thedrifter
05-29-07, 05:52 AM
Green Brook man watches proudly as son starts 4th tour with Marines
By CELANIE POLANICK
Staff Writer
GREEN BROOK -- On Memorial Day, many veterans relaxed with their families. Anthony Pagano and his ex-wife, Joyce Jardot, didn't have the opportunity to do that with their son, Matthew, but they do know where he is -- on his way to Iraq for a fourth tour of duty with the Marines.
His parents could not be prouder of their son, said his father. Anthony Pagano has his doubts about the war, but none about his respect for his 24-year-old son.
"To be honest with you, I never thought about the military at all for my children, because there's no draft, and there never was a situation where you have to join," said Anthony Pagano, who served in the U.S. Air Force during the Vietnam War.
When Matthew was born April 1, 1983, keeping the little boy away from war was among Anthony Pagano's first thoughts, he said.
"I remember saying to his mom in the hospital, after delivery, 'Thank God there's no draft -- we don't have to worry about that.'"
Matthew Pagano was "brought up as a nonviolent kid," always open-minded, but received some bullying from other children in junior high and high school, his father said.
He took it and took it until he couldn't take it anymore -- and then he punched the kid, his mother said.
"The teacher was actually glad that he finally had stood up for himself," Jardot said.
As an older teen, Matthew Pagano developed an interest in military-style video games and wanted to become a game designer. He was recruited by the San Francisco Art Institute and had gone so far as to fly to the West Coast with his mother to look for housing, Anthony Pagano said.
But in 2001, a year after he graduated from high school, Matthew's mother found herself on the phone with her son, listening to him talk about the Marines.
"He just basically called her one day and just said to her that he'd decided he wanted to join the Marines," Anthony Pagano said. "It was a bit of a shock to all of us. As a parent, you never want to see your child in harm's way."
A unique experience
Matthew Pagano felt strongly about his choice: Serving in the Marines would give him military experience he felt would set him apart as a video game designer, and because his father and grandfather both had served in the military, too, he felt a sense of duty to the cause. In the end, his enthusiasm convinced them, his father said.
"Matthew is very nonpolitical -- he saw it as an opportunity for him," Anthony Pagano said. "I just became a supporter of him and knew that he was so intelligent and sounded so convinced of his feelings that he would be OK, that his decisions were good decisions. He didn't need me anymore as a provider, he needed me as a guider -- I hate to say this because I'm not a chauvinist, but I guess it's a man thing."
Matthew Pagano joined the Marines in June of 2002, graduated from boot camp in February 2003 and was stationed at Camp Pendleton. He left for his first tour of duty in Kuwait in August of 2003 and briefly visited Iraq during his three-month stay, returning in October, his mother said. He went back in February 2004 and stayed for seven months. He left again in July 2005 for another seven months and returned in early March of 2006.
He re-enlisted for another four more years in December 2006, was promoted to sergeant in March and left again April 10 on a voyage that will ultimately end in Iraq.
As a member of the First Marine Division, Combat Engineer Battalion, Matthew Pagano plays a supporting role but does see some combat, his mother said.
However, he seems to have suffered little or no psychological damage, even after getting "his buddies out of some serious scrapes," his father said.
"He seems to be very much of the same mind that he was when he went in," his father said.
As part of his job, he's learned some of the language, formed tentative friendships with Iraqi civilians and tried Iraqi cuisine -- which, apart from the lamb, he liked a lot, his father said.
A variety of experiences
During his time there, Matthew Pagano also has done more pleasant duties, such as bringing school supplies and candy to children and helping to secure an area where an election was taking place, which he found thrilling. At a certain point, he decided he wasn't ready to leave yet, his father said.
"He's taking it one enlistment at a time, I guess," Anthony Pagano said. "To be honest with you, if he decided to make this a career, there's nothing he could do that would make me any less proud as a parent. The one thing I've been told from people at every level is that my son is a true Marine in every sense of the word. He will do what he has to do, but he has the compassion to help."
It's not easy to let go, but every parent has to do it, he said.
"I would love to go over there and just yank him and say, 'Come on, we're going home,' but you don't do that as a parent," Anthony Pagano said. "When they reach a certain age, you have to believe that what you've taught them is sufficient to carry them forward."
Neither Matthew Pagano nor his parents are very political, but with numerous relatives in the service, they understand the military tradition, Anthony Pagano said.
"You're given an order to do something, and you do it -- and even if you disagree with something that's going on, you still carry out your orders, because that's what we do," he said.
Matthew has questioned what he's doing at times, but he sees the U.S. military's role in Iraq as the only thing that will help Iraqis, his father said.
"At one point, he said, 'Dad, I don't want to go back for a third time -- we're getting nothing done,'" Anthony Pagano said. "I do know that he believes he's doing a good job there. He believes that without him, these people will live 10 times as badly as they are right now."
Celanie Polanick can be reached at (90 707-3137 or at cpolanick@c-n.com.
Ellie
By CELANIE POLANICK
Staff Writer
GREEN BROOK -- On Memorial Day, many veterans relaxed with their families. Anthony Pagano and his ex-wife, Joyce Jardot, didn't have the opportunity to do that with their son, Matthew, but they do know where he is -- on his way to Iraq for a fourth tour of duty with the Marines.
His parents could not be prouder of their son, said his father. Anthony Pagano has his doubts about the war, but none about his respect for his 24-year-old son.
"To be honest with you, I never thought about the military at all for my children, because there's no draft, and there never was a situation where you have to join," said Anthony Pagano, who served in the U.S. Air Force during the Vietnam War.
When Matthew was born April 1, 1983, keeping the little boy away from war was among Anthony Pagano's first thoughts, he said.
"I remember saying to his mom in the hospital, after delivery, 'Thank God there's no draft -- we don't have to worry about that.'"
Matthew Pagano was "brought up as a nonviolent kid," always open-minded, but received some bullying from other children in junior high and high school, his father said.
He took it and took it until he couldn't take it anymore -- and then he punched the kid, his mother said.
"The teacher was actually glad that he finally had stood up for himself," Jardot said.
As an older teen, Matthew Pagano developed an interest in military-style video games and wanted to become a game designer. He was recruited by the San Francisco Art Institute and had gone so far as to fly to the West Coast with his mother to look for housing, Anthony Pagano said.
But in 2001, a year after he graduated from high school, Matthew's mother found herself on the phone with her son, listening to him talk about the Marines.
"He just basically called her one day and just said to her that he'd decided he wanted to join the Marines," Anthony Pagano said. "It was a bit of a shock to all of us. As a parent, you never want to see your child in harm's way."
A unique experience
Matthew Pagano felt strongly about his choice: Serving in the Marines would give him military experience he felt would set him apart as a video game designer, and because his father and grandfather both had served in the military, too, he felt a sense of duty to the cause. In the end, his enthusiasm convinced them, his father said.
"Matthew is very nonpolitical -- he saw it as an opportunity for him," Anthony Pagano said. "I just became a supporter of him and knew that he was so intelligent and sounded so convinced of his feelings that he would be OK, that his decisions were good decisions. He didn't need me anymore as a provider, he needed me as a guider -- I hate to say this because I'm not a chauvinist, but I guess it's a man thing."
Matthew Pagano joined the Marines in June of 2002, graduated from boot camp in February 2003 and was stationed at Camp Pendleton. He left for his first tour of duty in Kuwait in August of 2003 and briefly visited Iraq during his three-month stay, returning in October, his mother said. He went back in February 2004 and stayed for seven months. He left again in July 2005 for another seven months and returned in early March of 2006.
He re-enlisted for another four more years in December 2006, was promoted to sergeant in March and left again April 10 on a voyage that will ultimately end in Iraq.
As a member of the First Marine Division, Combat Engineer Battalion, Matthew Pagano plays a supporting role but does see some combat, his mother said.
However, he seems to have suffered little or no psychological damage, even after getting "his buddies out of some serious scrapes," his father said.
"He seems to be very much of the same mind that he was when he went in," his father said.
As part of his job, he's learned some of the language, formed tentative friendships with Iraqi civilians and tried Iraqi cuisine -- which, apart from the lamb, he liked a lot, his father said.
A variety of experiences
During his time there, Matthew Pagano also has done more pleasant duties, such as bringing school supplies and candy to children and helping to secure an area where an election was taking place, which he found thrilling. At a certain point, he decided he wasn't ready to leave yet, his father said.
"He's taking it one enlistment at a time, I guess," Anthony Pagano said. "To be honest with you, if he decided to make this a career, there's nothing he could do that would make me any less proud as a parent. The one thing I've been told from people at every level is that my son is a true Marine in every sense of the word. He will do what he has to do, but he has the compassion to help."
It's not easy to let go, but every parent has to do it, he said.
"I would love to go over there and just yank him and say, 'Come on, we're going home,' but you don't do that as a parent," Anthony Pagano said. "When they reach a certain age, you have to believe that what you've taught them is sufficient to carry them forward."
Neither Matthew Pagano nor his parents are very political, but with numerous relatives in the service, they understand the military tradition, Anthony Pagano said.
"You're given an order to do something, and you do it -- and even if you disagree with something that's going on, you still carry out your orders, because that's what we do," he said.
Matthew has questioned what he's doing at times, but he sees the U.S. military's role in Iraq as the only thing that will help Iraqis, his father said.
"At one point, he said, 'Dad, I don't want to go back for a third time -- we're getting nothing done,'" Anthony Pagano said. "I do know that he believes he's doing a good job there. He believes that without him, these people will live 10 times as badly as they are right now."
Celanie Polanick can be reached at (90 707-3137 or at cpolanick@c-n.com.
Ellie