THE RECRUITS
HUFFINGTON
03.16-23.14
PREVIOUS PAGE: COURTESY OF STEPHEN CANTY
THE RECRUITS CAME AT A TROT DOWN THE
BOULEVARD DE FRANCE AT THE STORIED MARINE
CORPS BOOT CAMP AT PARRIS ISLAND, S.C.,
SHOUTING CADENCE FROM THEIR PRECISE PARADE
RANKS. PARENTS GATHERED ON THE SIDEWALKS
PRESSED FORWARD, BRANDISHING CAMERAS AND
FLAGS, YELLING THE NAMES OF THE SONS AND
DAUGHTERS THEY HADN’T SEEN IN THREE MONTHS.
“He said he lost 25 pounds!”
cried a younger brother of Kenneth Karpenko of Corry, Pa. Now,
Kenneth and hundreds of other
recruits were about to graduate
and folks had come from all over
the country for Family Day, which
opened with this recruit formation run. “There he is!” someone
shrieked as a blur of olive drab
streamed past. Kenneth’s mom,
Pam Karpenko, dabbed tears from
her cheeks and managed to say,
“We are so proud!”
Is she comfortable with her
son becoming a warfighter, with
American troops still being killed
in Afghanistan and trouble brewing elsewhere in the world? “Oh,
we prayed about it and he prayed
about it — he knew it was what
God wanted,” she said. “We are
good with that.”
It’s a proud and painful scene
to watch, for it’s clear that there
will be more wars, and that there
will always be young Americans eager to sign up to fight. In
Previous
page: Stephen
Canty with
his squad in
Afghanistan.