Photo By Cpl. MaryAnn Hill | Sgt. Jim Case, senior drill instructor of Platoon 1101, Delta Company, 1st Recruit...... read more read more
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PARRIS ISLAND, S.C. – Just over a year ago, Dustin Culver was one of the top high school football players in the state of New York. Instead of joining his teammates in college, he chose to join a different team and fight for more than just points on the scoreboard.
Culver started playing football when he was 8 years old, more than 10 years before coming to Parris Island for a chance to earn the title Marine, and he never missed a season. As he got older and trained harder, he became one of the top five players in the state of New York for two consecutive years as a linebacker.
During his senior year of high school in Auburn, N.Y., his football coaches talked to him about scholarships and playing college football, but Culver’s mind was already set on becoming a Marine.
“I talked to the Marines and the Army, but the Marines were the best, and I have always been the best and didn’t plan on changing anything now,” said Culver, 19, who joined the Delayed Entry Program in October 2012.
Culver said he joined the Marine Corps to become a better leader. He also wanted to help protect the freedoms he had for other kids his age.
Matthew Moskov, Culver’s head football coach at Auburn High School, said Culver was always a very hard worker and one of the best on-field leaders he had ever seen in his time of being a player and coach.
“As a coach, it is vital to have someone on the field during a football game that can lead the team and keep them motivated, and Dustin excelled at that,” said Moskov. “Dustin was one of toughest football players I have ever coached. Opposing coaches always commented about Dustin and his toughness and resilience. He just won’t give up.”
When Culver wasn’t playing football, he was either working an array of jobs or helping the less fortunate.
Culver began volunteering at an early age, coaching youth football teams and helping give out food and gifts to the homeless on Thanksgiving and Christmas. He said it always made him feel like he was doing the right thing, helping those less fortunate than himself.
Judy Culver, his mother, said she had a hard time with his decision at first, because she wanted him to play college football. She said that many colleges wanted Culver to play for them, and they kept calling him until the college football season started.
“As the time got closer and closer for him to leave for boot camp, I was a basket case to say the least,” said Judy Culver. “I’m so glad we were able to go and see him sworn in, because seeing Dustin stand there, dressed in his best, I knew he was made to be a Marine, and he was proud to be there.”
Dustin Culver arrived at Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island, S.C., on Sept. 23, 2013, and began training with Platoon 1101, Delta Company, 1st Recruit Training Battalion. From the very beginning, he stood out to his drill instructors by asking for a leadership position.
“He came here seeking leadership,” said Sgt. Jim Case, Culver’s senior drill instructor. “I knew he would be the guide, but I didn’t want him to fail. So, I put someone almost as good as him in the position so he could see what not to do.”
In the first days of training, most recruits break down from being tired, according to Case, a 29-year-old native of Jackson, Mich. Culver was one of the few who was constantly sweating.
“When he would scream, you could see on his face that he wanted to be here, and that hasn’t changed ever since,” said Case. “Every time I talk to him, I ask him who is doing bad in the platoon, and he tells me. Then I ask him what he is doing to fix it, and he always has an answer. Most guides I’ve known don’t have anything to say, but he does.”
That personal confidence and the leadership he’s gained is apparent as Culver nears graduation Dec. 20, 2013.
In January 2014, he’ll head to infantry training at Camp Lejeune, N.C., and where he once lead high school athletes on the football field, Culver will likely lead Marines on some battlefield in the future.
| Date Taken: | 12.17.2013 |
| Date Posted: | 12.17.2013 10:33 |
| Story ID: | 118318 |
| Location: | PARRIS ISLAND, SOUTH CAROLINA, US |
| Hometown: | AUBURN, NEW YORK, US |
| Hometown: | JACKSON, MICHIGAN, US |
| Web Views: | 2,151 |
| Downloads: | 2 |
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