Reserve Marine Pursues Semi-Pro Volleyball

TWENTYNINE PALMS, CALIFORNIA, UNITED STATES

06.13.2016

Story by Lance Cpl. Devan Barnett 

Marine Forces Reserve (MARFORRES)     

Marines often decide to serve based upon family legacy, desire to serve their country or to become a part of something bigger than themselves. Lance Cpl. Kenneth Tran is not one of those Marines; Tran is a Semi-Pro Volleyball player. The first person in his family to serve, having origins from Vietnam and already being in professional fitness shape, he joined for a reason that would shock most.
“I didn’t want to go to college so I sat around for six months after high school and was bored. So my friend, actually, challenged me to join the Marine Corps.”
Tran joined the Marine Corps because he wanted a challenge in life.
“He knew I liked challenges and I saw the Marine Corps as a challenge I hadn’t conquered yet.”
Tran took up the offer after his summer season ended and he decided why not? He wanted a new challenge and joined the Marine Corps Reserve. He found his challenge as he currently services as an artillery mechanic repairing Howitzers at Integrated Training Exercise 4-16.
“As a Reservist, we ask to go on training exercises to do our job because most of the time we don’t get much. We don’t get parts or anything sent up to us and that makes it hard, so instead we get sent to the parts.”
The limits on his training and his job don’t stop him from getting his hands on Howitzers or other mortars. He is ready to be plugged in at any moment.
“I fix anything that breaks or possibly breaks or needs replacements,” said Tran. “The other day I fixed a Massa Cylinder for the break system because if it breaks down, generally you have nothing to stop a Howitzer if it starts rolling.”
At any given moment, Tran and his fellow Marines are waiting for something to break down or about to break down and to help the Marines out at their annual exercises. He knew this is where he belonged. While being recruited, he controlled his fate with high test scores and was presented with many MOS choices.
“I saw all the options and came to the conclusion that working on big guns like Howitzers would be the best thing for me,” said Tran.
These big guns have put quite a challenge on Tran over the first two years of his six year Reserve contract, but Tran has risen to the occasion. He challenges himself as a civilian with three different jobs: being a tutor, a security guard and a semi-professional volleyball player.
“Right now, I’m tutoring and am a security guard during the summer months, I also practice and train on a volleyball team that travels from Las Vegas to New York for competitions year round,” explains Tran. “Since tutoring doesn’t affect my volleyball time, because of the times of exhibition matches and tutoring for me is in the mornings, I have time to go from tutoring, to my volleyball matches, to being a night security guard.”
Tran demonstrates the ability to manage a dynamic life with not only himself and the Marine Corps, but with himself as an individual civilian balancing three jobs. His passion for volleyball started before his two year career started.
“I wanted to play volleyball as a freshman in high school, but was busy with basketball on my schedule; halfway through high school I fractured my ankle. After it healed up I knew it was the end of my basketball career and at that point I picked up volleyball.”
His life steered him towards a career in volleyball and this has led him to be the center man for his team, also known as the fast. His responsibilities as a volleyball player include blocking the opposing team’s strikes and using his counter-attack to throw the ball down into the opposing team’s territories from the block.
Tran’s family was a part of the Vietnam War. They saw first-hand how serious certain aspects of the military and war can be and discouraged Tran from joining the military.
“They remember how much they didn’t like their time serving Vietnam. They remembered what their lives were like before I was born and they pushed me away from it. I didn’t have the support of my family going in, but now I do, knowing that this was my choice.”
Tran was and is excited he made this decision, even against what his family told him. The Marine Corps has improved his career path on the civilian side at all three of his jobs.
“The Marine Corps has given me more confidence, better fitness and I got the chance to bond with people I haven’t seen in years,” tells Tran. “I’m looking for ways my civilian life can impact and improve my abilities as a Marine currently.”
Being a Reserve Marine has its perks but the most important to 20-year old Kenneth Tran is the ability to go back home and achieve his own personal goals. He enjoys serving his country and being challenged every time he goes out on an annual training exercise. He demonstrates the ability for Reserve Marines to be more than just a Marine. They are giving back to society, chasing their dreams and improving themselves. The Reserve Marines have a responsibility to both the Marine Corps and society, Tran shows his gratitude to the people of Boston who support their local Boston Knights volleyball team.

• Date Taken: 06.13.2016
• Date Posted: 06.13.2016 20:07
• Story ID: 200980
• Location: TWENTYNINE PALMS, CALIFORNIA, US