Ken McCormick was a young man when he decided to serve in the Marine Corps and now, 50 years later, he has the privilege of seeing his grandson do the same, bringing three generations together to serve their country, honoring the commitment of “Semper Fidelis” the Marine Corps motto meaning “Always Faithful.”
His grandson Kaden McCormick just completed recruit training and returned home to Joseph City for a brief visit before heading out once again for 14 weeks of infantry training and then he hopes to serve overseas. For Kaden, the decision to serve as a Marine was not a difficult one. “I wanted to see more of the world but I also wanted to carry on our family tradition,” he explained. That tradition is an important one in the McCormick family. Ken served as a combat engineer in places such as Okinawa, Japan and Vietnam and Kaden, if possible, is also hoping to spend his first several years in Japan.
Kaden’s parents Bryan McCormick and Lindy Downie are also very proud of their son. “I can see the difference in him, he carries himself differently than before he left.” His mother admits she had concerns regarding his choice as an infantryman. Kaden had never been far from home and enlisting in the Marines means he could see combat but she knows it’s important to Kaden and that he’s capable of what the Marines will require of him.
Kaden recalled some of the more rigorous challenges he experienced in training and how they not only strengthened him but created a bond with his fellow recruits as they endured the trials, especially at the end of his training as he went through what’s called The Crucible. The intense 54-hour exercise covered 48 miles on foot while carrying 45 pounds of gear. “Over that entire exercise we were only allowed to have six hours of sleep and two MRE’s (meals ready to eat). It was really difficult, but we worked together, helped each other through it and did it.”
Kaden noted a particularly grueling leg of the exercise where he and a fellow recruit had to carry a log over their shoulders and switch it back and forth over each shoulder as they hiked through mountainous terrain, exhausted and hungry. But when Kaden decided to become a Marine, he knew that he would be subjected to the most difficult physical training of the armed services in order to ensure physical conditioning and combat readiness.
BreeAnna McCormick, Ken’s daughter, also enlisted in the Marine Corps in 2020 and is serving as an electronics technician. She recently re-enlisted. Her deployment took her overseas and she will be soon be transferring to a new duty station soon. BreeAnna’s reasons for serving are similar to Kaden’s – serving her country and carrying on a family tradition.
“I couldn’t be more proud of them,” stated Ken, as he beamed at his grandson. “I never had a doubt, not for one minute did I think he couldn’t do it, and the same with BreeAnna.”
The McCormick family is a living testament to the motto of Semper Fi, a testament that has spanned 50 years and with the pride of service instilled by those who have served, will likely continue for generations to come.
