thedrifter
08-25-09, 09:14 AM
Roman Marines meet, relish small-town ties prior to Afghanistan deployment
by Nick Godfrey
Sometimes it’s easy to forget that military men and women are people, too, coming from all walks of life, growing up in towns both large and small.
Jim Coffman and Martin Wetterauer are two such Marines. Coffman, now Maj. Jim Coffman, and Wetterauer, now Lt. Col. Martin Wetterauer with the 3rd Battalion, 4th Marines, are both natives of Rome and are preparing for a mission in Afghanistan.
Coffman, who has successfully completed multiple deployments during his 16-year career, is leading a team of
Marines to the volatile southern region of Afghanistan as a part of the U.S. military’s anti-Taliban effort.
“Jim’s unit is attached to us,” Wetterauer explained.
“They help build the community up and back together. Once we clear the insurgents out, Jim’s guys come in behind us to help them economically, such as with water pumps and schools.”
But behind their mission lays two Romans’ lives. The two Marines, who met but a couple of weeks ago, grew up in the same small town and never knew each other.
Both Marines joked that nobody seems to know about Rome.
“You don’t meet a whole lot of people who know where Rome is,” said Wetterauer. “It’s kind of neat to have someone who knows the same areas. We can talk about the same small-town experience, playing football and baseball.”
Although they never played football against one another, Wetterauer went to Pepperell and Coffman went to Model. Both Marines explained that they wouldn’t hold their high school rivalry against each other.
Apart from sports, Coffman talked about his experiences growing up in Rome.
“We use to cruise around the mall when I was young, and we’d go to McDonald’s parking lot and just hang out, or we’d drive around town just to see what was going on.”
Coffman hopes that these are the types of small town memories the two Marines can share while deployed.
“The first time I met him, the fact that we both grew up in Rome, there was an instant connection. We met, found out that we’re both from Rome, and everything else vanished. Marines take care of Marines, but it just gives you that extra sense of comfort knowing someone who knows who you are and where your from,” said Coffman.
“It’s going to be a good deployment,” he said. “We’re carrying the flag for Rome, Ga.”
Ellie
by Nick Godfrey
Sometimes it’s easy to forget that military men and women are people, too, coming from all walks of life, growing up in towns both large and small.
Jim Coffman and Martin Wetterauer are two such Marines. Coffman, now Maj. Jim Coffman, and Wetterauer, now Lt. Col. Martin Wetterauer with the 3rd Battalion, 4th Marines, are both natives of Rome and are preparing for a mission in Afghanistan.
Coffman, who has successfully completed multiple deployments during his 16-year career, is leading a team of
Marines to the volatile southern region of Afghanistan as a part of the U.S. military’s anti-Taliban effort.
“Jim’s unit is attached to us,” Wetterauer explained.
“They help build the community up and back together. Once we clear the insurgents out, Jim’s guys come in behind us to help them economically, such as with water pumps and schools.”
But behind their mission lays two Romans’ lives. The two Marines, who met but a couple of weeks ago, grew up in the same small town and never knew each other.
Both Marines joked that nobody seems to know about Rome.
“You don’t meet a whole lot of people who know where Rome is,” said Wetterauer. “It’s kind of neat to have someone who knows the same areas. We can talk about the same small-town experience, playing football and baseball.”
Although they never played football against one another, Wetterauer went to Pepperell and Coffman went to Model. Both Marines explained that they wouldn’t hold their high school rivalry against each other.
Apart from sports, Coffman talked about his experiences growing up in Rome.
“We use to cruise around the mall when I was young, and we’d go to McDonald’s parking lot and just hang out, or we’d drive around town just to see what was going on.”
Coffman hopes that these are the types of small town memories the two Marines can share while deployed.
“The first time I met him, the fact that we both grew up in Rome, there was an instant connection. We met, found out that we’re both from Rome, and everything else vanished. Marines take care of Marines, but it just gives you that extra sense of comfort knowing someone who knows who you are and where your from,” said Coffman.
“It’s going to be a good deployment,” he said. “We’re carrying the flag for Rome, Ga.”
Ellie