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SAN DIEGO - Some kids dream of becoming like their parents in one
way or another. Pvt. Thomas J. Shevlin mirrors his life after his
father's.
Shevlin, Platoon 3249, Company L, 3rd Recruit
Training Battalion, sets his life goals by drawing inspiration from
his father's life accomplishments.
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February 6 , 2014 - Pvt. Thomas J. Shevlin, Platoon 3249,
Company L, 3rd Recruit Training Battalion, is the son of a retired
gunnery sergeant, is following his father's footsteps by becoming a
Marine.
(U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Pedro Cardenas)
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His father left his home after being thrown out by his
parents when he was a teenager. He was constantly on the
move from house to house. To make something of himself,
Shevlin's father made the choice to enlist in the Marine
Corps, where he found a career, explained Shevlin.
For Shevlin, his father's choice
to enlist in the Corps became his motivation.
“I was
inspired by my father (to become a Marine). I have never met
a man better than my father,” said 19-year-old Shevlin. “He
was able to make something of himself after going through a
rough time.”
As a result, Shevlin, a native of Bend,
Ore., enlisted and shipped off to recruit training Nov. 4,
2013. Before he shipped to recruit training, , his father
said, “I don't know if you are trying to follow in my
footsteps. If you are, you've made me the happiest and
proudest father on the face of the earth.”
Shevlin
grew up around Marines at different Marine Corps
installations including Kaneohe Bay,Hawaii and Camp
Pendleton, Calif.
“The Marine Corps is embedded in
me and it's a part of my nature, how I grew up,” said
Shevlin. “The Marine Corps is a lifestyle and it stands
above the rest.”
His father, now a retired gunnery
sergeant, deployed many times and was gone a lot. However,
Shevlin explained, his father always managed to spend time
with the family regardless of his schedule; he was always
present at his football games. His father was equally
committed to his work and to his family.
According
to Shevlin, he learned a lot from his father, not only
commitment, but also attention to detail. While growing up,
Shevlin was indirectly being trained by his father. He
instilled many traits and routines of a Marine such as
proper customs and courtesies, discipline and leadership.
“He definitely had a good base when training
started. He has the ability to lead from the front and that
is important,” said Sgt. Elias R. Jimenez, senior drill
instructor. “People have to be able to trust you; they won't
trust you if you can't do things you are asking them to do.”
For Shevlin, his father was not only a mentor, but also
a friend.
“I've always had a close bond with him,”
said Shevlin. “Our relationship was close, as if I had come
across somebody at school and knew I had found a best
friend.”
Shevlin said his father is now a police
officer, but he is still very competitive, a trait which
most Marines possess. According to Shevlin, even after
retirement, his father aspires to be the greatest in
everything he does; something Shevlin attempts to mirror in
his life.
“I picked him to be one of my squad
leaders because he stood out amongst recruits in the
platoon. He is determined and you can tell he wants to be
here,” said 26-year-old Jimenez, a native of Miami. “You can
tell who is moving as fast as they can and who is giving 100
percent effort; he was one of those.”
For the next
step in his training, Shevlin will attend the School of
Infantry at Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, Calif., to
become a rifleman and continue in his journey to be like his
father.
“I have what it takes to be like my father,”
said Shevlin. “I want to make it a full 20-year career
because I've been around the Marine Corps my whole life and
I wouldn't want it any other way.”
By U.S. Marine Corps Cpl. Pedro Cardenas
Provided
through DVIDS
Copyright 2014
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