thedrifter
02-21-03, 07:52 PM
Band of Brothers
Submitted by: 12th Marine Corps District
Story Identification Number: 2003221183614
Story by Sgt. Mike Camacho
RECRUITING STATION SAN DIEGO -- When Pvt. Jeremiah Zuehlke was 10 years old, he watched his big brother leave Cadillac, Mich., to join the Marine Corps. Jeremiah didn?t know much about the Marines, but he looked up to his big brother and thought the world of him. Little did Jeremiah know that it would be his brother who would lead him down the same path.
Jeremiah had always wondered what it would be like to be a Marine, but wasn?t sure if it was for him. He hadn?t seen his big brother much since he left for the Marine Corps, but they kept in contact on the phone.
Jeremiah graduated high school in the class of 2002 from a local high school in Cadillac. That?s when SSgt. Jason Zuehlke, Recruiting Substation El Centro canvassing recruiter, invited his little brother to come stay with him for a little while.
?I knew when I was going to visit my brother that he?d talk to me about joining,? said the 18-year-old Zuehlke. ?I pretty much prepared myself to tell him that I wasn?t interested. But when I got there all of the myths and ideas that I had about the Marine Corps turned out to be untrue.?
Staff Sgt. Zuehlke said his little brother thought that becoming a Marine might strip him of his individuality.
?Once he saw that I was just like I always was, and was actually making a successful career of the Marine Corps, he realized it wasn?t true,? said SSgt. Zuehlke. ?He saw all the good things that the Marine Corps did for me, and he wanted it for himself.?
Young Zuehlke said that having his brother in the Corps made his urge stronger to join, because he can see how much his brother loves it. He knew if his big brother could do it, so could he.
?My brother didn?t sell me on the Marine Corps, he actually didn?t really try to recruit me,? said Pvt. Zuehlke. ?He just answered my questions, and it just sold itself to me. Also being around the Marines in the recruiting office and talking to recent boot camp graduates showed me that it?s a great group to belong to.?
The Zuehlke brothers? parents were very happy to hear the news about their son following the footsteps of his older brother.
?When I graduated, my brother and I were both in uniform, and my Dad kept taking pictures. He was absolutely thrilled,? said Pvt. Zuehlke.
Staff Sgt. Zuehlke said his brother was very thankful for what he had done for him.
?I truly thank my brother from the bottom of my heart,? said Pvt. Zuehlke.
Sempers,
Roger
Submitted by: 12th Marine Corps District
Story Identification Number: 2003221183614
Story by Sgt. Mike Camacho
RECRUITING STATION SAN DIEGO -- When Pvt. Jeremiah Zuehlke was 10 years old, he watched his big brother leave Cadillac, Mich., to join the Marine Corps. Jeremiah didn?t know much about the Marines, but he looked up to his big brother and thought the world of him. Little did Jeremiah know that it would be his brother who would lead him down the same path.
Jeremiah had always wondered what it would be like to be a Marine, but wasn?t sure if it was for him. He hadn?t seen his big brother much since he left for the Marine Corps, but they kept in contact on the phone.
Jeremiah graduated high school in the class of 2002 from a local high school in Cadillac. That?s when SSgt. Jason Zuehlke, Recruiting Substation El Centro canvassing recruiter, invited his little brother to come stay with him for a little while.
?I knew when I was going to visit my brother that he?d talk to me about joining,? said the 18-year-old Zuehlke. ?I pretty much prepared myself to tell him that I wasn?t interested. But when I got there all of the myths and ideas that I had about the Marine Corps turned out to be untrue.?
Staff Sgt. Zuehlke said his little brother thought that becoming a Marine might strip him of his individuality.
?Once he saw that I was just like I always was, and was actually making a successful career of the Marine Corps, he realized it wasn?t true,? said SSgt. Zuehlke. ?He saw all the good things that the Marine Corps did for me, and he wanted it for himself.?
Young Zuehlke said that having his brother in the Corps made his urge stronger to join, because he can see how much his brother loves it. He knew if his big brother could do it, so could he.
?My brother didn?t sell me on the Marine Corps, he actually didn?t really try to recruit me,? said Pvt. Zuehlke. ?He just answered my questions, and it just sold itself to me. Also being around the Marines in the recruiting office and talking to recent boot camp graduates showed me that it?s a great group to belong to.?
The Zuehlke brothers? parents were very happy to hear the news about their son following the footsteps of his older brother.
?When I graduated, my brother and I were both in uniform, and my Dad kept taking pictures. He was absolutely thrilled,? said Pvt. Zuehlke.
Staff Sgt. Zuehlke said his brother was very thankful for what he had done for him.
?I truly thank my brother from the bottom of my heart,? said Pvt. Zuehlke.
Sempers,
Roger