For most Marines the ‘Corps’ life starts at the yellow foot prints, but for others it is much earlier.
For Lance Cpl. John M. Dussault, a squad automatic weapon operator with Echo Company, 2nd Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment, Marine Expeditionary Brigade – Afghanistan, and native of Stafford, Va., recruitment began at an early age thanks to his father, retired Master Sgt. Paul J. Dussault.
“When I was four years old, my dad was with a Marine Security Guard detachment,” said John. “It was 1990 when I encountered activities with other Marines while my dad was on duty.”
John’s father was a military police officer. When he was younger, his father would take him to physical training in the morning with the MSG detachment from Quantico, Va. As everyone performed various exercises, John watched from the quarterdeck in front of the Marines.
“Basically, I grew up hanging around Marines,” John said. “Growing up, it was all gung–ho.”
Recalling basic household chores, John remembers that he and his father tackled them in Marine Corps fashion.
“When I woke up in the mornings, I had to make sure the chores were done,” John said. “The house had to be spit-spot clean like any drill instructor would want it.”
Throughout his childhood, it was unmistakable what John’s future would be. Playing with the neighbors and reenacting past Marine battles, John showed his early interest in the Corps.
“I noticed that John would become a Marine at a very young age,” Paul said. “He always played Marine and dressed up at Halloween as a Marine.”
After graduating from high school in 2004, John tried his hand at college. Rediscovering he always wanted to be a Marine, he enlisted Jan. 13, 2008.
Although graduating from boot camp is a major step in any Marine’s career, unfortunately, John’s mentor could not be present.
“I was in Iraq at the time John graduated boot camp,” his father said. “When I came home and saw him in uniform, I was very proud of him.”
John is now serving on his first deployment. Patrolling throughout Lakari, Helmand province, Afghanistan with his fellow Echo Company Marines, John totes along a keepsake from his father, his trusty fighting knife.
“I have had that Ka Bar [fighting knife] since about 1973,” Paul said. “When I came back from Iraq the second time, [John] found out he would be leaving for Afghanistan. I passed it on to him.”
Strapped securely to his pack, John carries the knife to every patrol base and combat operating base he’s been to.
Looking up to his father as a role model, John tries to emulate him in every way, as a soon-to-be-father and a Marine.
“I just wanted to fill his boots,” John said. “I want to be just like him. A lot of people look up to my dad, and I want a lot of people to look up to me.”
The camaraderie offered by the Marine Corps attracted John when he enlisted. He also prefers the selectivity the Corps offers because he knows that earning the title Marine is something not everyone can do.
“The Marine Corps is a brotherhood,” John said. “You won’t find any better fighters in the world. The Marine Corps is an awesome branch of service and I couldn’t have asked for anything better.”
John plans on following in his father’s footsteps to becoming a career Marine. Later this year, John’s wife Tommie expects their first child, a baby boy named Brayden.
For John, the Marine Corps has been a way of life since his first steps. He’s unsure of how he will raise his son, but he knows that if Brayden becomes a third generation Marine, he will be very proud.