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CAMP LEATHERNECK, Helmand province, Afghanistan (12/23/2011) –
Benjamin Franklin once said, “... In this world nothing can be said to
be certain, except death and taxes.” Tampa, Fla., native Gregory L.
Cole never thought the death of a loved one could bring to life a
new perspective on how to live.
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Corporal Gregory L. Cole, a Tampa, Fla., native and the current
operations manager for the Combat Operations Center, 2nd Marine
Division (Forward), is responsible for tracking all significant
events that happen within the division's area of operations and
archives them for future reference. Photo by USMC Sgt. Earnest J.
Barnes, Feb. 2, 2008
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Corporal Cole, the current operations manager for the Combat
Operations Center, 2nd Marine Division (Forward), received an
unexpected message in May 2011 that he needed to return home from
his yearlong deployment to Afghanistan. The trials Cole would face
through the next three months would test those with the strongest
character, but he has displayed an unwavering strength that has
inspired others.
Cole, who joined the Marine Corps in April
2009, volunteered for this deployment to serve with his brothers in
2nd Marine Division (Forward), also known as Task Force Leatherneck,
even if he had to take a billet outside of his Military Occupational
Specialty. He is a Chemical, Biological, Radiological, and Nuclear
defense specialist, but took an administrative position for the
opportunity to deploy.
Cole tracks all significant events
that happen within the division's area of operations and archives
them for future reference. For Cole, it is not what job you do, but
rather being able to do any job as a Marine.
“I like waking
up every day and being able to put on this guy right here – the
Eagle, Globe, and Anchor,” said Cole, as he pulled his left breast
pocket away from his chest to exhibit the Marine Corps emblem
embroidered on his uniform. “Not cheesy or anything, but I |
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really like it. It's a sense of accomplishment; it is one of the few
things in my life I have actually earned.” |
Cole assists the operations chief with battle space
management. He reviews activity reports consisting of
activities such as improvised explosive device finds, combat
engagements and medical evacuations. These reports come from
subordinate commands, and Cole tracks the activity and
trends and keeps the watch officer up-to-date on where
activity happens in the area of operations.
“He is
responsible for inputting all of the significant acts and
events that occur in Task Force Leatherneck's area of
responsibility,” said Sgt. Jeffrey J. Cyprus, the Task Force
Leatherneck watch noncommissioned officer and Cole's direct
supervisor. “He archives all of the events ... in order to
develop trends in insurgent activity.”
Cyprus, a
Fraser, Mich., native, mentioned Cole's billet contributes
to the overall mission of TFL because his data helps to
support operation and future mission planning from the
company level all the way up to the division headquarters
level.
Cole was establishing a steady routine at
Camp Leatherneck. Life was seemingly normal, and his
deployment was going as planned. He was three months into
his tour when life as he knew it changed.
Tragedy
stuck, not once, but twice when Cole received two Red Cross
messages within three months requesting he come home -- his
father was diagnosed with a progressive stage IV cancer.
Doctors found a tumor on his brain, one in his left kidney,
and multiple tumors on his lungs.
“It all started
back in May; my dad started getting some really bad
headaches,” said Cole. “They did a (Magnetic Resonance
Imaging scan on) his head, and he had a brain tumor. He
ended up having brain surgery the next day.”
Cole
said he was on his way home to Tampa two or three days after
his father had brain surgery. His father then had kidney
surgery just a couple days after he returned home.
Everything with both surgeries seemed to go well, and Cole
said his dad began to recover; he was able to spend a lot of
time with him while he was there.
“I've never had
anyone in my immediate family seriously sick before. It kind
of shocked me a little bit,” said Cole. “At the time, I
really didn't know how serious it really was.”
His
father started treatment to take care of the tumors on his
lungs a couple of days after Cole returned to his unit in
Afghanistan.
Cole mentioned that he didn't hear
anything new, “I figured no news is good news.”
Unfortunately, Cole could not have been more wrong. His
father and family hoped the treatments for the remaining
tumors would help, but two months after Cole's return to
Afghanistan, his father's health took an unexpected turn for
the worst and was given less than a week to live. Cole was
once again granted emergency leave and en route to be by his
father's side. He made it as far as Kuwait on his return
trip before receiving the news his father had passed away.
“In your mind you think that nothing bad is going to
happen to the people you love and care about,” said Cole.
“You really hope for the best.”
Cole understands
life cannot always bring “the best” to his doorstep. He has
learned to push forward and make the best of any situation
and to be there for those who need him the most – in this
case, his four siblings.
“I have four younger
brothers; they all kind of looked at me for a bit of
guidance,” said Cole. “It was good to be together as a
family, to understand the situation, everything that had
happened, and to talk about it amongst ourselves. It was a
good cleansing experience. I think we learned a lot about
each other during those two weeks together.”
Before
Cole left home for the second time, Cyprus asked him if he
needed to stay home with his family. Cole told him no; he
said he would make the most of the time he has with his
family and would be back to duty at the end of his emergency
leave.
Cole added, “I expected to come back. I said
I wouldn't need that long to make peace with the situation.”
“Corporal Cole has truly demonstrated his dedication
to the mission and Corps, given the recent events that
transpired in his life,” said Cyprus. “For most
21-year-olds, losing their father would totally destroy
them. Corporal Cole did not bottle up his emotions and let
it destroy him; he took the time afforded to him, went home,
and handled his business. The first question he asked me
after emergency leave was, ‘When do you think that I can get
orders and get deployed again?'”
His dedication to
duty is a direct reflection of his father's personal drive
and willingness to beat his illness. Cole said his dad
insisted they go golfing just days after he had brain
surgery and tried to go running just three days after his
kidney surgery. Cole analyzed his father's carefree
attitude, an attitude that had always been there and one
Cole just really began to understand.
“The man was
dedicated to his job, his life, and his kids. That was
really good motivation for me,” said Cole of his father's
inspiring life. “Despite hardships in your life, you always
need to take it in stride and keep moving forward, because
whenever it's your time, it's your time.”
It was
tough for Cole to bounce back from his father's death, but
he looked to his father's wisdom and his faith to carry him
through this hardship.
“The one constant you always
have is yourself and the Lord. It's always nice to be able
to go to Him for guidance in whatever you need to do,” Cole
said of his spiritual relationship. “It's nice to always
know there may not be tomorrow, but you're still going to
push as hard as you can for that day. If there is another
day, then you wake up and say, ‘Ok, I've got another day.'
It is an attitude that was ingrained in me, something I
picked up from my parents, and I thank them for that.”
“(Death) gives you a new perspective on life; what I've
kind of taken away from it is if you see something out there
you want to do, something you want to experience in life,
why not go do it?” said Cole. “As long as it's not hurting
anyone else, it's within the realm of possibility and within
your means, you should definitely go out and try it.”
Cole said having that attitude he learned from his
father was “absolutely conducive” to him coming back to
Afghanistan with a positive outlook.
“I don't know
how much longer I want to do it, I don't know if I want to
go to college (full-time), or go coach high school
baseball,” Cole added. “Who knows what God has planned for
me – just find what you love and just keep doing it. If you
don't love it anymore, then give it up.”
Cole said if
he could talk to his dad one more time he would say, “I
thank him for what he's taught me and obviously influenced
me in what I'll do for the rest of my life. I can never
thank him enough for what he has done for me. Who can thank
their parents enough for what they've done for us, right? He
was a rock for us for a long time. He's in a better place
now, I know that much – lucky guy.”
Editor's Note:
Second Marine Division (Forward) heads Task Force
Leatherneck. The task force serves as the ground combat
element of Regional Command (Southwest) and works in
partnership with the Afghan National Security Force and the
Government of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan to conduct
counterinsurgency operations. The unit is dedicated to
securing the Afghan people, defeating insurgent forces, and
enabling ANSF assumption of security responsibilities within
its area of operations in order to support the expansion of
stability, development and legitimate governance.
By USMC Sgt. Earnest J. Barnes
2nd Marine Division
Provided
through DVIDS
Copyright 2012
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