thedrifter
02-13-07, 08:23 AM
A chance to serve
In time of war: U.S. Marine recruiters find plenty of young men in the county who are eager to sign up for a 'once-in-a-lifetime experience.'
By KEN SUGIURA
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Published on: 02/13/07
It was the sort of banter that would make a mother recoil.
In the alley behind the U.S. Marines recruiting office in Duluth, a small knot of young men tested themselves on a pull-up bar and coarsely talked about their possible future.
Joseph Ying, a high school senior from Duluth who is still in braces, played down the chances of dying in combat in Iraq. He reasoned that, yes, thousands have died in combat, but many thousands more have survived. The statistical logic didn't sway everyone.
"Dude, a lot of people die there," said C.J. Janecek, 20, from Buford.
Ying maintained his point.
"I don't think anybody goes in thinking they're going to die," said another, Andrew Custer of Grayson.
They seemed to talk about the war and their potential roles in it as an abstraction, perhaps because it was too far away to be grasped as a possibility, perhaps to keep it at arm's length. But there they were, building up the muscles and endurance they'll need to survive boot camp and eventually to serve their country.
Three of them, Custer, Janecek and Joseph Hwangbo, boarded a bus Monday that took them to boot camp at Parris Island, S.C., their home for the next 13 weeks. It's possible that within a year, they could see action in Iraq.
While polls show the war is growing in unpopularity, the flow of recruits signing up to become Marines has not stopped in Gwinnett County. The recruiting office, near Gwinnett Place mall, is on pace to match the roughly 120 it sent off to boot camp each of the past two fiscal years.
"It's not a surprise," said Staff Sgt. Mitchell Hamilton, who has worked at the recruiting office for three years. "Gwinnett County is a good area to recruit. This area, the kids, they kind of want that. They want someone to give them a kick in the butt."
Numbers in the Atlanta area and the Southeast remain steady, according to Lt. Staci Reidinger, a spokeswoman for the Marines. From October 2005 to September 2006, 896 men and women went to boot camp from the Atlanta recruiting station, the highest total in at least five years.
"Some of them actually say, 'I want to go out there,' " Hamilton said.
Spokesmen for the Army and Air Force reported similar stability. Numbers for the Navy could not be obtained.
Hwangbo is a 2006 graduate of Norcross High School. He loves football, graduated from Norcross with a 3.0 grade-point average and has an irrepressible grin, even when he's grinding out pull-ups and stomach crunches.
"I even told him that," said Paul Kong of Lilburn, a friend. " 'I've never seen you not smile.' He's always like that."
While still in high school, Hwangbo talked with a recruiter and considered joining after graduation. But he decided against it. He said he was persuaded by his manager at a Panera Bread restaurant in Norcross, where he had worked since he was a junior. He told Hwangbo not to go, that it would be dangerous and that he was risking his life.
Hwangbo enrolled last fall at Georgia Perimeter College with the idea of becoming a pharmacist. At the same time, a friend of his joined the Marines, which caused him again to consider enlisting. He visited with Hamilton and then took about a week to think it over, he said.
His family — his parents and his two younger sisters — was against it, as were many friends. They were fearful that he would "get sent to Iraq, get killed, all that stuff," Hwangbo said.
Hwangbo decided he wanted to be a Marine. He said his reasons were to serve his country, to take a break from college, to travel and to experience life in the military.
Before leaving for Parris Island, he watched the news reports of casualties in Iraq and admitted it worried him. But he was resolute.
"I try not to think about [dying or getting wounded]," he said. "I have to stay focused, be motivated. can't really let negative aspects influence me. I've got to keep a positive mind."
Custer and Janecek shared similar mind-sets. Janecek, who graduated from North Gwinnett High School in 2005, wants to train for reconnaissance missions. His girlfriend didn't want him to go.
"My real reason [for joining] is I want to be the best I can be," he said. He is aware that he could become a casualty.
"If that happens, then I didn't do my job," he said.
Custer, 19, moved to Grayson from the Washington area last fall. He said his mother "wasn't too thrilled" with his decision to join the Marines. Mitchell, the recruiter, said would-be recruits often want to join, but their parents refuse to let them.
Custer's parents made sure he was aware of what might await him — a young man whose family the Custers knew died in Iraq — and respected his decision. Andrew had been interested in the military since he was a boy and participated in the Young Marines program.
"It's kind of like a once-in-a-lifetime experience," he said. "The training and education you get, you can't get anywhere else."
Gail Custer, Andrew's mother, said that she and her husband do not support the reasons why the U.S. is fighting in Iraq. But she and her husband are proud of their son. Andrew co-captained his high school football team and is the sort, his mother said, who will drop whatever he's doing if a friend needs help.
"But I'm a mother," she said. "I carried him for nine months. I'm scared. I'm praying with all my being that he does not end up in Iraq."
If all goes according to schedule, Custer, Janecek and Hwangbo will graduate from boot camp in May. After that, they will take additional, more specialized training. While Janecek has his eye on reconnaissance, Custer and Hwangbo are interested in field artillery. They could be ready for deployment by fall.
It will be a long way from pull-ups in an alley in Duluth.
"I'm not afraid," Hwangbo said. "Someone's got to do
Ellie
In time of war: U.S. Marine recruiters find plenty of young men in the county who are eager to sign up for a 'once-in-a-lifetime experience.'
By KEN SUGIURA
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Published on: 02/13/07
It was the sort of banter that would make a mother recoil.
In the alley behind the U.S. Marines recruiting office in Duluth, a small knot of young men tested themselves on a pull-up bar and coarsely talked about their possible future.
Joseph Ying, a high school senior from Duluth who is still in braces, played down the chances of dying in combat in Iraq. He reasoned that, yes, thousands have died in combat, but many thousands more have survived. The statistical logic didn't sway everyone.
"Dude, a lot of people die there," said C.J. Janecek, 20, from Buford.
Ying maintained his point.
"I don't think anybody goes in thinking they're going to die," said another, Andrew Custer of Grayson.
They seemed to talk about the war and their potential roles in it as an abstraction, perhaps because it was too far away to be grasped as a possibility, perhaps to keep it at arm's length. But there they were, building up the muscles and endurance they'll need to survive boot camp and eventually to serve their country.
Three of them, Custer, Janecek and Joseph Hwangbo, boarded a bus Monday that took them to boot camp at Parris Island, S.C., their home for the next 13 weeks. It's possible that within a year, they could see action in Iraq.
While polls show the war is growing in unpopularity, the flow of recruits signing up to become Marines has not stopped in Gwinnett County. The recruiting office, near Gwinnett Place mall, is on pace to match the roughly 120 it sent off to boot camp each of the past two fiscal years.
"It's not a surprise," said Staff Sgt. Mitchell Hamilton, who has worked at the recruiting office for three years. "Gwinnett County is a good area to recruit. This area, the kids, they kind of want that. They want someone to give them a kick in the butt."
Numbers in the Atlanta area and the Southeast remain steady, according to Lt. Staci Reidinger, a spokeswoman for the Marines. From October 2005 to September 2006, 896 men and women went to boot camp from the Atlanta recruiting station, the highest total in at least five years.
"Some of them actually say, 'I want to go out there,' " Hamilton said.
Spokesmen for the Army and Air Force reported similar stability. Numbers for the Navy could not be obtained.
Hwangbo is a 2006 graduate of Norcross High School. He loves football, graduated from Norcross with a 3.0 grade-point average and has an irrepressible grin, even when he's grinding out pull-ups and stomach crunches.
"I even told him that," said Paul Kong of Lilburn, a friend. " 'I've never seen you not smile.' He's always like that."
While still in high school, Hwangbo talked with a recruiter and considered joining after graduation. But he decided against it. He said he was persuaded by his manager at a Panera Bread restaurant in Norcross, where he had worked since he was a junior. He told Hwangbo not to go, that it would be dangerous and that he was risking his life.
Hwangbo enrolled last fall at Georgia Perimeter College with the idea of becoming a pharmacist. At the same time, a friend of his joined the Marines, which caused him again to consider enlisting. He visited with Hamilton and then took about a week to think it over, he said.
His family — his parents and his two younger sisters — was against it, as were many friends. They were fearful that he would "get sent to Iraq, get killed, all that stuff," Hwangbo said.
Hwangbo decided he wanted to be a Marine. He said his reasons were to serve his country, to take a break from college, to travel and to experience life in the military.
Before leaving for Parris Island, he watched the news reports of casualties in Iraq and admitted it worried him. But he was resolute.
"I try not to think about [dying or getting wounded]," he said. "I have to stay focused, be motivated. can't really let negative aspects influence me. I've got to keep a positive mind."
Custer and Janecek shared similar mind-sets. Janecek, who graduated from North Gwinnett High School in 2005, wants to train for reconnaissance missions. His girlfriend didn't want him to go.
"My real reason [for joining] is I want to be the best I can be," he said. He is aware that he could become a casualty.
"If that happens, then I didn't do my job," he said.
Custer, 19, moved to Grayson from the Washington area last fall. He said his mother "wasn't too thrilled" with his decision to join the Marines. Mitchell, the recruiter, said would-be recruits often want to join, but their parents refuse to let them.
Custer's parents made sure he was aware of what might await him — a young man whose family the Custers knew died in Iraq — and respected his decision. Andrew had been interested in the military since he was a boy and participated in the Young Marines program.
"It's kind of like a once-in-a-lifetime experience," he said. "The training and education you get, you can't get anywhere else."
Gail Custer, Andrew's mother, said that she and her husband do not support the reasons why the U.S. is fighting in Iraq. But she and her husband are proud of their son. Andrew co-captained his high school football team and is the sort, his mother said, who will drop whatever he's doing if a friend needs help.
"But I'm a mother," she said. "I carried him for nine months. I'm scared. I'm praying with all my being that he does not end up in Iraq."
If all goes according to schedule, Custer, Janecek and Hwangbo will graduate from boot camp in May. After that, they will take additional, more specialized training. While Janecek has his eye on reconnaissance, Custer and Hwangbo are interested in field artillery. They could be ready for deployment by fall.
It will be a long way from pull-ups in an alley in Duluth.
"I'm not afraid," Hwangbo said. "Someone's got to do
Ellie