Joining the Marines has been senior Tyler Schneider’s goal for most of his life, and after graduating high school he will finally be able to reach this goal. Tyler has wanted to be a Marine since he discovered his grandfather, Ken Knobbe had been a Marine.
“I did a report on the Marines and learned that my grandfather was a Marine and he’s one of my favorite people in the world, so ever since then I’ve wanted to be like him, so to be a Marine was my goal,” Tyler said.
Tyler’s grandfather has been one of his biggest supporters and has assisted him throughout his decision and the process of joining.
“I’m proud of him because it’s something he’s wanted to do since he was like 10, 11, or 12 and he just really wants to do it and he has his heart set on it, so if that’s what he wants to do then that’s what I want to see him do,” Knobbe said.
Tyler was recruited by Sergeant Ricky Chan in the spring of 2015, however Tyler didn’t get serious about talking to him until around August. Tyler has not yet been officially sworn in due to some unexpected issues with paperwork. He expects to be sworn in by May after his paperwork has been reviewed.
Once Tyler joins the Marines, he will be a combat engineer. He will be building and maintaining roads, finding IEDs and many other tasks which he will learn more about once he is officially sworn in. His mother Michael Houk has some worries as all parents would, but in this field it is less likely that he will be sent off to war.
“Like any normal parent I’m scared he’ll get sent off to war and get hurt, but in the field he wants to go in it’s less likely and if he goes to war and I would be proud of him for serving in our country, so I just have to keep praying that if he goes anywhere he doesn’t get hurt,” Houk said.
Tyler is not doing any training with the Marines as of now, but he does workouts on his own and he stays active through sports.
“I do my own personal workouts and I’ve been playing rugby to help keep active and soccer on the side, so I don’t get out of shape and lazy,” Tyler said.
Becoming a Marine will offer a variety of benefits to Tyler, he will be given a new perspective and pushed to become a better and stronger person, both physically and mentally.
“I think joining the Marines corps would give me a different perspective on life itself,” Tyler said. “I’ll be able to build my body and mind through bootcamp and other various training that you have to go through. I think it’s overall going to help me be a better person, more respectable.”
Tyler looks forward to being tested and pushed, as well as getting to work with people like himself and travelling the country.
“I’m looking forward to see where my limits are, the Marines are going to push me to my limits and break me down and I want to see how far I can go and what I can take,” Tyler said. “I’m also looking forward to meeting people like me who love this country and who are intelligent and whatnot and going to other places to meet those people because I’ll be all over the United States.”