Thinking about Serving?
Get
the information you need to decide if a military
career is right for you. No obligation -- just
free information from the branches of service
that interest you.
|
|
|
|
CAMP FALLUJAH, Iraq, July 8, 2005 — One well-known son of Jasper, Ind., Matt Mauck, a former quarterback for the Louisiana State University Tigers, led his team to national collegiate football championship status in 2004. Another son of this small town, less recognized in the public eye but just as worthy of attention, decided to serve his country by joining the Marine Corps.
“Even though my parents would help me out (financially) with college, I wanted to go all out and join what I thought was the best branch in the military,” said Cpl. Nicholas L. Gentry, a 2002 graduate of Jasper High School. “Other than my grandfather serving in the Air Force, no one else in my family has served in the military so they were apprehensive at first.”
Gentry, assigned to Force Deployment and Execution Office, II Marine Expeditionary Force Headquarters Group, II MEF (Forward), contemplated joining the Marine Corps from the urging of a friend. He said he also joined in response to the terrorist attacks on 9/11 and to fulfill his desire for travel and adventure.
While serving as a planner for Marine Air/Ground Task Force, the former high school tennis player has been to California, Virginia, North Carolina, Missouri, Hawaii, Kuwait and now Iraq.
“I wanted to get out and travel,” said Gentry. “Being a Marine has been a way for me to get away from home for a while, see different parts of the country and now different parts of the world.”
As a planner in Iraq, the 21-year-old is responsible for certifying movements of thousands of troops and their gear. His mission is essential in getting the proper replacements and gear necessary for the Marines, sailors and soldiers conducting combat operations.
“We certify big movements of thousands of people or more and their equipment for redeployment to and from the states,” said Gentry. “We provide to (the chain command) the amount of people and the weight of their gear so they can provide the necessary modes of transport.”
Despite his important role, Gentry was recently tasked outside his office to assist in the destruction of enemy weapons and ammunition accumulated from combat operations outside Camp Fallujah. “That was probably the most enjoyable task, I have been able to do out here,” he said of destroying the cache with explosives. “Doing that job was more of a privilege than a duty.”
Yet, it is his sense of duty that drives him to do the best job possible each day for his country and the Marines around him. Those in charge of him have taken notice.
“Corporal Gentry is part of a new generation of Marines who are a lot smarter, more motivated and mature,” said Gunnery Sgt. Troy A. Nicks, force deployment chief, assigned to Force Deployment and Execution Office, II MHG, II MEF (Forward). “One of his greatest attributes is his maturity, attention to detail, and most of all, his drive to be successful no matter what the task. He never wants to make a mistake.”
© 2005 Defend America. All opinions expressed in this article are the
author's and do not necessarily reflect those of Military.com.
Use
your GI Bill benefits to get ahead. Get free information from military-friendly
schools.
|
|
|
|
|
|
EDUCATION
CENTER
Further your career
with education! Use your GI Bill and Tuition
Assistance benefits. Find schools that want
you! |
|
|
|
|
|
|
USE
YOUR VA LOAN BENEFIT
Mortgage rates are
at 30-year lows–now's the time to consider
using your VA home loan. Get pre-approved!
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
