thedrifter
06-30-03, 07:48 AM
U.S. Marine Pfc.
Jeremiah Strong
An Unlikely Cowboy
By U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Christina Bhatti
11th Public Affairs Detachment
BAGRAM, Afghanistan - A lump forms in his throat. “Eight seconds, I have to hold on for just eight seconds,” are the only words he hears in his head over the roar of the crowd.
Then the moment of truth arrives. Head down and hanging on for dear life the gate opens and the bull is released. A wave of adrenaline rushes and replaces the nervousness. In seconds the ride is over.
Marine Pfc. Jeremiah Strong, 21, gets up after being thrown from the 2,000-pound bull and brushes off the dirt while simultaneously getting out of the angry animal’s way.
“ It’s such a rush,” Strong said. “There is nothing like it in the world.” Strong, who is with the Marine Wing Support Squadron 374, 29 Palms Marine Corps Base, Calif., started riding bulls only two years ago.
Strong, a self-proclaimed adrenaline junkie, said that he would try anything and has tried a lot of different activities that most would categorize as “a little nuts.” But his true passion now is bull riding.
As a child growing up in Paola, Kan., this mid-western boy centered his life around sports, but never really gave much thought to rodeos even though he had been exposed to the sport by his neighbor.
“ They had a huge ranch. I would go over there and help break in the horses or groom them. The sport looked cool back then, but I was doing too much else and couldn’t risk a sports injury.”
“ (Back home,) I played sports to get away,” he said. “Home sometimes was just too much.”
Strong described his family life as “less than normal.” His mother and father divorced when he was young leaving him and his two siblings with his father, while his mother moved on.
“ It was hard sometimes,” he said, his easy smile fading for a moment. “I mean, my dad is great and I love him, but there was a lot of conflict.”
His only escape was school and sports-both of which came easily for him.
After high school, Strong was banking on making sports an even larger part of his life.
But life didn’t turn out the way he planned.
He gave up full-ride scholarships to three Division II schools to join the Marine Corps.
“ School and sports were what my dad really wanted, but not me. I needed something to kick my butt into shape-mentally and physically.”
He was a reckless youth, who spent a lot of time in trouble and knew he needed to straighten himself out.
“ If it wasn’t for the Marines I would be in jail or dead by now. My life was going nowhere,” he said.
He left that troubled life behind Sept. 2000 to start his new life as an Aircraft Recovery Specialist, whose main job is to be in charge of a runway.
But Marine Corps life doesn’t leave much time for a personal life. Between deployments and training, it is difficult to have time for the simple pleasures.
“ I am always in the field, so anytime that I have I enjoy it to the fullest,” Strong said.
After joining the Marine Corps, Strong decided that he would no longer play baseball or football, but heard about the Military Bullriding Association, of which he is now a member.
“ It is an aggressive sport and I am a very aggressive person, so it fit. Plus it sounded really fun and it was something new,” he said.
Most weekends and some Wednesday nights Strong and a group of friends load up into his gas-guzzling truck and travel an hour and a half to Riverside, Calif., to enjoy their passion.
“ When I first get on, I’m nervous,” he said. “But once the gate is released, it’s just adrenaline taking over. There is no way to really describe it. Adrenaline is the best drug out there.”
Despite the rush of riding, there are real risks involved. In the short time Strong has participated in the sport, he has suffered three dislocated shoulders, has been stepped on and kicked buy the huge animals.
“ Considering what could happen, I have been extremely lucky,” he said. “People have been seriously injured or killed in riding incidents.”
To lessen some of the danger, there are specific articles of clothing and gear he has. “I always wear some sort vest - almost like a flak vest and spurs to help keep me on the animal.”
Getting his company commander to let him participate was another challenge he had to overcome. “Since it is not sponsored by the Corps, I had to sign a waiver, but my CO was against it,” he said.
So he did what anyone else would do. He was persistent. He made full use of his aggressive nature.
“ I made a Power Point presentation and showed it to the commander. I went over all of the safety precautions, about bullriding and the competitions,” he said.
The commander bit off on it and the next weekend he was at Riverside on the back of a bull.
The MBR sponsors competitions throughout the year, and Strong participates anytime that he can.
“ This sport can get really expensive,” he said. “Since it is not sponsored by the Marine Corps, I have to pay all of my entrance fees and practice fees. So I go whenever I have money.”
Judging consists of two factors. The first is the bull. The judges are looking at how the bull moves. “The more twists and turns makes that animal more difficult, and that is a factor in the final score,” Strong said.
The second is how well the rider rides. “It’s all about balance and how well a rider can read the bull. Eight seconds doesn’t sound like a lot of time, but it’s a lot when you are out there. There is so much to concentrate on,” he said.
He has only won one event, but has placed in several.
“ I am not doing this for profit or glory. Most of the time I end up in the hole or the winnings are just enough to cover my gas expenses,” he said. “I do it because it’s addicting and it’s a pure adrenaline high.”
http://www.defendamerica.mil/images/photos/jan2003/profiles/pri013103b1.jpg
U.S. Marine Pfc. Jeremiah Strong on duty in Afghanistan.
U.S. Army photo
Sempers,
Roger
:marine:
Jeremiah Strong
An Unlikely Cowboy
By U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Christina Bhatti
11th Public Affairs Detachment
BAGRAM, Afghanistan - A lump forms in his throat. “Eight seconds, I have to hold on for just eight seconds,” are the only words he hears in his head over the roar of the crowd.
Then the moment of truth arrives. Head down and hanging on for dear life the gate opens and the bull is released. A wave of adrenaline rushes and replaces the nervousness. In seconds the ride is over.
Marine Pfc. Jeremiah Strong, 21, gets up after being thrown from the 2,000-pound bull and brushes off the dirt while simultaneously getting out of the angry animal’s way.
“ It’s such a rush,” Strong said. “There is nothing like it in the world.” Strong, who is with the Marine Wing Support Squadron 374, 29 Palms Marine Corps Base, Calif., started riding bulls only two years ago.
Strong, a self-proclaimed adrenaline junkie, said that he would try anything and has tried a lot of different activities that most would categorize as “a little nuts.” But his true passion now is bull riding.
As a child growing up in Paola, Kan., this mid-western boy centered his life around sports, but never really gave much thought to rodeos even though he had been exposed to the sport by his neighbor.
“ They had a huge ranch. I would go over there and help break in the horses or groom them. The sport looked cool back then, but I was doing too much else and couldn’t risk a sports injury.”
“ (Back home,) I played sports to get away,” he said. “Home sometimes was just too much.”
Strong described his family life as “less than normal.” His mother and father divorced when he was young leaving him and his two siblings with his father, while his mother moved on.
“ It was hard sometimes,” he said, his easy smile fading for a moment. “I mean, my dad is great and I love him, but there was a lot of conflict.”
His only escape was school and sports-both of which came easily for him.
After high school, Strong was banking on making sports an even larger part of his life.
But life didn’t turn out the way he planned.
He gave up full-ride scholarships to three Division II schools to join the Marine Corps.
“ School and sports were what my dad really wanted, but not me. I needed something to kick my butt into shape-mentally and physically.”
He was a reckless youth, who spent a lot of time in trouble and knew he needed to straighten himself out.
“ If it wasn’t for the Marines I would be in jail or dead by now. My life was going nowhere,” he said.
He left that troubled life behind Sept. 2000 to start his new life as an Aircraft Recovery Specialist, whose main job is to be in charge of a runway.
But Marine Corps life doesn’t leave much time for a personal life. Between deployments and training, it is difficult to have time for the simple pleasures.
“ I am always in the field, so anytime that I have I enjoy it to the fullest,” Strong said.
After joining the Marine Corps, Strong decided that he would no longer play baseball or football, but heard about the Military Bullriding Association, of which he is now a member.
“ It is an aggressive sport and I am a very aggressive person, so it fit. Plus it sounded really fun and it was something new,” he said.
Most weekends and some Wednesday nights Strong and a group of friends load up into his gas-guzzling truck and travel an hour and a half to Riverside, Calif., to enjoy their passion.
“ When I first get on, I’m nervous,” he said. “But once the gate is released, it’s just adrenaline taking over. There is no way to really describe it. Adrenaline is the best drug out there.”
Despite the rush of riding, there are real risks involved. In the short time Strong has participated in the sport, he has suffered three dislocated shoulders, has been stepped on and kicked buy the huge animals.
“ Considering what could happen, I have been extremely lucky,” he said. “People have been seriously injured or killed in riding incidents.”
To lessen some of the danger, there are specific articles of clothing and gear he has. “I always wear some sort vest - almost like a flak vest and spurs to help keep me on the animal.”
Getting his company commander to let him participate was another challenge he had to overcome. “Since it is not sponsored by the Corps, I had to sign a waiver, but my CO was against it,” he said.
So he did what anyone else would do. He was persistent. He made full use of his aggressive nature.
“ I made a Power Point presentation and showed it to the commander. I went over all of the safety precautions, about bullriding and the competitions,” he said.
The commander bit off on it and the next weekend he was at Riverside on the back of a bull.
The MBR sponsors competitions throughout the year, and Strong participates anytime that he can.
“ This sport can get really expensive,” he said. “Since it is not sponsored by the Marine Corps, I have to pay all of my entrance fees and practice fees. So I go whenever I have money.”
Judging consists of two factors. The first is the bull. The judges are looking at how the bull moves. “The more twists and turns makes that animal more difficult, and that is a factor in the final score,” Strong said.
The second is how well the rider rides. “It’s all about balance and how well a rider can read the bull. Eight seconds doesn’t sound like a lot of time, but it’s a lot when you are out there. There is so much to concentrate on,” he said.
He has only won one event, but has placed in several.
“ I am not doing this for profit or glory. Most of the time I end up in the hole or the winnings are just enough to cover my gas expenses,” he said. “I do it because it’s addicting and it’s a pure adrenaline high.”
http://www.defendamerica.mil/images/photos/jan2003/profiles/pri013103b1.jpg
U.S. Marine Pfc. Jeremiah Strong on duty in Afghanistan.
U.S. Army photo
Sempers,
Roger
:marine: