Photo By Damany Coleman | While at Recruiting Substation York, Recruiting Station Harrisburg, Lance Cpl. Brian...... read more read more
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YORK, Pa. - Like many Marines, Lance Cpl. Brian Anderson joined the military because he wanted a challenge.
“I wanted to do something different … something good for me,” said Anderson, an assault-amphibious vehicle mechanic with 2nd Assault Amphibian Battalion, 2nd Marine Division. “Even though I wasn’t 100 percent sure about it, I visited the recruiting office one day. I spoke with the recruiters, they talked to my parents and they eventually signed me up.”
Anderson, a native of the small, country town of Manchester, Pa., originally wanted to be an infantryman. Since he was only 17 when he first set foot at a recruiting substation, his parents were the only ones who could sign his paperwork.
Knowing that his parents wouldn’t send him off to recruit training with any infantry military occupational specialties, Anderson had to choose something else.
He grew up working on cars, so it was a no-brainer for what his next choice would be.
“(Being a mechanic) comes natural to me,” said Anderson. “I love my job because I get to fix things and being away from home is a little easier sometimes because it isn’t very stressful.”
Anderson’s father, Larry, said that like any parent, he is very proud of his son’s decision to join the Marines. He also said that he knew his son’s background in hands-on work would prepare him for the transition.
“I’ve always been into working with cars and that’s how (my son) got into it,” said Larry. “My father-in-law has an orchard and for the last few years before he left to boot camp, Brian helped out a lot. For his senior project in high school, he began to restore a car, which I helped with a little, but I made him do as much as he could possibly do himself.”
Larry added that he has always taught his children that the harder they work, the more they’ll have in life. Larry said he is pleased to know that his son has taken that advice.
“He’s a go-getter,” he said. “Nowadays, most kids his age don’t have an interest in hard work. They’re lazy. But when you tell Brian to do something, he does it. I think he has a great work ethic.”
The ‘do what you’re told’ attitude has gotten Anderson pretty far. He said since he’s shown that he knows his way around a garage and is mechanically-savvy, his supervisors don’t give him much of a hard time. He even helps the other mechanics if they need any tips.
“I’m one of the go-to guys in my company, which is nice,” he said.
Anderson added that being a subject matter expert is a good feeling, especially when it’s something he enjoys doing. To be able to do more for his peers and his command, he requested to go on recruiters’ assistance, where he can learn more about the Marine Corps, share his passion about his job and even earn points for promotion to the next rank.
While he’s here, Anderson added it’s easier to relate to applicants who are more “mechanically” inclined, and like working on cars, like he does.
“I had a few people who I talked into at least being interested,” he said. “There is so much more than going to war. I’ve let them know they can work on computers, be a photographer or even be a mechanic, like me.”
Gunnery Sgt. Daniel Roland, the staff noncommissioned officer-in-charge of Recruiting Substation York, Recruiting Station Harrisburg said that in the two weeks since Anderson has been with the RSS, he comes in every day motivated and eager to work.
According to Roland, Anderson was already pretty good at interacting with the community, but the recruiters helped him refine his skill of talking to people and getting them interested in the Marine Corps.
“We want him to just try and connect with as many people as possible during his time on the command recruiter program and share the story about why he joined,” said Roland. “Every day he comes in and is ready to do what he has to do.”
Roland added that it is obvious Anderson feels he is ready for promotion.
“He requested to come back out here, so obviously he's trying to get that next rank,” he said. “He always helps out in any way possible, which is really helping him out in the long run.”
| Date Taken: | 06.11.2013 |
| Date Posted: | 07.19.2013 14:28 |
| Story ID: | 110494 |
| Location: | YORK, PA, US |
| Hometown: | MANCHESTER, PA, US |
| Web Views: | 105 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Manchester, Pa., Marine comes home, spreads opportunities in the Corps, by Damany Coleman, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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