thedrifter
12-26-05, 06:22 AM
Four local Marines come home to spend time with families
John Deneen
Daily Press Intern
MONTROSE — Each Christmas, many people return home to spend time with their families.
For four local young men, coming home means a little more this year.
Privates Jake Finnegan of Montrose, Chad Coulter and Cody Izzler of Ridgway and Josh Keehne of Gunnison have returned home from boot camp in San Diego with the U.S. Marine Corps.
“Being home you appreciate it a lot, for sure. It’s great coming home,” said Coulter. “When you come home from boot camp you don’t really know what to do with yourself because you don’t have somebody screaming at you and telling you what to do every second. It’s kinda nice being able to do what you want, you appreciate the freedom that we’ve got here too a lot more.”
While they all agree being home is a very pleasing change, their work in training was very beneficial.
“It’s definitely a challenge, it’s the hardest thing I’ve ever gone through in my life,” Finnegan said. “Getting (the Marine emblem) made the pain and the hardships all worth it. The drill sergeant gave you that; they look you in the eye, shake your hand and call you a Marine. That was the proudest moment I’ve ever had in my life. I’d won state medals and stuff at the Pepsi Center for wrestling, but that doesn’t even come close to that day and what I felt when I got that emblem.”
The recent boot camp graduates spent 13 weeks in an intensive training, including various teamwork exercises, physical and mental challenges, culminating with a three-day period call the “Crucible,” which included hiking close to 50 miles between various obstacle courses with no sleep and only one meal.
“It’s more mentally challenging. I’m not going to say it’s easy physically because you’re doing something all the time; there’s never a time when you’re just sitting around doing nothing,” Finnegan said. “Most of the kids are away from home for the first time, they just got out of high school. Nothing can really prepare you; you could run all you want, the physical part is easy to train for.”
Despite going through more pain and eventually joy than ever previously experienced, the Marine troops are planning to do pretty typical stuff with their families.
“I want to go snowmobiling and I’ll probably get up and do some snowboarding too,” Coulter said.
Finnegan plans to celebrate “just like I’ve done every year. All my family is around here so I’ll just go to my grandparent’s house. I’m lucky I get to stay here for Christmas. In the years to come it might not be like that, so I’m just going to enjoy it while I can.”
They also all seemed to agree that it is the simplest things that they enjoy the most about being home.
“One thing is actually being able to enjoy a meal again, because when you’re there you think it’s food, but you’re not sure,” Finnegan said. “You just eat because you’re hungry, then you get like five minutes to scarf everything down.”
Finnegan also has much advice to give to the many Montrose teens who have the vision of life as a utopia once they get out of town. He said no matter how great one thinks it will be outside, it’s always great to be home.
“So many kids are anxious to leave Montrose and stuff once they graduate, like ‘oh I can’t wait to get out of this town,’ but once you get out and you leave the comforts of home and stuff, I mean that first night all I wanted to do was go back. Montrose really is a nice place.”
John Deneen is a senior at Montrose High School. Contact him at johnd@montrosepress.com
Ellie
John Deneen
Daily Press Intern
MONTROSE — Each Christmas, many people return home to spend time with their families.
For four local young men, coming home means a little more this year.
Privates Jake Finnegan of Montrose, Chad Coulter and Cody Izzler of Ridgway and Josh Keehne of Gunnison have returned home from boot camp in San Diego with the U.S. Marine Corps.
“Being home you appreciate it a lot, for sure. It’s great coming home,” said Coulter. “When you come home from boot camp you don’t really know what to do with yourself because you don’t have somebody screaming at you and telling you what to do every second. It’s kinda nice being able to do what you want, you appreciate the freedom that we’ve got here too a lot more.”
While they all agree being home is a very pleasing change, their work in training was very beneficial.
“It’s definitely a challenge, it’s the hardest thing I’ve ever gone through in my life,” Finnegan said. “Getting (the Marine emblem) made the pain and the hardships all worth it. The drill sergeant gave you that; they look you in the eye, shake your hand and call you a Marine. That was the proudest moment I’ve ever had in my life. I’d won state medals and stuff at the Pepsi Center for wrestling, but that doesn’t even come close to that day and what I felt when I got that emblem.”
The recent boot camp graduates spent 13 weeks in an intensive training, including various teamwork exercises, physical and mental challenges, culminating with a three-day period call the “Crucible,” which included hiking close to 50 miles between various obstacle courses with no sleep and only one meal.
“It’s more mentally challenging. I’m not going to say it’s easy physically because you’re doing something all the time; there’s never a time when you’re just sitting around doing nothing,” Finnegan said. “Most of the kids are away from home for the first time, they just got out of high school. Nothing can really prepare you; you could run all you want, the physical part is easy to train for.”
Despite going through more pain and eventually joy than ever previously experienced, the Marine troops are planning to do pretty typical stuff with their families.
“I want to go snowmobiling and I’ll probably get up and do some snowboarding too,” Coulter said.
Finnegan plans to celebrate “just like I’ve done every year. All my family is around here so I’ll just go to my grandparent’s house. I’m lucky I get to stay here for Christmas. In the years to come it might not be like that, so I’m just going to enjoy it while I can.”
They also all seemed to agree that it is the simplest things that they enjoy the most about being home.
“One thing is actually being able to enjoy a meal again, because when you’re there you think it’s food, but you’re not sure,” Finnegan said. “You just eat because you’re hungry, then you get like five minutes to scarf everything down.”
Finnegan also has much advice to give to the many Montrose teens who have the vision of life as a utopia once they get out of town. He said no matter how great one thinks it will be outside, it’s always great to be home.
“So many kids are anxious to leave Montrose and stuff once they graduate, like ‘oh I can’t wait to get out of this town,’ but once you get out and you leave the comforts of home and stuff, I mean that first night all I wanted to do was go back. Montrose really is a nice place.”
John Deneen is a senior at Montrose High School. Contact him at johnd@montrosepress.com
Ellie