Grant graduated in June of 2008 from Lewis Cass High School, Walton, Indiana. He signed his enlistment papers in the fall of 2007. He spent the time between enlistment and ship out working with the recruiters on his physical strength and general orders. He shipped out July 7^th, 2008 to MCRD San Diego. Just prior to his ship date, the lead recruiter for Indiana called him and offered Grant the chance to change his MOS to V22 Osprey Crew Chief. The MOS for the Osprey is limited to 4 positions for the entire United States each year. After 13 weeks of boot camp, Grant graduated on October 3, 2008. His Kilo Company class had 667 new marines. The largest class in 24 years. Grant is now at Camp Pendleton at the School of Infantry. After completion of SOI, he will move to Pensacola Florida for his MOS schools.

Graduated from Western High School in 2007. While in school Seth was a swimmer for 4 years and team captain his last year. Also he played soccer for 3 years being the captain the last year. Seth talked about joining the Navy for many years. Then he was all set to go to IUPUI and join their swim team. In the spring of 2007 after 2 of his friends had done the DEP for the Marines he said he did not wish to continue school but to go into the service instead. His mom told him to check out all the branches, but he only went to the Marines. He left for boot camp at the end of July and received his Eagle, Globe, and Anchor on Oct 26, 2007. His PDS is Camp Lejune NC. He is in artillery.
 

Jeff D. Handy

DOB a long time ago
I graduated from Western High School in 1980. I was in band for 4 years. I think I always wanted to be a Marine. It was something I knew I was going to do after school. I had joined the DEP in the summer of my Junior year. 11 days after High school I was standing on THE YELLOW FOOTPRINTS wondering what I got myself into. I made it though and became a Marine in Aug of 80. Then off to Courthouse Bay for Combat Engineer school. (I joined to be a heavy equipment operator. The heaviest piece of equipment I operated was a shovel.) I graduated 1st in the class and got to go to Main side Camp Lejune NC to join the FMF. I did 2 Med floats, and got to see places like Italy, France, Spain, and Portugal. The second float was a trip to Denmark the right to Beirut Lebanon. Had fun when I was there but later would lose almost a whole platoon there in the 1983 bombing of the barracks where I had lived when I was there. Now I am the commandant of the local Marine Corps League, and on the board of Directors for the Howard Count Veterans Memorial.
 

Ross  graduated from Noblesville High School in December 2006. Went to MCRD  January 2007.  He is station at Camp Lejeune.   He is currently in Afghanistan  with the Weapons Company 3rd Platoon 1st Section, 1-6.

Commandant Bud Albright Hiram I. Bearss Detachment #089

LCpl Ora Miles Etchison

 LCpl Etchison is the only son of Terry and Anna Etchison.  In June, 2006 he graduated from Eastern High School in Greentown, Indiana where he was a member of the Civil Air Patrol and recipient of The Mitchell Award. 

He left for MCRD in San Diego in August, 2006 and became a United States Marine in October, 2006.  He is currently stationed at Camp LeJeune, North Carolina with the 1/9 (affectionately known as “the walking dead”). 

Ora is scheduled for his first deployment overseas in February, 2008.

Richard was born in Kokomo, IN. He has one brother in California. Always a very athletic personality we were not surprised when he chose the Army for his career. Being physical it only made sense he would chose a physical career. He went through Basic/AIT in MO and is currently stationed in South Korea. He loves music, was a drummer in his high school marching band for 2 years. Hard to completely get to know but loves people (most of the time).
 

Cpl. James Oltman

James graduated from High School, Midway Christian Academy, in Columbus,In. He worked for the next five years for Meshberger Allied Aggrogate, Hope,In as a truck driver and maintenance laborer until he decided to join the Marine Corps in Febuary2005. "I'm getting to the age, if I don't do it now, I'll be too old." After bootcamp at MRCD, San Diego, he went to School of Infantry, Camp Pendleton, CA. and graduated with meritorious promotion to LCpl. He is currently assigned to the 1-7 at Twentynine Palms, CA. as an Assaltman, 0351

Brad graduated from Lawrence North High School in January, 2005. He became a Marine in July, 2005 when he graduated from MCRD in San Diego, CA. He enjoys reading, and watching professional wrestling and horror movies.

Brad was promoted to Lance Corporal on June 1, 2006. His mother had the honor of pinning his new rank on him at the Promotion Ceremony held at Cherry Point, NC. His unit, the VMAQ-3 Moondogs, deployed to Al Asad, Iraq in July, 2006 and again in March, 2008.

He is scheduled to leave active service in April, 2009.