Photo By Cpl. Tommy Bellegarde | Lance Cpl. Chase Allen, from Indianapolis, was born in Latvia and lived in an...... read more read more
Subscribe
CAMP LEATHERNECK, Helmand province, Afghanistan – America has earned a reputation as the land of opportunity, a melting pot where people from all backgrounds can live and work together in harmony. The Marine Corps draws strength from this diversity by uniting men and women of varying ethnic, social, economic and religious backgrounds from across the nation, even the planet, to work together to accomplish a common goal.
Marines at Romeo Battery’s 5th Battalion, 11th Marine Regiment, Fire Direction Center provide just one example of the thousands of men and women of different backgrounds working together in Afghanistan to accomplish their mission. The FDC coordinates High Mobility Artillery Rocket System requests to support units in the area, and three of four Marines who work the center’s day shift were born outside of the United States.
Lance Cpl. Chase Allen, from Indianapolis; Cpl. Ryan Wilson of McMinnville, Ore.; and Lance Cpl. Steven Makepeace, from Baden, Pa.; were born in Latvia, England and Russia, respectively, and immigrated to the United States as children.
Allen, a fire direction control man, and Makepeace, a field radio operator, lived at orphanages in their native countries before being adopted by American parents. They had a rough life as young children.
“I was put in an orphanage when I was five,” said Allen, a graduate of Broad Ripple High School in Indianapolis. “I remember there were a lot of birch trees because every month or so, when we got haircuts, they would take us to the [playground]. Right next to the playground out back, there were a lot of birch trees. They would shave our heads – I guess it was to control the lice or something.
“For fun, we’d do things like break apart batteries and throw them around, ride tricycles, watch ‘[Teenage Mutant] Ninja Turtles,’” Allen added. “They didn’t really censor much, so we were watching ‘Predator’ and stuff like that at 5 years old.”
Wilson’s childhood was much different. His father was stationed with the Marine Corps in England when he was born, and his family moved to California when he was about four.
“Going from one lifestyle to another – the way the Brits live and the way Americans live – it was a little different, but it wasn’t too hard to adjust,” said the 21-year-old Wilson, a field radio operator. “It was definitely weird going from a really rainy, cloudy place all the time to sunny, really hot all the time.”
The FDC Marines embrace each others’ backgrounds and often joke about their unique situation.
“The first time I met Makepeace, I found out he was from Russia,” said Allen, 24. “I was like, ‘What is [Makepeace], [American] Indian or something?’ He said, ‘No, I’m Russian.’ I’m like, ‘I’ve never met a Russian with that kind of name.’ Then we talked about it, and he comes to find out I’m from Latvia.”
Allen, Wilson and Makepeace have all changed their lives by enlisting in the Marine Corps as young adults and dedicating themselves to serving the American people. Allen and Makepeace, especially, went from having almost no futures as orphans to earning the title of Marine and joining the tight-knit family that is the Marine Corps.
“My neighbor, he was a first sergeant in the Marine Corps,” said Makepeace, 21. “He was such a big success. That’s why I joined – I wanted to have a [shot] at being successful.”
Different factors caused each of the Marines to serve for different reasons, but they all wanted to give back to the country that has given so much opportunity to them. They all come from different backgrounds, but share the Marine Corps as their common bond. These Marines are happy to work together every day, as brothers.
“I just find it pretty interesting that we were all born in different countries and the three of us work together,” said Allen. “We all work well together, too. [Being different] doesn’t really have an impact on our work ethic or morale. We got blessed with an opportunity, and we all took advantage of it and ended up [as] a conglomerate melting pot of ethnicities.”
Romeo Battery is currently assigned to 1st Battalion, 12th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division (Forward), which heads Task Force Leatherneck. The task force serves as the ground combat element of Regional Command (Southwest) and works in partnership with the Afghan National Security Force and the government of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan to conduct counterinsurgency operations. The unit is dedicated to securing the Afghan people, defeating insurgent forces and enabling ANSF assumption of security responsibilities within its area of operations in order to support the expansion of stability, development and legitimate governance.
| Date Taken: | 09.13.2011 |
| Date Posted: | 09.13.2011 13:44 |
| Story ID: | 76955 |
| Location: | CAMP LEATHERNECK, HELMAND PROVINCE, AF |
| Web Views: | 230 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Indy Marine adds diversity to international team in Afghanistan, by Cpl Tommy Bellegarde, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
No keywords found.
