thedrifter
04-23-08, 07:30 PM
Marine from York shipping out to Iraq
York Marine will serve in Iraq
By Jonathan D. Benton
news@seacoastonline.com
April 23, 2008 6:00 AM
YORK, Maine — In a journey that began with his grandfather's stories of valor, local Lance Cpl. Douglas Towers of the U.S. Marines will travel next month to a country many people know only from dramatic headlines and treat with wariness — Iraq.
Wearing a shirt with a print of Marine troops and the tag line "Party Crashers since 1776," Towers, 21, talked recently about leaving York on May 17 for desert combat training in California and then traveling to Iraq.
He has signed up for six years and hopes to learn from the experience.
"I wanted to see what a different type of culture was like and wanted a basic knowledge of what goes on over there hands on," Towers said.
Even though his mother expressed worry for his safety, she gave him her full support.
"We're extremely proud of him — scared, but proud," Fawn Towers said. "He's got a job to do, and he's going over there to get it done."
According to Fawn, Douglas' little sister, Amber, 8, will take his absence the hardest.
"She cried for a month when he left for basic training," Fawn said.
Amber, who lives with epilepsy, asked Towers to accompany her to the Fairy Tale Ball at Village Elementary School last Thursday.
"He's going to be my knight — err, my prince," Amber said the day before. She went as Cinderella, and Douglas wore his dress blues.
With his departure date quickly approaching, Towers said he is a little nervous about shipping out, especially because he has had to deal with issues many 21-year-olds don't think about, such as life insurance, setting up a will and giving his mother power of attorney.
"And all my buddies wanted me to give them my Jeep," Towers said.
Despite his lighthearted attitude, Towers also said he has heard unsettling words from Marines who have seen action in Iraq.
"They told me, 'Your time will come,' and that I'll be shocked when I get over there," he said.
Mideast journey
The journey to the Middle East is one that Towers has longed for since high school. He left for boot camp at Parris Island, S.C., two weeks after graduation.
"I just thought it was something that needed to be done, something always inside me telling me that I need to do this, kinda like an adventure," Towers said. "Every time someone said, 'What are you doing after high school?' I thought to myself, I could go to college like every other kid or I could go down a different path to the Marines and see where that leads me."
As a mechanic, Towers has been trained and licensed by the military to maintain transport vehicles, such as Humvees and seven-ton flatbed tractor-trailers that generally haul supplies, water and troops.
Towers recalled one session of training on his way to becoming licensed to operate military vehicles. He and a friend decided to drag race two of the seven-ton big rigs and then locked up the brakes so they would slide to a stop. They drove past cones set up where they were supposed to stop and stopped safely beyond them. Asked if he got in trouble for the incident, Towers said the instructor thought it was funny.
Generations
of inspiration
Coming from a long line of Marines, Towers follows in the footsteps of his great-grandfather and grandfather, whom he credits as his driving force.
"(Marines) seem to be the toughest, and I wanted a challenge, but mostly because of my grandfather," Towers said.
As a boy, Towers was enthralled by stories of his grandfather's exploits, and his desire to become a Marine was evident when as a young child he dressed as one for Halloween, his mother said.
Desert training
Before going to Iraq, Towers will spend five weeks training in Palm Springs, Calif., putting him in war mode, he said. There, part of his training will consist of combat in a simulated Iraqi town with Arabic-speaking actors portraying locals and hostiles.
According to Towers, it will be the nearest thing to actual combat.
After his six-year enlistment, Towers plans on either becoming a welder at a New England shipyard or re-enlisting for more service.
But when asked what he is most looking forward to after he heads out, he simply answered, "coming back home" to York.
Ellie
York Marine will serve in Iraq
By Jonathan D. Benton
news@seacoastonline.com
April 23, 2008 6:00 AM
YORK, Maine — In a journey that began with his grandfather's stories of valor, local Lance Cpl. Douglas Towers of the U.S. Marines will travel next month to a country many people know only from dramatic headlines and treat with wariness — Iraq.
Wearing a shirt with a print of Marine troops and the tag line "Party Crashers since 1776," Towers, 21, talked recently about leaving York on May 17 for desert combat training in California and then traveling to Iraq.
He has signed up for six years and hopes to learn from the experience.
"I wanted to see what a different type of culture was like and wanted a basic knowledge of what goes on over there hands on," Towers said.
Even though his mother expressed worry for his safety, she gave him her full support.
"We're extremely proud of him — scared, but proud," Fawn Towers said. "He's got a job to do, and he's going over there to get it done."
According to Fawn, Douglas' little sister, Amber, 8, will take his absence the hardest.
"She cried for a month when he left for basic training," Fawn said.
Amber, who lives with epilepsy, asked Towers to accompany her to the Fairy Tale Ball at Village Elementary School last Thursday.
"He's going to be my knight — err, my prince," Amber said the day before. She went as Cinderella, and Douglas wore his dress blues.
With his departure date quickly approaching, Towers said he is a little nervous about shipping out, especially because he has had to deal with issues many 21-year-olds don't think about, such as life insurance, setting up a will and giving his mother power of attorney.
"And all my buddies wanted me to give them my Jeep," Towers said.
Despite his lighthearted attitude, Towers also said he has heard unsettling words from Marines who have seen action in Iraq.
"They told me, 'Your time will come,' and that I'll be shocked when I get over there," he said.
Mideast journey
The journey to the Middle East is one that Towers has longed for since high school. He left for boot camp at Parris Island, S.C., two weeks after graduation.
"I just thought it was something that needed to be done, something always inside me telling me that I need to do this, kinda like an adventure," Towers said. "Every time someone said, 'What are you doing after high school?' I thought to myself, I could go to college like every other kid or I could go down a different path to the Marines and see where that leads me."
As a mechanic, Towers has been trained and licensed by the military to maintain transport vehicles, such as Humvees and seven-ton flatbed tractor-trailers that generally haul supplies, water and troops.
Towers recalled one session of training on his way to becoming licensed to operate military vehicles. He and a friend decided to drag race two of the seven-ton big rigs and then locked up the brakes so they would slide to a stop. They drove past cones set up where they were supposed to stop and stopped safely beyond them. Asked if he got in trouble for the incident, Towers said the instructor thought it was funny.
Generations
of inspiration
Coming from a long line of Marines, Towers follows in the footsteps of his great-grandfather and grandfather, whom he credits as his driving force.
"(Marines) seem to be the toughest, and I wanted a challenge, but mostly because of my grandfather," Towers said.
As a boy, Towers was enthralled by stories of his grandfather's exploits, and his desire to become a Marine was evident when as a young child he dressed as one for Halloween, his mother said.
Desert training
Before going to Iraq, Towers will spend five weeks training in Palm Springs, Calif., putting him in war mode, he said. There, part of his training will consist of combat in a simulated Iraqi town with Arabic-speaking actors portraying locals and hostiles.
According to Towers, it will be the nearest thing to actual combat.
After his six-year enlistment, Towers plans on either becoming a welder at a New England shipyard or re-enlisting for more service.
But when asked what he is most looking forward to after he heads out, he simply answered, "coming back home" to York.
Ellie