Semper Fidelis
Pvt. Todd Chase (’15) at Marine Corps Recruiting Depot in San Diego, California just moments after graduating from bootcamp.
October 1, 2015
You beg your legs to take you one step further. You can feel an intense ache in your calves and know you might not make it. You look up and see the piercing California sun shining bright above the ol’ Reaper, 700-feet into the air, and smile knowing you only have six more miles left until you are a full-fledged Marine.
This is the exact scenario North Platte High School’s own graduate, Private Todd Chase (‘15), experienced last August. “I knew I wanted to enlist when I was about 14, and I enlisted officially about a month after my 18th birthday,” said Chase. He pushed his body to its limits and endured some of the military’s toughest training for three long months.
“The Crucible was the final challenge of training. It was a 54-hour event, and we hiked over 50 miles,” said Chase. During this time period, he was only allowed three meals and four hours of sleep a night. If that itself didn’t sound excruciating, the final leg of the challenge was an extremely steep, six-mile hill called The Reaper. “At the top of that [hill], we became Marines. That was the best feeling ever,” Chase proudly stated. “I’ll never forget it.” .
It wasn’t just physical challenges; Chase had mental ones as well. NPHS junior Trev Chase said he has seen a lot of changes in his older brother. “He has lot more hussle and has had an attitude change,“ he said. “He’s not messy, everything is tidy and neat, and he’s not disrespectful any more.” Pvt. Chase said he now has higher self-expectations. “I don’t do some of the things I use to…I just don’t enjoy them anymore. I feel like I need to hold myself to a more professional standard,” said Chase.
The Marines have not only given Chase self-discipline and job security, but he also feels a special loyalty, or semper fidelis, with his fellow Marines. “We all have an extremely strong bond together. It’s a closer bond than you’ll ever have between a group of people,” said Chase. Choosing the Marines was a simple choice for him. “They’re the hardest to get into and have the most intense training,” said Chase. “My great-grandpa was also a Marine.”
Chase is going on to further his education through the Marines and become a field-radio operator. After the three required months of schooling, Chase hopes to be stationed overseas. In regards to future success, Trev only had great things to say about his brother, “If he wants something done, he’s going to get it done. He’ll fight to get where he wants to be.”
