The boys flew home to Bangkok from their respective universities to spend Christmas 2017 with the family. Frank was a sophomore at Florida State, and we knew he wasn’t happy there. But what to do other than hope for the best? I could sense something was up when Frank sat me down and said, “Dad, I’m leaving school and I want to join the Marine Corps.” I remember replying, “OK, let’s talk about it,” and he responded, “And I’ve sworn in.”
Having worked with the Corps around the globe over the course of my career, I have nothing but respect for the Marines. Personally, my own experience in the military lasted about 4 weeks, as I just couldn’t take orders or get my shit organized at that age. So now my son was taking a path that I couldn’t, and all I could think was that this kid had a set of balls.
Fast forward to June 2018, when we loaded up a rental van with the grandparents and siblings and pointed it to Parris Island, South Carolina, for Frank’s graduation from USMC Recruit Training. Holy shit, THAT Parris Island and the visuals were everything you’d think it would be and then some. While Frank was in recruit training, we’d endured 13 weeks of mailing physical letters, liaising with the Marine Corps Family Portal (outstanding), waiting daily on the occasional letter from Frank, and constantly scanning the internet for any pictures of the recruits. Katia and I felt like we’d gone through the 54 hours of the “Crucible” with him, cheering him on every moment and probably feeling more anxiety than he did. He did it, and we’ll never forget our sense of pride after arriving on the island and seeing him for the first time in formation as a US Marine Corps graduate with his Eagle, Globe, and Anchor. Semper Fi
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