A fact of life for Marines is that they will be sent on a deployment overseas. Many men and women join the Marine Corps because they WANT to be deployed, and are excited about the opportunities deployments offer. Most deployments are six to seven months, but occasionally, Marine units will be sent on a 12- or 13-month deployment. Regimental Combat Team-7 from Twentynine Palms is at the half-way point of a year-long deployment. Managing editor Tami Roleff talked last week with a Marine in Afghanistan about being deployed….
“I wanted to travel a little bit and figured the Marines were best way to do that.” Sergeant Jason Knuth, 28, has been a Marine for 10 years, and has been all over the world: Okinawa, Korea, Iraq, and Afghanistan. He’s been on several 6-month deployments, but his current deployment to Afghanistan is his first year-long deployment. “This one was kind of exciting; I haven’t had a year-long deployment experience yet. It’s pretty much two deployments that I’ve had before, put together.” But he’s now at the point in the deployment where, instead of getting ready to return Stateside, he still has another five to six months left to go. “It’s pretty much turns into a Ground Hog’s Day after awhile, a lot of it’s just the same routine.” One reason why the deployment seems so long and exhausting for Knuth is because he typically works long days, seven days a week. “Usually around 0800 0900 and work ’til usually around 22-2400, midnight.” He misses having time to relax and have fun. “It’s nice to have a little bit of downtime every now and then.” But he’s philosophical about the long days. “That’s what I’m over here for.”
