thedrifter
06-20-09, 08:41 AM
Marine Corps Mailman Keeps His Battalion Motivated
Regimental Combat Team 3
Story by Lance Cpl. John McCall
Date: 06.19.2009
Posted: 06.19.2009 08:32
CAMP LEATHERNECK, Helmand Province, Afghanistan – Mail doesn't seem like a very big deal to most people, but to Marines deployed to Afghanistan it means the world to them.
"I like to see other people happy," said Lance Cpl. Corey L. Gosey, the battalion mail clerk for 1st Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment. "Knowing that someone else can get a care package from their mom or a letter from their wife is a good feeling.
Gosey is responsible for distributing all of the battalion's mail; however, he wasn't always a mail clerk.
"This isn't what I pictured myself doing when I joined the Marine Corps," Gosey said.
Originally a mortarman with 1/5, Gosey suffered a knee injury during boot camp that he never fully recovered from.
"I didn't know what to think at the time. I thought this can't be happening to me it's too early," said the 21 year old from Florien, La.
Gosey was injured during his platoon's crucible, the final test during basic training for recruits trying to earn the title of Marine.
"I figured I would bounce back from it. I didn't think it would affect my career the way it did," he said.
After completing basic training and the Marine Corps' School of Infantry with a fractured knee, Gosey was assigned to 1/5 Weapons Company.
"At first it wasn't too bad but before long I banged it up again," Gosey said.
After four months with 1/5, it was simple physical fitness training at Marine Corps Air Station Yuma, Ariz., that convinced him his knee was a bigger problem than he had thought.
"We were on a run and I felt this hot flash in my leg like something ripped," he recalled. "Every time I ran my knee would lock up."
Medically "broken" Gosey would be unable to deploy with his battalion in the billet of a mortarman.
"I would go to physical therapy and get better, but then we would go train and I would hurt my knee again," he explained.
Gosey was transferred to Headquarters and Service Company in January to be a mail clerk, allowing his knee time to heal in a less strenuous environment and giving him his opportunity to deploy.
"I'm hurt so I can't do a whole lot," he said. "The way I look at it is I can at least boost morale."
It may not be what he expected when he made the decision to become a Marine in 2006, but working in the mail room is satisfying in a different way for the 5 foot, 9 inch leatherneck.
"Being here and seeing how a lot of people depend on mail, I feel good about handing out the mail," he said.
"I think it's important what he does," said Lance Cpl. Louis J. Nagy, 21, an administrative clerk with 1/5 from Avon Lake, Ohio. "Mail might seem like a small thing, but to a lot of guys it's vital."
Marines with 1/5 receive a lot of mail and enjoy getting every bit of it. For these young men so far from home, any little reminder that their friends and family are thinking about them and care keeps them motivated and looking forward to the future – an indispensable part of life in the military.
"I know when I get a box in the mail from my wife it reminds me of home and makes that day a little brighter," Nagy said.
Although sorting through hundred of letters and parcels of mail per day was not Gosey's first choice for a career path in the Marines, he is satisfied doing his part.
"Things could be a lot worse for me. I could be in worse condition or even be out of the Marine Corps," he said. "I am very grateful to be able to do my part and feel like I serve a purpose."
The 1/5 is an element of Regimental Combat Team 3 whose mission is to conduct counterinsurgency operations in partnership with the Afghan national security forces to improve security for the Afghan people and extend legitimate governance in southern Afghanistan.
Ellie
Regimental Combat Team 3
Story by Lance Cpl. John McCall
Date: 06.19.2009
Posted: 06.19.2009 08:32
CAMP LEATHERNECK, Helmand Province, Afghanistan – Mail doesn't seem like a very big deal to most people, but to Marines deployed to Afghanistan it means the world to them.
"I like to see other people happy," said Lance Cpl. Corey L. Gosey, the battalion mail clerk for 1st Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment. "Knowing that someone else can get a care package from their mom or a letter from their wife is a good feeling.
Gosey is responsible for distributing all of the battalion's mail; however, he wasn't always a mail clerk.
"This isn't what I pictured myself doing when I joined the Marine Corps," Gosey said.
Originally a mortarman with 1/5, Gosey suffered a knee injury during boot camp that he never fully recovered from.
"I didn't know what to think at the time. I thought this can't be happening to me it's too early," said the 21 year old from Florien, La.
Gosey was injured during his platoon's crucible, the final test during basic training for recruits trying to earn the title of Marine.
"I figured I would bounce back from it. I didn't think it would affect my career the way it did," he said.
After completing basic training and the Marine Corps' School of Infantry with a fractured knee, Gosey was assigned to 1/5 Weapons Company.
"At first it wasn't too bad but before long I banged it up again," Gosey said.
After four months with 1/5, it was simple physical fitness training at Marine Corps Air Station Yuma, Ariz., that convinced him his knee was a bigger problem than he had thought.
"We were on a run and I felt this hot flash in my leg like something ripped," he recalled. "Every time I ran my knee would lock up."
Medically "broken" Gosey would be unable to deploy with his battalion in the billet of a mortarman.
"I would go to physical therapy and get better, but then we would go train and I would hurt my knee again," he explained.
Gosey was transferred to Headquarters and Service Company in January to be a mail clerk, allowing his knee time to heal in a less strenuous environment and giving him his opportunity to deploy.
"I'm hurt so I can't do a whole lot," he said. "The way I look at it is I can at least boost morale."
It may not be what he expected when he made the decision to become a Marine in 2006, but working in the mail room is satisfying in a different way for the 5 foot, 9 inch leatherneck.
"Being here and seeing how a lot of people depend on mail, I feel good about handing out the mail," he said.
"I think it's important what he does," said Lance Cpl. Louis J. Nagy, 21, an administrative clerk with 1/5 from Avon Lake, Ohio. "Mail might seem like a small thing, but to a lot of guys it's vital."
Marines with 1/5 receive a lot of mail and enjoy getting every bit of it. For these young men so far from home, any little reminder that their friends and family are thinking about them and care keeps them motivated and looking forward to the future – an indispensable part of life in the military.
"I know when I get a box in the mail from my wife it reminds me of home and makes that day a little brighter," Nagy said.
Although sorting through hundred of letters and parcels of mail per day was not Gosey's first choice for a career path in the Marines, he is satisfied doing his part.
"Things could be a lot worse for me. I could be in worse condition or even be out of the Marine Corps," he said. "I am very grateful to be able to do my part and feel like I serve a purpose."
The 1/5 is an element of Regimental Combat Team 3 whose mission is to conduct counterinsurgency operations in partnership with the Afghan national security forces to improve security for the Afghan people and extend legitimate governance in southern Afghanistan.
Ellie