Marine Corps Recruit Depot San Diego --
Marines come from all
sorts of backgrounds before joining the Corps. Some want to be a part of
something greater or something more. One Marine found just that as he set out
on his journey to recruit training.
This
Californian grew up in Oakland competing in several sports such as football,
basketball and karate until he found his passion for dancing.
“My
father was a great dancer, and I looked up to him as my idol,” Pfc. Ryan M.
Tran, Alpha Company, 1st Recruit Training Battalion. “He’s the one who inspired
me to give dance a try.”
Tran’s
father is currently the world champion for country dance and was awarded as the
number one coach for dancing.
His
father’s coaching showed as Tran became president of his dance club from
seventh grade until he graduated high school.
“I
love being able to express myself through music,” said 18-year-old Tran. “It
teaches you to be a gentleman, considerate and mentally disciplined.”
Tran
was also passionate about the music and started singing as a hobby. It wasn’t
long before he found himself going beyond singing as a hobby.
“I
worked in a radio station for three years and took on a leadership role to
teach kids who have been in juvenile hall for making poor decisions,” said
Tran. “They had an option to do community service or join my program called
Youth Radio. My job was to teach them how to produce music, perform a radio
show and give the local community the news of the day.”
The
program was designed to help better the lives of young teens and give them the
opportunity to learn a skill set that could potentially set them up for a
brighter future.
“It’s
a great feeling seeing kids leave the program a better person than when they
first got there,” said Tran. “It was also a learning experience for me. It kept
me on the right path to constantly better myself.”
Although
Tran had a strong passion for dancing, music and being a role model, he was
still seeking something greater.
“I’m
okay with living a nice humble life while dancing and enjoying myself. My whole
life, up until this point, that is exactly what I’ve done,” said Tran. “I’ve
had several options and different paths I could’ve taken. At one point I
thought about just sticking with football and try to be a punter in the NFL. I
could’ve just stuck with dancing and became a teacher while competing, but
something deep down told me I was meant to do something more.”
After
graduating high school, Tran knew he needed to make his decision on what career
path he was going to pursue.
“One
day while I was relaxing at home, a Marine recruiter called asking to speak
with me,” said Tran. “My mother answered the phone and when she told me who it
was, I told her to hang up the phone. My mother told me to just talk to the
Marine and see if it may be something I would be interested in.”
After
he talked on the phone with the recruiter, he went to the recruiting office for
an interview and not long after committed to the Marine Corps.
“I
looked at the recruiters as the perfect example of what I wanted to be,” said
Tran. “After talking to them, I knew the Marine Corps was the bigger purpose I
was meant for.”
Tran arrived at Marine Corps Recruit Depot San Diego,
Sept. 21, to begin his journey in the Marine Corps.
Now that he has earned the title Marine, he will continue training
at Marine Combat Training and learn his military occupational specialty as a
chemical biological radiological nuclear defense specialist. He plans to attend
college and continue his dancing career after he has completed his time in the
Marine Corps.
“I will utilize the skills and traits I learn through the
Marine Corps to set myself up to be a successful person,” said Tran.