thedrifter
08-06-07, 03:31 PM
Published: August 06, 2007 09:35 am
Next Stop
Fallujah is next stop for Marine Greg Edens
Daleen Berry
Cumberland Times-News
VALE SUMMIT - It's a family tradition, one that Greg Edens plans to continue.
August is turning out to be a month of momentous events for the 2006 Beall High graduate. Edens just turned 19, just became engaged, and in 10 days the young man will head overseas to Fallujah, Iraq. There, he will be part of the Quick Reaction Force - a role that involves both dangerous duties and those which are more mundane.
Edens said he will join the QRF in providing security for fighting troops, who are often targeted by the enemy with improvised explosive devices or small arms fire, such as that from AK-47 rifles.
"If they're hit with an IED, we go out and ... protect them from any more fire, so no one gets hurt," Edens said.
The decision to enter the United States Marine Corps came just after high school graduation last year, as Edens follows in big brother Jeremy's footsteps. He chose the Marines, he said, since "they're the best of the best."
He's also following the footsteps of his father, Joe Tindal, a retired state trooper and former military man. But unlike both of his sons, Joe was a military cop in the U.S. Air Force. But he guided his two sons toward the Marines, because he believes it "gave them a better background than I had."
Edens said even though his mother tried to talk him out of going, his parents and four siblings all attended his boot camp graduation.
And now, "we're just really proud of him," Tindal said.
Tindal, a retired sergeant with MSP, worked as a K-9 supervisor for much of his career. And because Jeremy's a state trooper in Westminster, Tindal said "that's what Greg wants to do."
Unlike either his mother or his fiancee - both of whom tried to talk Edens out of going - he is eager to go overseas, where he hopes to learn more about the Iraqi culture, and get acquainted with its people.
"At this point in the war it's not going over there and hurting anybody. We were told our primary job was to keep friends and make more friends with them," he said.
Nonetheless, 13 weeks of basic training at Parris Island, S.C., has prepared Edens, just in case it turns out to be worse than he anticipates. The enemy still has weapons, which means "we will shoot back."
Edens will be gone seven months, and in that time, he said the only contact he'll have with his family is through letters or a phone call every three weeks.
In the meantime, before he ships out on Aug. 16, Edens will head to Camp Lejeune, where he will undergo a series of anthrax and smallpox shots, as well as various other vaccinations, and then he will spend about 23 hours on a chartered commercial jet. He's looking forward to the journey, and says his upcoming stint is "what I want to do."
Ellie
Next Stop
Fallujah is next stop for Marine Greg Edens
Daleen Berry
Cumberland Times-News
VALE SUMMIT - It's a family tradition, one that Greg Edens plans to continue.
August is turning out to be a month of momentous events for the 2006 Beall High graduate. Edens just turned 19, just became engaged, and in 10 days the young man will head overseas to Fallujah, Iraq. There, he will be part of the Quick Reaction Force - a role that involves both dangerous duties and those which are more mundane.
Edens said he will join the QRF in providing security for fighting troops, who are often targeted by the enemy with improvised explosive devices or small arms fire, such as that from AK-47 rifles.
"If they're hit with an IED, we go out and ... protect them from any more fire, so no one gets hurt," Edens said.
The decision to enter the United States Marine Corps came just after high school graduation last year, as Edens follows in big brother Jeremy's footsteps. He chose the Marines, he said, since "they're the best of the best."
He's also following the footsteps of his father, Joe Tindal, a retired state trooper and former military man. But unlike both of his sons, Joe was a military cop in the U.S. Air Force. But he guided his two sons toward the Marines, because he believes it "gave them a better background than I had."
Edens said even though his mother tried to talk him out of going, his parents and four siblings all attended his boot camp graduation.
And now, "we're just really proud of him," Tindal said.
Tindal, a retired sergeant with MSP, worked as a K-9 supervisor for much of his career. And because Jeremy's a state trooper in Westminster, Tindal said "that's what Greg wants to do."
Unlike either his mother or his fiancee - both of whom tried to talk Edens out of going - he is eager to go overseas, where he hopes to learn more about the Iraqi culture, and get acquainted with its people.
"At this point in the war it's not going over there and hurting anybody. We were told our primary job was to keep friends and make more friends with them," he said.
Nonetheless, 13 weeks of basic training at Parris Island, S.C., has prepared Edens, just in case it turns out to be worse than he anticipates. The enemy still has weapons, which means "we will shoot back."
Edens will be gone seven months, and in that time, he said the only contact he'll have with his family is through letters or a phone call every three weeks.
In the meantime, before he ships out on Aug. 16, Edens will head to Camp Lejeune, where he will undergo a series of anthrax and smallpox shots, as well as various other vaccinations, and then he will spend about 23 hours on a chartered commercial jet. He's looking forward to the journey, and says his upcoming stint is "what I want to do."
Ellie