KENNESAW – To cheers, handshakes and backslaps, four graduates of Kennesaw Mountain High School -- just back from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan -- stopped by to see their friends and teachers at Kennesaw Mountain High School on Friday.
Banners greeted them and read, “Thank You,” and “We Love You.”
And the three Marines and one Army soldier all said that they came back to see one man, their Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) leader, retired Marine Sgt. Lyndon “Gunny” Smith.
“These are my boys,” said Lyndon, 57, who has been an ROTC leader at the school for about 10 years. “I couldn’t be more proud of them. We’re here today to let them know that we’re all proud of them and that we love them for what they’re doing. They’re out there protecting our freedom.”
The young men are: Army Sgt. Charles Taylor, 22, who graduated KMHS in 2007; Marine Sgt. Scott Immekus, 23, who graduated in 2006; Marine Lance Cpl. Michael Bridges, 20, who graduated in 2009; and Marine Lance Cpl. Matt Nicholas, 20, who graduated in 2009.
After the ceremony, cake-cutting and meeting Kennesaw Mayor Mark Mathews, the four clustered into a back room at the school to meet with about 40 ROTC students.
Immekus, who served in both Iraq and Afghanistan, said, “We’re not here to recruit anyone, but if the kids here want to know what it’s like, we’ll answer them the best we can.
“It’s hard, but we all have to realize that it’s important.”
Bridges, who was part of a quick reaction force – kind of a military SWAT team that dropped into trouble spots to help other Marines and soldiers, said that he is grateful for the welcome they’ve received.
“This is where I grew up,” he said. “No matter where I go, this is home.”
Bridges has two more years in his obligation for the Marines and he is considering making it his career. And he looks to his mentor "Gunny" Smith for inspiration.
“I wasn’t always sure I could do this,” he said. “But Gunny pushed us, mentally and physically so we could be our best.”
In the ROTC classroom, Immekus asked the group, what they all were doing last year on Thanksgiving. Most of the students said they were feasting with friends and family. Immekus and his fellow Marines were in combat in Afghanistan.
“It was a bad fight,” he said. “We lost guys, and it was catastrophic. You guys might watch the news, but it’s nothing like what you see on TV.”
Nicholas said the thing that worried them the most were bombs buried in the roadsides.
“You can train for everything and anything,” he said. “But you can’t train to not blow up. All you can do is be vigilant. It’s not like a video game where you can hit a reset button. One mistake and it’s over.”
High school junior Kris Connor, 17, said he was glad that the former students came back to talk to them.
Two of the Marines, Bridges and Nicholas are friends of his.
“This is the first time I’ve seen them since they left,” Connor said. “They’re still the same guys, but it’s like they’ve grown up a lot.”
Connor said that he wants to join the Marines after he graduates.
“I know it’ll be hard, but if they can do it, so can I,” he said.
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