Proud Marines

Proud Marines
We are so proud that three of Groton-Dunstable's finest have committed to enlist with a branch of the armed forces.  We are lucky to have them at our school, we are proud of their decision, and we are impressed by their commitment. Thank you Lydia, Andrew and Julie

Lydia Butler

My name is Lydia Butler and I am a senior at Groton-Dunstable High School. Like most of the senior class, I spent the first semester of this year feverishly applying to colleges, none of which I was actually interested in attending. As the year progressed my lack of direction began to affect my grades and everything else in my life, I was lost. February 10, Staff Sergeant Bevilacqua stood in the front commons and handed me a flier, asking me if I have ever considered joining the Marine Corps. In that moment, I immediately found my direction. Now, about a month later, I have officially enlisted in the Marines and couldn’t feel more honored to have had the opportunity to do so. 

In the future, I plan to utilize all of the opportunities that will be provided to me by the armed forces, from world travel to a free education. I am so appreciative of all of the support I have received and have an enormous amount of respect for all people who decide to serve our country. I would also like to acknowledge and thank both Julie King and Andy Karasevich for giving the next four years of their lives to the Marine Corps as well. 

Andrew Karasevich

My name is Andrew Karasevich and I have enlisted in the United States Marine Corps. I took the Oath of Enlistment in January 2016, but I began the process 7 months earlier in May. I was recruited by two separate Marines, SGT McLaughlin and SSGT Bevilacqua, and over the past year I have come to respect and admire them both greatly. I will be the third generation of my family to serve this Country, alongside my brother in the Navy.

I chose to enlist out of a sense of pride, and a feeling debt to my friends and family for all they have done for me. I want to protect the rights and freedoms that I was raised to enjoy, and appreciate. I want to protect my fellow brothers and sisters in arms, to do so I signed up for a Rifleman position in the Infantry. I want to make the best use of the life I was given, and I know this is what I was meant to do. I believe that a man draws a circle around his friends and family and protects it, but great men extend that circle to include all people who are in need of help. 

Julie King

My name is Julie King and I am currently a senior at Groton-Dunstable Regional High School. On June 20, shortly after graduation, I will be leaving for 13 weeks to attend basic training to become a Marine in Parris Island, South Carolina. Being raised in an environment such as Groton, I've never felt as if I was being pushed to the limit of my abilities be it mentally, physically or academically. Making the decision to talk to a recruiter, cliché as it sounds, was arguably the most impactful conversation I've had in regards to any plans for my future. While going through the college application phase of senior year, it felt as if all of my peers had a sense of direction; knowing where they wanted to go to college or what their plans were following high school graduation. The only time when I felt the enthusiasm that I had been watching everyone around me experience was when I finally saw the contract stating that for the next five years in the Marine Corps, my MOS will be in Avionics.

Joining the Marines will give me the chance to find the challenge, discipline and self-reliance I've always craved while simultaneously giving my family, friends, and community a reason to support and feel proud of me. Choosing to enlist has also given me the opportunity to create my own path without following the cushioned one that has been neatly laid out, and that I have been expected to follow, up until what seems like just a few months ago. This being said, I have never been more committed to achieving a goal than I am now and readily look forward to earning the title United States Marine.