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Brothers share a unique bond that few without a brother can
understand. Though they sometimes experience vastly different paths
to adulthood, that bond remains.
Brandon and Justin Willibey
share another bond -- a bond earned through blood, sweat and
perseverance on an island some would describe as hell. And through
their three-month test, they have earned their place in a
brotherhood that few will ever know. They have earned their place as
United States Marines.
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Springville, N.Y., natives Marine Corps Pfc. Brandon Willibey, left, an aviation ordnance technician student, and
his brother, Marine Corps Pfc. Justin Willibey, a military policeman student, graduated from recruit training at Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island, SC
on September 18, 2015. Their boot camp photos are displayed in the Marine Corps recruiting substation in West Seneca,
NY. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Sgt. Christopher O'Quin)
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Last summer, Brandon, 23, and Justin, 19, left their home
in Springville, New York, and their jobs at Ralph Wilson
Stadium for Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island, South
Carolina, to become Marines. They both said they chose the
Corps to enrich their lives. The brothers stepped on the
“yellow footprints” on Parris Island in June 2015, and they
have never looked back.
“Ever since I graduated
recruit training, my capacity for patience and attention to
detail has been the biggest change,” said Marine Corps Lance
Cpl. Justin Willibey. “I'll spend a lot of time making sure
the position of my ribbon on my uniform is straight or
checking for neatness. That feeds into the pride I have.”
“My girlfriend notices now how much more organized I
am,” said Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Brandon Willibey. “She
loves that I have that situational awareness.”
Impressive Recruits
While the Marine Corps way of life left an impression on the
Willibeys, the brothers left an impression on the recruiting
substation commander, Marine Corps Staff Sgt. Eric Crumley.
“When they came into my office and the delayed entry
program, they were already very well-disciplined,
well-manned and forward-leaning motivators,” Crumley said.
“Sometimes when people go into recruit training, they lack
the drive or don't have the focus, which was not the case
with these two. Their upbringing and job responsibilities
started them on a good foundation that the Corps was able to
build upon.”
Before the Willibeys raised their right
hands in swearing service to their country, the two had
already worked for years with their father, Jim Willibey, as
part of stadium operations at Ralph Wilson Stadium where the
Buffalo Bills play. Brandon often worked security, while
Justin worked with day-to-day operations and construction.
“They've been with me on game day, they've helped me
straighten goal posts on windy days, hang the dozens of
flags and take them down before and after the game,” said
the Marines' father, an operations associate for Ralph
Wilson Stadium. “I was already proud of all they did before
they joined the Marines -- Brandon had a bachelor's degree,
[and] Justin had an associate's degree.
Father's
Pride
What a difference it was seeing his sons, the
father said, for the first time in three months after they'd
graduated from Marine Corps basic training.
“I was
beaming with pride. Heck, I still get choked up thinking
about how far they've come, Jim Willibey said. “I gave them
a good start on life, but the Corps was a catapult for their
future.”
Brandon and Justin graduated Recruit
Training with Platoon 1077, Bravo Company, 1st Recruit
Training Battalion, on Sept. 18, leaving the depot with
experiences they could share that few others could ever
comprehend.
Now that the brothers have earned their
place as Marines, they are learning the job skills they will
use throughout their time in the Corps. Brandon is training
at Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point, North Carolina, to
become an aviation ordnance technician, learning the
specifics of fixed-wing aircraft ordnance.
“It feels
great to be in training,” he said. “Today, I got to see the
insides of some ordnance and learn the ins and outs of such
a unique trade. I'm also happy because I'm also doing what I
joined to do, and that is travel -- see more of the world.”
Meanwhile, Justin is more than 1,000 miles away from his
brother, training to be a military policeman at Fort Leonard
Wood, Missouri.
Brandon said he is considering serving 20 years, while Justin
said he is still undecided on his enlistment plans in the next four
years. Both Marines said they have careers ahead of them, and that
while there may be miles between them, they share a bond of
brotherhood strengthened by the eagle, globe and anchor of the
Marine Corps emblem.
By U.S. Marine Corps Staff Sgt. Christopher O'Quin
DOD News / Defense Media Activity
Copyright 2016
The U.S. Marines
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