Carson High grads honored for becoming U.S. Marines

There’s a reason why the United States Marine Corps chose “Semper Fidelis” as its motto.

A local contingent of the Marine Corps League Silver State Detachment embodied the Latin phrase, meaning “always faithful,” Tuesday afternoon by visiting the Salvation Army Church in South Carson City to honor and pay their respects to the newest members of their distinguished ranks.

Josiah Cyr, 18, and Nery Pena, 19, graduated USMC basic training just days ago in San Diego, California, having completed a grueling three months of boot camp to earn their titles of United States Marines.

“It was a trip,” Cyr said about basic training.

But as tough as the process was, Cyr recognized that boot camp is about pushing oneself to meet bigger challenges later on.

“I thought it would be a good experience,” he said. “I definitely wanted a challenge.”

Cyr and Pena are both 2016 Carson High School (CHS) graduates, who left for Marine boot camp together and served in the same platoon during basic training, Cyr said.

Four months ago, the two young men were studying for final exams in preparation for Carson High’s June 4 commencement.

Now, they wear the Navy blue dress uniforms of the few and the proud.
“Completing boot camp is one of the biggest accomplishments I’ve had so far in my life,” Cyr said. “I’m very proud of what I’ve been able to do and very proud of the accomplishments I’ve had.”

Pena was not present for Tuesday’s short ceremony on the front lawn of the Salvation Army Church fronting Colorado Street.

But Cyr found himself flanked Tuesday by several members of the local Marine Corps League, a distinguished group of USMC veterans who now spend their time giving back to other veterans and the community in which they live.

“It’s a camaraderie for Marines that have served, and other service members who have a strong affection for the marine corps,” Silver State Detachment Commandant Gary Armstrong said, describing what the Marine Corps League is. “All our funds go to local charities. Ours is local only.”

Cyr received a gift from the league as a token of their esteem and appreciation for his accomplishment.

Also present at the recognition ceremony were Cyr’s parents, Captains Mark and Leslie Cyr of the Carson City Salvation Army.

"I couldn’t be more proud of him,” Cpt. Leslie Cyr said. “As a mother, you always worry. But as a believer, I also have to entrust my children unto the Lord. I believe God has great plans for him.”

Cpt. Cyr said her son had wanted to be a member of the military since he was in middle school. But he made the decision to become a marine as a junior in high school, she said.

Cyr actually enlisted prior to his senior year, his father, Cpt. Mark Cyr said, so that he could depart for boot camp right after high school graduation. He left to become a U.S. Marine just 10 days after commencement.

“He made a decision to do this,” Cpt. Leslie Cyr said. “Whether or not we gave him permission, this is what he said he wanted to do, and we got behind him.”

Cyr served three years in the Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps (JROTC) at CHS and became an expert rifleman in that time, earning the rank of Cadet Lt. Commander by the time he received his diploma.

At basic training, Cyr’s prowess with the rifle continued as he earned rifle expert designation yet again.

This time, as a U.S. Marine.

Graduation from Marine boot camp is no less significant as high school commencement, either. Platoons of new Marines, dressed in their ceremonial finest, march in formation to brass band music and the cheers of family and friends in attendance.

“We can relate to this moment at graduation,” Marine Corps League member Bob Larson. “That’s an awesome time for a graduate to experience, to be with their platoon, marching in order, it’s a ceremony that stays with you the rest of your life.”

For Maj. Roy Place of the Marine Corps League, being present to recognize the accomplishments of another is an honor in and of itself.

“It means everything,” he said. “The Marine Corps is everything. It has been everything to almost every one of these guys since we were teenagers. Now we’re older guys and we still love it.”

Place said Cyr’s graduation into the USMC means much more than simply advancing to the next level in a profession. It means joining the ranks of a group that has built a centuries-long legacy on displaying the virtues of courage, valor and honor.

“There’s a saying, ‘once a Marine, always a Marine,’“ Place said. “And we live it, day after day.”

Armstrong said boot camp graduation is a moment that members of the Marine Corps League understand and appreciate as a significant milestone, because they’ve all gone through it themselves.

“Completing the rigorous Marine boot camp training is a high moment for any young person dedicated to serve their country,” he said. “It is the reason the Marine Corps League members gathered to recognize the former students and wish them well for their next assignments.”

Cyr is on leave until Tuesday, at which time he reports to Camp Pendleton in San Diego to begin 29 days in the school of infantry before transferring to Camp LeJeune in Jacksonville, North Carolina, for his Military Occupational Specialty (MOS) training.

Both Cyr and Pena have achieved promotions to Private First Class rank, Armstrong said, as a result of their prior experience in JROTC. It is rare, he said, to earn this rank so early in a Marine’s career.

The two new Marines are currently awaiting their chevron stripes to add to their uniforms, Armstrong said.