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MARINE CORPS RECRUIT DEPOT SAN DIEGO (10/12/2012) – Newly minted
Marines, lined in nice neat rows, stand at attention. They are men
now, having passed the most difficult entry level training of any
service. Having shed their boyish demeanors, they stand with a sense
of pride and purpose. Among the dozens of rows of Marines, one
stands a bit taller than the rest.
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Brig. Gen. Daniel Yoo, left, the Marine
Corps Recruit Depot San Diego commanding general, and Sgt. Maj.
Rodolfo Arrieta, second from right, the 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing
(Forward) sergeant major, and Maj. Gen. Gregg A. Sturdevant, right,
the 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing (Forward) commanding general, stand
with Pvt. Rudy Arrieta after his graduation from recruit training at
Marine Corps Recruit Depot San Diego, Oct. 12, 2012. Sgt. Maj.
Arrieta and Sturdevant returned from Afghanistan on a two-week trip
for rest and recuperation and were able to see the new Marine
graduate and follow in his father's footsteps. Photo by USMC Cpl.
Isaac Lamberth
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Pvt. Rudy Arietta, a Marine graduate with Platoon 3066,
Mike Company, 3rd Recruit Training Battalion, feels a sense
of pride during his graduation. Somewhere in the crowd in
front of him, watching, sits his father, a battle-hardened
veteran of the Corps with nearly 30- years of service under
his belt.
“It's such a great feeling to have finally
finished and joined my dad's brotherhood,” said Rudy, a San
Diego native.
On a bus heading for the depot straight
out of high school, Rudy said he was very proud to follow in
his father's footsteps.
“Before he was just my dad,
but now that I'm a Marine, I have more respect for him,”
said Rudy. “I understand what he's gone through and some of
the things he's done. I'm a part of this brotherhood and to
me that brings us even closer together.”
Now that he
has completed recruit training, Rudy will spend his leave
with his father, Sgt. Maj. Rudolfo Arietta, who has returned
home on a rest and recuperation trip during a tour in
Afghanistan. Rudolfo, the Sgt. Maj. for 3rd Marine Aircraft
Wing (Forward), is currently deployed with the unit in
Helmand province in southern Afghanistan. He timed his trip
home so he could see his son graduate and be able to call
him Marine.
“I deployed knowing he would graduate,”
said Rudolfo. “I was going to try my hardest to come here
and see him graduate. I'm very proud of my son for what's he
decided to do with his life and what the future holds for
him.”
Walking off the parade deck next to each other,
the father and son will spend the next week and a half with
each other before Rudolfo returns to Afghanistan. Rudy will
then head to Marine Combat Training at Marine Corps Base
Camp Pendleton.
Upon completion of MCT he will report to
Marine Detachment Fort George G. Meade, Md., to receive
training to become a combat videographer.
By USMC Cpl. Isaac Lamberth
Provided
through DVIDS
Copyright 2012
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