Nicholas 25
Photos from Nick at Camp Fallujah
in Iraq
Nick
has been out of the Marine Corps and living at home since December of 2008. He
is going back to college in May, 2009. Nick arrived home safely from Iraq
on Sunday, April 27, 2008. We were SO excited. In the Spring of 2008, WGN
radio chose Nick as their Plainfield Hometown Hero. I think there is a clip on
YouTube. I did find these two videos on YouTube that
will show you past banners that are posted along the fence on route to base.
These banners are posted when the families have word that their Marine is
finally on their way home. They go for several miles and it is the first
welcoming sign that our Marines see from their bus ride home from the airport.
The first video starts with a tour of Camp Lejeune and then goes to
the banners. The 2nd video starts with the banners.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VmXPyDknDLU
and
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5T6xC4ynA0c
Nick's
biggest fan will always be his Mom :) Nick
joined the Marine Corps in January of 2005. Although he has trained in
California, Oklahoma, North Carolina, Louisiana, Okinawa and Mainland
Japan, Camp Lejeune in North Carolina
is his home base. Nick's MOS or Military Occupational Specialty is field
artillery; specifically his training is on the firing and care of Howitzers. Nick
was deployed to Iraq on September 28, 2007. During the eight months prior
to his deployment to Iraq, Nick's Battery - Fox Battery, made the transition from
a traditional Artillery Firing Battery to a Provisional Military Police Company
in preparation for the deployment to Iraq. The photos of their training say so
much more than words and can be seen here: Training.
Before Nick left for Fallujah, he was home for 3 weeks to spend time with family. Pre-Deployment
Party Photos with Family and Friends. We went to Camp
Lejeune to see him off to Iraq and took plenty of photos - - of course -
- and those can be seen here: Deployment
to Iraq Photos. Our local newspaper, The
Enterprise, wrote an article on Nick's deployment and you can
view Pages 1 and 2 by following the links to copies of the November 22, 2007
articles in The Enterprise of
Plainfield.
His first deployment with the Marine Corps was to Okinawa, but he has also trained at various bases in the U.S. Here
are Pics from Nick's entire Marine Corps experience. Information on Nick's
Battalion can be seen at either of these sites: 1st
Battalion, 10th Marine Regiment (1/10)
or at 1st
Battalion, 10th Marine. His most recent letter
of commendation can be viewed by clicking on the link. 1/10
Merchandise can be purchased at: http://www.cafepress.com/marineparentinc/1247035. One
last item - - what do bored Marines do in their spare time while stationed in
Okinawa? WELL, I can show you what OUR bored Marine does during his free time in
Okinawa. Three YouTube clips can be seen here:
-
Free
Time for Marines in Okinawa Part 1
-
Free
Time for Marines in Okinawa Part 2
-
Free
Time for Marines in Okinawa Part 3
Don't forget to support our troops with CSI: NY’s Gary Sinise & the Lt. Dan Band at: ILLINOIS
SUPPORTS ITS TROOPS!
Nick has
a wonderful artist ability. Here are some samples of his art work.
Man in
Great