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tinleyjunction.com NEWS
the tinley junction | January 17, 2019 | 7
Tinley Marine returns home after four years of service
Mary Compton
Freelance Reporter
The Few. The Proud. The
Marines.
It’s a saying that has been
around since 1977. For Ryan
Swiecicki and his parents,
Bruce & Karen, they have
lived that Marine Corps
pride for the past four years.
Ryan just finished serving
and returned home on
Nov. 30. A 2014 graduate
of Lincoln Way North High
School, the Tinley Park resident
knew what he wanted
to do.
“Growing up I was always
interested in the military,”
Ryan said. “I wanted to be
able to help other people. I
saw a lot of relief efforts the
military has done so I wanted
to be part of that.”
According to the Marine
Corps website, “the kinds of
battles Marines fight range
from traditional warfare to
humanitarian and disaster
relief missions (HADR).
The fighting spirit that helps
them win these battles extends
beyond the scope of
their military service, and
many Marines continue to
serve in the communities
where they live.”
Serving is what brought
Ryan to join the United
States Marines. Most of
Ryan’s time as a Marine was
spent as a guard in California
at the Marine Corps Base
in Camp Pendleton. Today
there are about 180,000
serving in the United States
Marine Corps.
“The camaraderie in the
Marines is unbelievable,”
Ryan said. “You make best
friends for life. You also
don’t ever want to let your
buddy down. They’re your
best friends in the world.
You don’t want to disappoint
your best friends.”
Ryan describes the Marines
as a brotherhood.
“We all have our special
traditions as Marines that we
treasure,” he said.
In Coronado, California,
Ryan did amphibious assault
training along with training
with various Marines in other
countries. This January,
Ryan will begin his education
at Joliet Junior College.
Thoughts of becoming an
officer might also be in his
future plans.
“[The] future is still wide
open,” Ryan said. “The Marines
taught me how to put
my life in order, taught me
discipline. The best points
that I learned is to never give
up, to keep pushing through
and don’t let life get you
down.”
For Ryan’s parents Bruce
and Karen, having their son
home was a gift. “I’m proud
(Left to right) Bruce, Karen and Ryan Swiecicki of Tinley Park pose together for a photo upon Ryan’s return home after
finishing his four years of service in the Marines Corps. mary compton/22nd century media
of my son,” Bruce said. “I
wanted our neighbors and
the community to know he
served our country. He’s
home now, we haven’t had
the big party yet.”
“It’s hard to believe four
years have passed,” said
Karen, Ryan’s mom. “We
missed him a lot but having
the phone calls and text messages
knowing he was safe
made it a lot easier.”
“Four years in the service
is something to be proud
of, we certainly are,” added
Bruce.
Ryan said that serving his
country and being an American
means everything to
him.
“I’ve always loved my
country and always wanted
the best for it,” Ryan said.
Orland Township to award scholarships to 2019 graduates
Submitted by Orland
Township
The Orland Township
Scholarship Foundation
will be awarding more than
$15,000 in scholarships
to Orland Township high
school seniors from the
2019 graduating class, announced
Paul O’Grady, Orland
Township Supervisor
and President of the Scholarship
Foundation.
The Orland Township
Scholarship Foundation
Board of Directors will
award 22 scholarships totaling
$16,500. Foundation
members unanimously
agreed to award one
$2,000 scholarship, eight
$1,000 scholarships and 13
$500 scholarships to Orland
Township high school
seniors.
The Orland Township
Scholarship Foundation
will select and award scholarship
recipients based on
a combination of the applicant’s
leadership skills,
dedication to community
service, academic focus,
participation in extracurricular
activities, recommendations
from school
representatives, volunteer
supervisors or employers,
an assigned essay question
response and any other pertinent
information requested
within the application.
Students faced with hardships
will be given strong
consideration.
Applicants must be residents
of Orland Township,
high school seniors graduating
in 2019 and enroll as
a full-time student at a college,
university, trade or vocational
school.
“Orland Township is
dedicated to recognizing
and supporting of all
our residents,” said Paul
O’Grady, Orland Township
Supervisor and Scholarship
Foundation President. “I
look forward to celebrating
the accomplishments
of members of the Class of
2019 as we send them off
to the next chapter in their
academic careers.”
Applications for Orland
Township Scholarships will
be available Tuesday, Jan.
22, at the Township office,
14807 S. Ravinia Avenue
in Orland Park, and on the
Township website: orland
township.org. Completed
applications must be postmarked
or delivered to Orland
Township by Friday,
March 8.