What I've Learned: Isaac Howard

Photo By Sgt. Medina Ayala-Lo | Pfc. Isaac Howard, administrative specialist, Headquarters Battalion, started wrestling when he was 8 and placed first in Illinois’ wrestling championship in 2010, his freshman year of high school.  

MARINE CORPS AIR GROUND COMBAT CENTER TWENTYNINE PALMS, CALIFORNIA, UNITED STATES

09.02.2015

Story by Lance Cpl. Medina Ayala-Lo 

Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center

I was originally born in Kansas City and I moved to Chicago, Ill. when I was 5 years old.

My mom is the second youngest of 13 children, my dad is the oldest of 4 so I come from a pretty large family.
Growing up I played football, wrestled and ran track.
I had a lot of energy as a kid so my parents enrolled me in sports. I started wrestling when I was in grade school because my dad signed me up for it, I didn’t start track and football until middle school.

I liked wrestling the most. With football it took me about a year to get used to the contact and then I fell in love with it. I didn’t like track for about the first year and a half, because I didn’t really like running but it paid off and I learned to love it too.

I liked football because it taught me how to portion out my meals, how to lose weight. Track helped me build my speed and endurance.

I love the competition in wrestling and there was a new move to learn every day. I grew as a person in different ways from doing each of those sports.

I think being fit and participating in sports prior to the Marine Corps helped a lot.

I received three scholarships for wrestling my senior year of high school but instead of going to college, I wanted to join the Marine Corps first and then pursue my athletic goals after.

The farthest that I’ve ever gotten in wrestling was my freshman year. I won state at 112 lbs., and I competed in a 7A division school.

I’d say the team aspect of being involved in sports is something that definitely helped me when it came to becoming a Marine. Teamwork is everything in the Marine Corps and in this organization, it just doesn’t start with the sergeant major or the general, it starts from the bottom up.
I joined the Marine Corps because I grew up in a military family. My uncle was in the Army, my sister did two enlistments in the Navy, and my step-dad served 24 years in the Marine Corps. I was always held to a high standard and I knew that when I got older I wanted to join the military and maintain that in my life.

I believe that the Marine Corps holds people to a higher standard. There’s something about earning that Eagle, Globe and Anchor that send chills down your spine. I think the Marine Corps is the best of all the branches and I wanted to be a part of that.

There are times when I miss wrestling, but every time I go home on leave, I go back to help my team, talk to my wrestling coaches and go to competitions.

I want to be a physical education teacher someday. I like working with kids and I want to be able to impart the importance of fitness and teamwork on the younger generation.

I had a football coach who was also my PE teacher in grade school and onward into high school, so he’s been my mentor for the majority of my life. Growing up, I always looked up to him.

I like to sing and I like to rap. I fell in love with rap when I was in second grade after I started writing poetry. My teacher sat down with me and taught me the basics of haikus and what the 14 syllables meant.

A lot of people think that poetry has to rhyme or be about certain things, but I think that poetry can be about anything. It is one of the best ways a person can express themselves, because there are so many things that you can put into poetry.

Poetry and rap come to me naturally; I’ll write whatever is on my mind. If someone gives me a topic then I’ll just write about it.

I listen to a lot of different music because I think it’s important to broaden your horizons, and not restrict yourself to one genre of music.

One thing I’ve learned so far is to never give up, and I will carry that with me wherever I go.

I would say my favorite thing about being a Marine is the bond that’s forged with the people you meet. It’s like joining a lifelong family.

• Date Taken: 09.02.2015
• Date Posted: 09.02.2015 16:09
• Story ID: 175054
• Location: MARINE CORPS AIR GROUND COMBAT CENTER TWENTYNINE PALMS, CALIFORNIA, US