VERY NOV. 11, ON              Veterans Day, Americans take time out of their days to reflect and appreciate on how the United States military helps and protects citizens. This day hits close to home for some around the community.
“He just always had a strong passion for wanting to serve the country,”
Alicia Cop, mother of Ryan, said.
For for the past 13 weeks, Ryan Cop, Class of 2012, has been at Marine Corps Depot San Diego for basic training.
One day when Ryan was a young boy, he was watching television and saw a group of soldiers marching in a parade. That was the moment when he knew what he wanted to do with his life.
“When he was younger he used to say he wanted to save the world,” Alica said.
He signed up for five years of the Marines his junior year, when he was 17. Ryan is currently going into The Special Forces Security Division.
“As a mom I felt so proud of him for wanting to serve the country, but just scared knowing that the Marines are the first people on the scene,” Cop said.
Alica has a support system consisting not only of her own family, but also of the Jordan family.
“It’s really hard because I don’t get to see his face. I can’t talk to him or hear his voice,” said Lauren Jordan, senior, and girlfriend of Ryan.
Neither Alica, nor Jordan have been able to communicate with Ryan through anything but letters for the past 13 weeks, but today that communication barrier will be gone.
Today both Alica and Jordan will see Ryan graduate from basic training. One aspect of being in the military is being stationed or forced to relocate to a certain area.
In the meantime Ryan will be home for a few days in order to spend time with his family and friends.
Five years ago much like Ryan, Drew Lee enlisted in the Marines when he was 17. Lee currently is in the 22^nd Marine Expeditionary Unit Billet and is a Cyber Security Manager, who plans and implements security. He  just got back from Afghanistan a few weeks ago, but his base is currently in North Carolina.
“It’s hard because we don’t know how long he is going to be gone, and if he is safe,” sister, Kayla Lee, senior, said.
In just a couple more weeks, Lee will be stationed on a ship with the Navy for two years working with computers.
Recently, Lee re-signed for five more years with the Marines.
“We constantly worry because he was supposed to come home and be done with the marines and retire. He has been there so long, but he re-signed, so every time we think he is done and coming home, he decides he wants to stay in the marines,” Lee said.
Cathy Presley, math teacher, has grown up in a military family. Her father, Albert Johnson, graduated from the Naval Academy in 1951 and then later joined the Air force and fought in the Korean War.
Although Presley never lived on base, she and her family moved four times throughout her childhood. One of the places she moved to was Maryland where her father worked for the NSA.
“My father wore the uniform every morning when he went off to work and when he came home, but we never lived on base,” Presley said. “I think some people whose loved one leaves for a year or leaves for a long period of time that would be hard. I felt like my dad was like any other dad.”