From Belmont Grads To US Marines

While most Belmont High School students head to college after graduation, 2009 graduates Philip Saidnawey, Robert Lee and Jay Crugnale, among others, chose a different path. They decided to serve their country by enlisting in the Marine Corps.

"I just didn't see college in my future," Saidnawey said recently. "I wanted to do something more exciting."

Philip Saidnawey

Saidnawey, 20, is scheduled to be deployed to the Helmand province in southern Afghanistan next month.

An infantry rifleman in the 2^nd Battalion, 9^th Marines, part of the 6^th Regiment, Saidnawey said he is ready to put his training into action.

"I can't wait to be deployed," he said in a phone interview from the Mojave Desert in southeastern California. "Right now, I'm a boot (a Marine who hasn't been deployed), but once I deploy and come back, I'll be a senior and have boots under me."

A member of the Combined Anti-Armor Team (CAAT), Saidnawey is in the desert for Enhanced Mojave Viper training, which is used as a last step to help prepare Marines for the Afghan climate prior to deployment.

"As far as the eye can see it's just desert and mountains," he said. "I heard someone say it was 120 degrees (Fahrenheit) yesterday. I go through about 18 liters of water a day."

Saidnawey's training started at Marine boot camp at Parris Island in South Carolina. From there, he went to the School of Infantry at Camp Lejeune in North Carolina, where he is now based.

"In training, I've learned to push myself further than I ever thought possible," he said.

In Afghanistan, Saidnawey will drive Mine Resistant Ambush Protected (MRAP) vehicles, including Oshkosh M-ATVs. His tour is expected to last 210 days.

Before being deployed, Saidnawey will return home to Belmont for 10 days at the beginning of July to spend time with friends and family. He is the son of Leo and Christine Saidnawey of Belmont.

After the Marines, he said he plans to start a career in law enforcement.

Robert Lee

Lee's grandfather, a World War II veteran, named him, "Robert Edward Lee," after the general of the Confederate army in the Civil War.

"Everyone notices (my name), especially now that I've joined the military," he said.

Like Saidnawey, Lee, 19, was looking for more excitement in his life.

"I joined for the adventure," he said. "I wanted to travel and experience new things."

In the past year, Lee has gotten his wish. He moved from boot camp to Marine combat training to his specific job training. He is now stationed in Kaneohe Bay, Hawaii, where he is a maintenance management specialist, taking care of equipment from Humvees and trucks to radios and guns. This summer, he will travel to Okinawa, Japan for more training before being deployed to Afghanistan next spring.

Through it all, Lee said he has learned a lot about himself.

"I've changed (as a person)," he said. "My military experience has given me discipline … and taught me to appreciate how lucky we are to live in this country."

Lee plans to attend college after serving.

Jay Crugnale

Marine Pfc. Jay Crugnale, 19, said serving in the military has challenged him to new heights.

"My expectations were met," he said. "It gets really hard at times and very stressful and tiring, but I just think if everyone's doing it, it's not so bad. The hardest part I think is getting a lot of work done in not a lot of time. It really gets to you sometimes."

Stationed in Pendleton, Calif., Crugnale trains on Amphibious Assault Vehicles, making him an, "Amtracker," an informal name for the vehicles' crewmen. He said he enjoys driving the 26-ton vehicles and shooting his .50 caliber machine gun.

Recently, times have been tough though, as Crugnale, an avid Celtics fan, is surrounded by Lakers fans in California.

He plans on becoming a non-commissioned officer in the Marines.