Achieving Lifelong Dream To Be A Marine
by U.S. Marine Corps Cpl. Dakota Dodd
August 12, 2024

For one Marine, boot camp graduation was more than just a ceremony, it was the realization of a lifelong dream.

“Seeing my father serve and his graduation pictures from over 30 years ago, that’s what I wanted. That was my dream,” said Lance Cpl. Sean Fang.

The dream seemed unreachable due to Fang’s difficult childhood, he said. At age 3, Fang was diagnosed with Leukemia, a battle most people aren’t ready for. For Fang this was the steppingstone to his dream.

“Sitting in the hospital bed, there were definitely times I wanted to give up,” explained Fang. “Every time I realized I couldn’t, I had to keep pushing.”

After a five-year battle with cancer, Fang entered remission, the beginning of his trend to defeat obstacles.

Throughout high school, Fang struggled academically, but he never let that change his end goal.

“I was definitely not the greatest student,” said Fang. “But I’ve learned now that I want to actually succeed, and I push myself to learn.”

Following high school graduation in his hometown of Columbia, Kentucky, Fang knew college was a goal, but becoming a U.S. Marine was a must.

“Do I want to pursue college?” asked Fang. “I do. It’s just not what I want to do first. The Marine Corps has been the main thing that I want to do and right out of high school, I did it."

Recruit training was no easy task however, as Fang remembers times where he thought he made a wrong decision.

“I just wanted to be done, this isn’t it” Fang said as he reminisced on the grueling experience.

With his father’s legacy and desire to make his family proud, he persevered. His efforts also made him standout. He was the company honor graduate.

“My family kept me motivated,” said Fang. “I wanted the title, and my family supported me to get there. I had to keep going.”

As he walked across the Peatross Parade Deck, standing tall as one of the nation’s newest United States Marines, Fang was more than a service member, he was an inspiration.

“Joining the Marine Corps was my dream,” said Fang. “This is all I’ve ever wanted. Cancer didn’t stop that. This is my biggest accomplishment I’ve ever had.”

For Fang, this is just the beginning as he will progress to Marine Combat Training and Marine Security Guard School before entering the operational forces.

“I had to build confidence,” said Fang. “But more importantly, I had to learn how to use that confidence. Confidence was the key to my life story.”

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