Photo By Sgt. Melodie Snarr | Sgt. Conner Fiero works in the aircraft rescue and firefighting unit on Marine Corps...... read more read more
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Your average joe could have a family, watch sports and have a good job. However average Sgt. Conner Fiero may seem from the outside looking in he’s more than just another guy on the block.
“[My family has] made me who I am today. [They show me] how not to take things for granted and how to look at things differently,” said Fiero. “I appreciate the little things in life and work for the big things in life.”
Fiero is from Parma, Michigan. According to the United States census bureau, Parma is a village with about 762 people in it. He was 21 years old when he and his wife enlisted in the Marine Corps.
“My wife and I flew out to California to see my brother graduate boot camp. Just spending the two weeks out there and seeing the atmosphere of the Marine Corps… and seeing my brother’s transformation was kind of the deciding factor that my wife and I wanted to take on the challenge,” said Fiero. “It was a pretty quick transition for the both of us but a pretty unique and awesome event during a new marriage.”
Fiero and his wife, Lauren, have been married for eight years. They have a three-year-old daughter named Elizabeth.
“I’ve been married for six years… I believe beside every strong man stands a strong woman,” said Fiero. “That has been the biggest benefit in my life is having a strong woman by my side who understands life’s struggles and curveballs.”
Fiero works in the aircraft rescue and firefighting unit on Marine Corps Air Station New River. His schedule is a bit different than usual by having 24 hours on call then 24 hours off.
“Airfield hours usually go until one in the morning so it’s quite a long day certainly if you’re not used to that type of atmosphere,” said Fiero. “You could be sitting at a normal training class and the bell goes off. Your [operation] tempo changes from zero to 100 real quick. Having the ability to go into a bad situation and make it better is the day to day.”
Fiero has been in the Marine Corps for five years. In his time, he has interacted with many Marines from different walk of life.
“I think what makes the Marine Corps unique is its diversity. I’ve been able to meet people from all over the world,” said Fiero. “I think that is the big contributor to not only our success but our unit cohesion. Everyone knows we’re from different places and everybody has something to offer to the team. That’s what I enjoy about the Marine Corps.”
Through those different experiences Marines define what it is to be a Marine. Fiero defines a Marine as a selfless, honorable person.
“A marine to me is somebody who’s humble, happy and willing to serve, a very selfless individual. The amount of respect and care that goes into making sure you take care of your brother and sister, that to me is the definition of a Marine,” said Fiero. “We all have [ideas that a Marine] should look like this or act like that but at the end of the day it falls on their moral compass. The attributes that make them who they are as far as how they were raised, where they come from, what is it they want out of life, and their work ethic. Their ability to sacrifice something for another individual not just for mission accomplishment, but to ensure the wellbeing of their brother or sister is taken care of.”
| Date Taken: | 01.25.2017 |
| Date Posted: | 01.27.2017 16:27 |
| Story ID: | 221694 |
| Location: | NC, US |
| Web Views: | 124 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, One Among Many: More than your average Joe, by Sgt Melodie Snarr, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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