thedrifter
09-01-09, 07:53 AM
Injured Marine thinks of his fallen buddy
Hawley -
“You don’t sign up to be a Marine to sit behind a desk,” says 24-year-old Cpl. Joseph Tarkett, U.S. Marine Corps.
It’s hard not to notice the proud way the Hawley Marine carries himself; both his granddad and uncle were Marines.
Seated across from him, it’s equally hard to miss visible shrapnel wounds to his face and hands. They’re healing. More than two weeks-old, the wounds were caused by the blast of an improvised explosive device (IED) in Afghanistan, August 17.
He’s home in Hawley now, surrounded by much missed family and friends. But his thoughts are half a world away, with another family — members of the 2nd Battalion, 3rd Marines, Echo Company, the men he served with in Afghanistan.
He’s home until September 9th, before heading back to Maryland for follow up care at the Bethesda National Naval Medical Center. The blast caused serious swelling to his eyeball. “They want to keep an eye on my eye. They want to keep a close watch because it’s such a fragile body part. I consider myself extremely lucky,” he says.
There’s barely a pause, when he quietly shares, “We lost a guy in July. He was a good friend to a bunch of us over there. He actually stepped on an IED. His name was Matt Lembke. He was from Oregon, originally,” he says — a good friend who’ll never be forgotten. “He was just your poster child for a Marine. He loved it. He voluntarily extended to go on this deployment. And he was going to go to school when he got back. I got there in August, and he was one of the second or third guys I met. Drinking Buds and watching the UFC® fight, you know.”
Does he think about him every day? “I think about him a lot,” he says. He’d prayed so hard for Matt to make it. “He made it all the way back to the states,” Tarkett said. His family was by his side when he passed away.
How do you keep going when you lose someone you love so much? “Because you know they would have wanted you to. Mission accomplishment. That’s what you’re taught from day one in the Marine Corps. Like now, I know that my guys are doing what they have to do, even without me there.”
Anything he wants his fellow Marines to know? “Just that I wish I was with them and not here. Because that’s how tight we are. They’re family. They take the place of your loved ones here, back stateside, because you spend every waking minute with them. And you have your disagreements, but it never lasts longs. They’re like your brothers. And for them to be over there sweating and suffering and here’ I am ...”
The full story
As he talks of his tour in Afghanistan, Cpl. Tarkett says the public isn’t getting the full story. “The general public is not getting the full story, for the simple fact that all the general public sees from the news is the horror: the deaths and the casualties,” he said.
What they don’t see is the soldiers reaching out to the kids. “I had a kid teach me how to count to 10 in Pashto. And I taught him how to count to 10 in American. You don’t see the good things. You don’t get to hear about the Marines, any service, giving out food, candy, any of that stuff. You never hear the good stuff,’ he said.
“The general public doesn’t want to be harassed by the Taliban. They’re definitely afraid of them. That’s why they don’t necessarily help us. But they definitely do want us there,” Tarkett said.
Has Afghanistan changed him? “Just gives you a greater respect for life,” he says. To those who would argue they’re taking lives, Tarkett says, “It’s either you take a life or its your life that’s taken. You do what you have to do to get back to your family and friends. Because, ultimately, that’s who you’re doing it for... yourself and your family.”
So, is that the motivation? “It’s something that I kind of, not necessarily lived by, but it’s better that it’s going on over there, than in the streets here. Want to cut it off at the pass before it gets too far.”
Back home
“Any and all support that can be given or is given is very much appreciated,” Cpl. Tarkett says.
“My family and friends have just been amazing,” he said. How? “Packages, just support in general. If I ever needed to talk, there’s always somebody there to listen, whether it’s my family or friends. I could tell them anything.” How important is that to a guy overseas? “That is the most important thing — just having that connection. At the same time, it’s hard though, because you’re over there and time’s just ticking by over here and you feel like you’re being left behind ...And as much as Hawley hasn’t changed, the people have.”
What do you think about when you’re over there, just the mission? “Well, no. With the down time, you think about the first meal, when you get home. I know I couldn’t wait to get home and watch a Yankees game and drink a Yuengling and get back to the family. You definitely see how much you take for granted. Because you don’t have a cell phone in your pocket. If you have internet access over there, there’s always a time limit because there’s so many guys that want to get on. You can’t just sit there. Sometimes you go a week or two without showers, no AC, in some instances. And in 100 and some degree temperature, no AC is brutal. And you definitely realize how much you take for granted—the small things.”
What was the first thing he and his family said to each other when they were reunited? “I don’t know, we just smiled, because I made it back in one piece. You don’t need to say anything. You look at each other and you kind of get overcome with a sense of pride and comfort— you’re back with your family.”
Ellie
Hawley -
“You don’t sign up to be a Marine to sit behind a desk,” says 24-year-old Cpl. Joseph Tarkett, U.S. Marine Corps.
It’s hard not to notice the proud way the Hawley Marine carries himself; both his granddad and uncle were Marines.
Seated across from him, it’s equally hard to miss visible shrapnel wounds to his face and hands. They’re healing. More than two weeks-old, the wounds were caused by the blast of an improvised explosive device (IED) in Afghanistan, August 17.
He’s home in Hawley now, surrounded by much missed family and friends. But his thoughts are half a world away, with another family — members of the 2nd Battalion, 3rd Marines, Echo Company, the men he served with in Afghanistan.
He’s home until September 9th, before heading back to Maryland for follow up care at the Bethesda National Naval Medical Center. The blast caused serious swelling to his eyeball. “They want to keep an eye on my eye. They want to keep a close watch because it’s such a fragile body part. I consider myself extremely lucky,” he says.
There’s barely a pause, when he quietly shares, “We lost a guy in July. He was a good friend to a bunch of us over there. He actually stepped on an IED. His name was Matt Lembke. He was from Oregon, originally,” he says — a good friend who’ll never be forgotten. “He was just your poster child for a Marine. He loved it. He voluntarily extended to go on this deployment. And he was going to go to school when he got back. I got there in August, and he was one of the second or third guys I met. Drinking Buds and watching the UFC® fight, you know.”
Does he think about him every day? “I think about him a lot,” he says. He’d prayed so hard for Matt to make it. “He made it all the way back to the states,” Tarkett said. His family was by his side when he passed away.
How do you keep going when you lose someone you love so much? “Because you know they would have wanted you to. Mission accomplishment. That’s what you’re taught from day one in the Marine Corps. Like now, I know that my guys are doing what they have to do, even without me there.”
Anything he wants his fellow Marines to know? “Just that I wish I was with them and not here. Because that’s how tight we are. They’re family. They take the place of your loved ones here, back stateside, because you spend every waking minute with them. And you have your disagreements, but it never lasts longs. They’re like your brothers. And for them to be over there sweating and suffering and here’ I am ...”
The full story
As he talks of his tour in Afghanistan, Cpl. Tarkett says the public isn’t getting the full story. “The general public is not getting the full story, for the simple fact that all the general public sees from the news is the horror: the deaths and the casualties,” he said.
What they don’t see is the soldiers reaching out to the kids. “I had a kid teach me how to count to 10 in Pashto. And I taught him how to count to 10 in American. You don’t see the good things. You don’t get to hear about the Marines, any service, giving out food, candy, any of that stuff. You never hear the good stuff,’ he said.
“The general public doesn’t want to be harassed by the Taliban. They’re definitely afraid of them. That’s why they don’t necessarily help us. But they definitely do want us there,” Tarkett said.
Has Afghanistan changed him? “Just gives you a greater respect for life,” he says. To those who would argue they’re taking lives, Tarkett says, “It’s either you take a life or its your life that’s taken. You do what you have to do to get back to your family and friends. Because, ultimately, that’s who you’re doing it for... yourself and your family.”
So, is that the motivation? “It’s something that I kind of, not necessarily lived by, but it’s better that it’s going on over there, than in the streets here. Want to cut it off at the pass before it gets too far.”
Back home
“Any and all support that can be given or is given is very much appreciated,” Cpl. Tarkett says.
“My family and friends have just been amazing,” he said. How? “Packages, just support in general. If I ever needed to talk, there’s always somebody there to listen, whether it’s my family or friends. I could tell them anything.” How important is that to a guy overseas? “That is the most important thing — just having that connection. At the same time, it’s hard though, because you’re over there and time’s just ticking by over here and you feel like you’re being left behind ...And as much as Hawley hasn’t changed, the people have.”
What do you think about when you’re over there, just the mission? “Well, no. With the down time, you think about the first meal, when you get home. I know I couldn’t wait to get home and watch a Yankees game and drink a Yuengling and get back to the family. You definitely see how much you take for granted. Because you don’t have a cell phone in your pocket. If you have internet access over there, there’s always a time limit because there’s so many guys that want to get on. You can’t just sit there. Sometimes you go a week or two without showers, no AC, in some instances. And in 100 and some degree temperature, no AC is brutal. And you definitely realize how much you take for granted—the small things.”
What was the first thing he and his family said to each other when they were reunited? “I don’t know, we just smiled, because I made it back in one piece. You don’t need to say anything. You look at each other and you kind of get overcome with a sense of pride and comfort— you’re back with your family.”
Ellie