Senior joins the Marine Corps
Kameron Herndon chooses to serve his country rather than attend college like most of his peers.
Senior Kameron Herndon has enlisted to become a marine and will be headed to boot camp next year. After his service, he hopes to join the SWAT Team.
October 16, 2016
This fall, while most BSM seniors are applying to colleges, senior Kameron Herndon has already enlisted in the U.S. Marines. “I love the Corps and its heritage, and I believe serving in it will maximize my potential as a man and give me a lifestyle I wouldn’t experience anywhere else,” Herndon said.
Come August, rather than going off to college Herndon will head to San Diego. While at training Herndon will go through 13 weeks of rigorous training. “The point [of boot camp] is to break me down as a civilian and build me up as a Marine,” Herndon said.
Training is tailored towards each individual Marine. “In training, I’ll start off the first week in processing, where I’ll get all of my my medical stuff done, do my initial strength test and meet my drill instructor for the first time,” Herndon said.
Herndon, an active participant in BSM athletics, currently trains with other recruits at the recruiting station in Bloomington in order to prepare for boot camp. “I go to weekly [physical therapy] sessions at the office where I learn my general orders and rank structure and do a monthly initial strength test as well as run cross country and wrestle [for BSM],” Herndon said.
Once Herndon completes boot camp, his next step will be to take pictures of combat operations for the Marine Corps. “[After graduating boot camp], I go to Marine Combat Training and then to my permanent duty station as a combat cameraman,” Herndon said.
At a college preparatory school, Herndon’s decision to enlist rather than enroll in college is not universally accepted by his peers. “Most of my friends have been a little abrasive to the idea of me enlisting in the Corps, but it’s my choice, not theirs,” Herndon said.
After his time in the Marines, Herndon hopes to become a part of the around the clock SWAT [special weapons and tactics] teams. “I plan on going into law enforcement as a SWAT team member for NYPD or LAPD,” Herndon said.
