July 6, 2009
Bound to become Marines

Longtime friends to enter boot camp at Parris Island

BY MARK BELL
MBELL@DNJ.COM

Two La Vergne High School students who've been best friends and neighbors for more than 14 years are beginning new chapters in their lives together as they both prepare to enter boot camp at Parris Island, S.C., today.

Zach Boulanger and Blake Morton, both 18, decided a long time ago that military service was for them. It was Morton, however, who coaxed Boulanger into joining the United States Marine Corps instead of any other military branch.

"I've always been gung ho Marine Corps," said Morton, sitting inside Donna Boulanger's quaint Odom Court home near downtown Smyrna. The home was decked out in red, white and blue following Independence Day celebrations Saturday.

The Mortons and Boulanger gathered in Donna's meticulously kept living room where they discussed memories of the boys who "grew up playing Army in an old cemetery up the road."

Shelly Morton, Blake's mom, talked about the pressure the boys had placed on her, Richard (Blake's father) and Donna (Zach's mother) to let them join the service before turning 18.

"They were begging us to sign them up when they were 17," she said, smiling as she recalled the memory. "At one point, Blake said, 'Mom, you are hurting me by not signing me up because I'm recruiting all these people and it would make me a higher rank if I sign up now.'"

After more encouragement from the teens, both the Mortons and Boulanger decided resistance was futile.

"They wanted to do this for three years, so we didn't believe they were going to change their minds in a matter of months," Shelly said.

The move did, in fact, pay off for Blake, who was promoted to private first class for helping recruit six individuals into the corps.

Blake, who will be training to be an infantryman, talked about why he wanted to join the service. A big influence, he said, was the fact his dad had served in the Army.

"I also joined hoping to have a future in law enforcement," he said, adding he has aspirations to be an FBI agent or even an actor.

Zach, on the other hand, is training to enter the intelligence community after Parris Island and has his eye set on another member organization of the governmental alphabet soup.

"I plan to put about 20 years in the service," he said. "I'm doing electronic warfare intelligence, so I'm almost guaranteed a job with the CIA. I'm going to college after boot camp, but I'm not sure where. My intelligence school is gonna be Camp Pendleton, Calif."

While both are glad to be starting their lives in the "real world," they talked about how they'd miss their parents — and their parents also talked about how they'd miss them.

"It's gonna suck, to be honest," said Zach. "Especially with boot camp because we can't have contact with our parents over the phone or through e-mail. It's gonna be a long time without talking to my mother."

Donna said she will miss "the man of her house (Zach)."

"It's been just me, him and his sister since his father left," she said. "It's gonna be tough without him for a while."

Shelly said she would definitely miss her son's "presence."

"You know when he's here, so we're gonna know when he's gone," she laughed.

Blake reminisced about the time he met Zach as they shared their memories of each other Sunday, just hours before they were due to check in with other troops at the Millennium Maxwell House Hotel in Nashville.

The 4-year-old Blake had just moved into the neighborhood with his family and was trying to ride his bike for the first time without training wheels.

"Zach (and other neighborhood kids) helped me get on the bike and ride it," he said. "I'll never forget it."

The boys attended school together, first at Smyrna Primary, then Thurman Francis, Rock Springs Middle and finally at La Vergne High School.

"They fought like brothers at times," said Shelly. Blake recalled Zach, at one time, shooting him in the rear end with a BB gun.

Zach was captain of the tennis team all four years at La Vergne. He also participated in ROTC, drill team and the drama club. He was voted Mr. School Spirit his senior year.

Blake was a football player and captain of the team his senior year. He also participated in wrestling and cross country. He was voted best La Vergne High School actor the past three years and was also drama king. Both he and Zach were voted onto the homecoming court in 2008.

Though the parents said they were proud of all their sons' accomplishments, they believe graduating from boot camp will be among the best.

"I'm very proud of them," Richard said. "This whole experience is gonna be what they make of it. It's up to them. They are gonna have to dig deep down inside themselves and not give up."

Ellie