thedrifter
05-06-06, 07:12 AM
Local Marines in same platoon finish boot camp
By PAT KINNEY, Courier Business Editor
WATERLOO --- Northeast Iowa was well represented in one platoon of recent Marine boot camp graduates from Camp Pendleton, Calif.
Pfc. Justin Oleson of Cedar Falls and Pvts. Mark Maddigan of Oelwein and Kevin Miller of Allison recently completed boot camp and are working at the Waterloo Marine recruiting center until they are sent for training in their various specialty areas.
Having three recruits from the same area in the same platoon is "kind of unique," said Sgt. Brian Connor of the Waterloo Marine Recruiting Office. "It's the first time I've ever seen it."
All entered the service for different reasons and will specialize in different areas.
Maddigan, 17, a graduate of Oelwein High School, was told the Marines would be a good experience for a career in law enforcement. He will receive training in security. His potential duty assignments could vary from being a U.S. embassy guard to protecting the president of the United States.
"I was looking at SWAT, something like that, and one of our substitute teachers, he was formerly a Marine, and he told me if I wanted to do something like that, especially in the big city, you should go into the military, especially the Marines, because they looked at prior service," Maddigan said. "One of my buddies two years ahead of me in high school joined the Marines, and I saw what it did for him."
Oleson, 23, a graduate of Cedar Falls High School and the University of Iowa, studied in college to work with the mentally ill but switched interests, leaning toward intelligence. He will receive training as a Middle East cryptological linguist. He will be trained in a Middle Eastern language and looks to the Marines as valuable experience toward an eventual government job with one of the intelligence agencies.
When time came to change careers, "I've felt like maybe I should do something that involves serving the country. I felt I should contribute some way," Oleson said. That's why he joined the Marines. "At the same time, it fit into my career plans as well."
Miller, 18, a graduate of Waverly Shell-Rock High School, has been interested in the Marines as long as he can remember. He will receive infantry training and had an opportunity to lead a squad in boot camp.
Miller wants to get into one of the Marine forced reconnaissance units. "But it's a very elite branch that you have to be trained for," he said, similar to U.S. Army Special Forces.
Infantry training can take a recruit in a number of different directions or specialties, Connor said, and teaches one leadership and management skills, which are "very competitive on the job market."
"I've always wanted to join the Marines. They actually had no problem with me, other than I wanted to join too early," at 16, Miller said. "They got tired of me coming in and finally enlisted me. The Marine Corps has always been a passion of mine. As far as I can remember, I always wanted to be a Marine, mainly for the dress blues, but now there's many reasons why I like the Marines. I'd read anything Marine Corps. If it had the word 'Marine' in it, I wanted to see it, read it, hear about it. The Marines have a lot of history behind them. That's what intrigued me, the prestige with the name."
Recruits pick several areas of interest, and the Marines tries to match them up with those areas, depending on their aptitude and where they're most needed.
"They know the job field they're going into. They don't always know exactly where they're going until they go to school," Connor said.
Contact Pat Kinney at (319) 291-1484 or Pat.Kinney@wcfcourier.com.
Ellie
By PAT KINNEY, Courier Business Editor
WATERLOO --- Northeast Iowa was well represented in one platoon of recent Marine boot camp graduates from Camp Pendleton, Calif.
Pfc. Justin Oleson of Cedar Falls and Pvts. Mark Maddigan of Oelwein and Kevin Miller of Allison recently completed boot camp and are working at the Waterloo Marine recruiting center until they are sent for training in their various specialty areas.
Having three recruits from the same area in the same platoon is "kind of unique," said Sgt. Brian Connor of the Waterloo Marine Recruiting Office. "It's the first time I've ever seen it."
All entered the service for different reasons and will specialize in different areas.
Maddigan, 17, a graduate of Oelwein High School, was told the Marines would be a good experience for a career in law enforcement. He will receive training in security. His potential duty assignments could vary from being a U.S. embassy guard to protecting the president of the United States.
"I was looking at SWAT, something like that, and one of our substitute teachers, he was formerly a Marine, and he told me if I wanted to do something like that, especially in the big city, you should go into the military, especially the Marines, because they looked at prior service," Maddigan said. "One of my buddies two years ahead of me in high school joined the Marines, and I saw what it did for him."
Oleson, 23, a graduate of Cedar Falls High School and the University of Iowa, studied in college to work with the mentally ill but switched interests, leaning toward intelligence. He will receive training as a Middle East cryptological linguist. He will be trained in a Middle Eastern language and looks to the Marines as valuable experience toward an eventual government job with one of the intelligence agencies.
When time came to change careers, "I've felt like maybe I should do something that involves serving the country. I felt I should contribute some way," Oleson said. That's why he joined the Marines. "At the same time, it fit into my career plans as well."
Miller, 18, a graduate of Waverly Shell-Rock High School, has been interested in the Marines as long as he can remember. He will receive infantry training and had an opportunity to lead a squad in boot camp.
Miller wants to get into one of the Marine forced reconnaissance units. "But it's a very elite branch that you have to be trained for," he said, similar to U.S. Army Special Forces.
Infantry training can take a recruit in a number of different directions or specialties, Connor said, and teaches one leadership and management skills, which are "very competitive on the job market."
"I've always wanted to join the Marines. They actually had no problem with me, other than I wanted to join too early," at 16, Miller said. "They got tired of me coming in and finally enlisted me. The Marine Corps has always been a passion of mine. As far as I can remember, I always wanted to be a Marine, mainly for the dress blues, but now there's many reasons why I like the Marines. I'd read anything Marine Corps. If it had the word 'Marine' in it, I wanted to see it, read it, hear about it. The Marines have a lot of history behind them. That's what intrigued me, the prestige with the name."
Recruits pick several areas of interest, and the Marines tries to match them up with those areas, depending on their aptitude and where they're most needed.
"They know the job field they're going into. They don't always know exactly where they're going until they go to school," Connor said.
Contact Pat Kinney at (319) 291-1484 or Pat.Kinney@wcfcourier.com.
Ellie