Photo By Sgt. Gavin Umboh | U.S. Marine Corps Pfc. Jordan Mollenkopf, Pvt. Ethan Fritzley, Pfc. Gabriel Kirsch,...... read more read more
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U.S. Marine Corps Pfc. Jordan Mollenkopf and Pvt. Ethan Fritzley, Mohawk Junior Senior High School graduates, and Pfc. Gabriel Kirsch, a Sharon Senior High School graduate, are home for the holidays after completing recruit training at Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island, South Carolina.
They left for recruit training together, Sep. 13, 2021, with the goal of earning the title of Marine.
The three new Marines all started somewhere different. Mollenkopf met Staff Sgt. Zach Knowlton, the previous recruiter in New Castle, Pennsylvania, when he was in his sophomore year of high school.
“After meeting Staff Sgt. Knowlton and seeing the way Marines acted and carried themselves I knew I wanted to be like that,” Mollenkopf said.
Mollenkopf called the recruiter on his 17th birthday to start the enlistment process. He also invited Fritzley to one of the weekly physical training sessions at the recruiting office.
“The first workout I came to was a challenge,” Fritzley said. “I thought I was in good shape, but that workout made me want to do more. I learned a lot about what mental and physical strength meant to the Marines.”
Kirsch said he wasn’t sure what he wanted to do after high school. He wasn’t interested in going to college yet. That’s when he got a call from Knowlton.
“He asked me if I ever thought about the military as an option,” Kirsch said. “I thought about it a little, but after I met the recruiter and other poolees I fell in love with the environment.”
After overcoming the challenges of 13 weeks at recruit training, these three young men have earned the title of Marine and are starting their careers. Following the winter holidays, they will return to Camp Geiger, North Carolina, to complete infantry training. Mollenkopf and Fritzley will continue on to an infantry battalion, and Kirsch will continue training for the Security Forces specialty within the infantry occupational field.
The current recruiter in New Castle, Pennsylvania is Staff Sgt. Kelvin Talvo. If you would like more information about what the Marine Corps has to offer, visit Marines.com or contact your local Marine Corps recruiting office.
| Date Taken: | 12.13.2021 |
| Date Posted: | 12.17.2021 17:46 |
| Story ID: | 411495 |
| Location: | PITTSBURGH, PA, US |
| Web Views: | 203 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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