.
“Not to say I wouldn’t be happy back home at (Missouri) with all my friends, which is probably what I’d be doing,” Whipple says. “But this is giving me all kinds of opportunities.”
Whipple’s first year in the Navy meant daily 6:30 a.m. wakeup calls, no music, no movies, no games, basically no freedom. Even now, at the end of his second year, Whipple’s days are mostly planned out.
No frat parties. No skipping class to have a beer. No sleeping in. They march in formation to lunch at the Navy.
Whipple says he wouldn’t trade his lifestyle for anything. Knowing he’ll soon be part of the war effort gives him a greater sense of purpose, not a reason for an ulcer. It’s not for everyone, of course.
But for Whipple, it sure beats anything else he could imagine doing.
“It’s important for people to live in a free world,” he says. “People have to fight for that.”
To reach Sam Mellinger, high school sports columnist for The Star, call (816) 234-4389 or send e-mail to smellinger@kcstar.com
Ellie