Photo By Sgt. Jonathan Sosner | 1st Sgt. Steven Ellison hikes alongside his Marines during a conditioning hike on Camp...... read more read more
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First Sergeant Steven Ellison had come a long way from the 22-year-old Brooklyn, New York native who found himself unemployed due to the relocation of the company he worked for after high school. It was late 1994 when he made a life-changing decision.
“I walked into the Marine recruiting office and told myself ‘Alright, let’s do this,’” said Ellison, now the company first sergeant for 2nd Marine Headquarters Group, II Marine Expeditionary Force.
Ellison made quick work of getting promoted, becoming a sergeant in three years. A motor transport operator by trade, he deployed multiple times, twice to a combat zone. Ellison deployed to Iraq in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2004 and then to Afghanistan as part of the storied push for Marjah in 2009. It was here where Ellison started to understand all of the training he participated in over the years.
“Combat deployments gave me a better appreciation for what my job entails. Back in the U.S., you just do (training) runs over and over and it can get tedious,” Ellison said. “Being able to see how all the training paid off really gave me a greater appreciation for this profession.
Ellison also completed a three-year tour at Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island, beginning in 2005, as a drill instructor where he relished the opportunity to shape recruits into the caliber of Marines he would want to work side-by-side with.
“I had a blast down at Parris Island,” Ellison said. “That’s where you really get a sense that you’re shaping new Marines and pushing the Corps in the right direction.”
However, in a short decade, the direction of his life would face an ultimate form of adversity.
It was June of 2015 when Ellison first noticed something was wrong. The doctors could not determine what was wrong with this otherwise healthy Marine, so he continued doing what he knew best: be a Marine. Every run and hike, 1st Sgt. Ellison was there with his Marines as though nothing was wrong.
By September of 2015, Ellison received news he never expected.
“Stage three kidney cancer,” Ellison said. “I didn’t even believe it at first. How is that even possible? I’m healthy, this can’t be right.”
They scheduled the surgery for October 23. Ellison was going to get either half or his whole kidney removed. They would not know the full extent of the cancer until the day of the operation.
A week before the surgery, he became so weak he needed an emergency blood transfusion because he had lost so much blood, Ellison said. Still, he went through with the operation.
The surgery was a success, and after two weeks of convalescent leave, Ellison started chemotherapy. In December of 2015, against doctor’s wishes, he started exercising again.
“Every run on base that was offered, whether it was a 5k or a mud run I signed up for,” he said. “They told me that I was still very susceptible to getting sick again and that I shouldn’t be doing all this. I kept going because my drive to be a Marine was more important to me than anything else.”
Despite his situation, Ellison refused to have a negative attitude.
“I never understood the whole ‘woe-is-me’ attitude,” Ellison said. “It would have been easy to get on limited duty and fall to the wayside, but that wasn’t what I wanted. My drive told me to keep pushing forward and continue to be the best Marine that I knew I could be.”
Now cancer-free, Ellison is focused on nothing but being the best Marine he can be and pushing the Corps in the right direction. His advice for today’s Marines is simple: set goals and enjoy what you do.
“When I first enlisted, I thought I was going to be back in Brooklyn in four years, but then when I picked up sergeant and had responsibilities I realized that I was driven to succeed,” Ellison said. “Every time I would reenlist, I would set goals for myself and that kept me going.”
For Ellison, enjoying his work made it easy for him.
“I just had fun at what I was doing and it was cake walk for me,” he said. “The only way to make a successful career out of the Marine Corps is to enjoy what you do.”
Continuing with his trend of setting goals, Ellison does not plan on retiring any time soon, and has set his sights on becoming a sergeant major.
“I could have easily gotten waivers, done partial fitness tests and gotten on light duty, but I wanted to show people that just because you have a problem, that doesn’t mean that you can’t overcome it. I’m still doing what I’m supposed to be doing, and I still love what I’m doing.”
Esprit de corps is defined as “a feeling of pride, loyalty and devotion to a group.” For 1st Sgt. Steven Ellison, those are not just words on paper, but a way of life.
| Date Taken: | 10.25.2016 |
| Date Posted: | 10.25.2016 10:27 |
| Story ID: | 212843 |
| Location: | MARINE CORPS BASE CAMP LEJEUNE, NC, US |
| Hometown: | BROOKLYN, NY, US |
| Web Views: | 239 |
| Downloads: | 2 |
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